So, if your questions are dumbed down but you get them all right, are you going to end up with the same score as someone whose questions got harder and got them all right? If so, this test is complete trash.
So, if your questions are dumbed down but you get them all right, are you going to end up with the same score as someone whose questions got harder and got them all right? If so, this test is complete trash.
1. The RN Licensing exam (NCLEX) has been using computerized "Adaptive Questions" since 1995:
The "Adaptive Questions" system is actually quite good and efficient, and I have both stochastic comfort with it (being an engineer), as well as first hand experience:
2. After 20 years working as a Chemical Engineer I changed careers in my 40s and obtained a second Bachelors degree in Nursing in 1995 (BSN). That also happened to be the first year that the Nursing Licensing exam in New Jersey (NCLEX) went both digital and used "Adaptive Questions". It did NOT 'lower the bar'. To wit:
3. As I recall, back then there were a total of 255 potential questions of which a minimum of 75 had to be answered. The test would stop as soon as the algorithm was able to determine your knowledge level with 75 questions being the minimum neede to reach such a determination.
4. All of the top students in my class (myself included) received the minimum 75 questions and passed, implying high consistancy in answer quality. In fact all of the students in my class who had to answer less than 100 questions also passed. Above 100 questions and some classmates started failing, with the numbers who failed increasing almost linearly with the number of questions required, implying inconsistancy in answers (AKA 'guessing').
5. So the "Adaptive Questions" method makes it harder to get lucky by guesing the correct answer, whiich is easier to do with the 'total number of correct answers' method.
Unless I'm mistaken, licensing exams are pass/fail. Would such a system be applicable to the SAT, especially for selective schools where under this new scheme, a 1450 achieved by one student may not necessarily equal a 1450 achieved by another student. I'm assuming that two students could have the same score but one score has been adapted because they tanked some early questions. I'll be curious to see how this works in practice.
So, if your questions are dumbed down but you get them all right, are you going to end up with the same score as someone whose questions got harder and got them all right? If so, this test is complete trash.
1. The RN Licensing exam (NCLEX) has been using computerized "Adaptive Questions" since 1995:
The "Adaptive Questions" system is actually quite good and efficient, and I have both stochastic comfort with it (being an engineer), as well as first hand experience:
2. After 20 years working as a Chemical Engineer I changed careers in my 40s and obtained a second Bachelors degree in Nursing in 1995 (BSN). That also happened to be the first year that the Nursing Licensing exam in New Jersey (NCLEX) went both digital and used "Adaptive Questions". It did NOT 'lower the bar'. To wit:
3. As I recall, back then there were a total of 255 potential questions of which a minimum of 75 had to be answered. The test would stop as soon as the algorithm was able to determine your knowledge level with 75 questions being the minimum neede to reach such a determination.
4. All of the top students in my class (myself included) received the minimum 75 questions and passed, implying high consistancy in answer quality. In fact all of the students in my class who had to answer less than 100 questions also passed. Above 100 questions and some classmates started failing, with the numbers who failed increasing almost linearly with the number of questions required, implying inconsistancy in answers (AKA 'guessing').
5. So the "Adaptive Questions" method makes it harder to get lucky by guesing the correct answer, whiich is easier to do with the 'total number of correct answers' method.
That sounds like a pretty good system. I hope they are using the same sort of criteria here.
Unless I'm mistaken, licensing exams are pass/fail. Would such a system be applicable to the SAT, especially for selective schools where under this new scheme, a 1450 achieved by one student may not necessarily equal a 1450 achieved by another student. I'm assuming that two students could have the same score but one score has been adapted because they tanked some early questions. I'll be curious to see how this works in practice.
Same. Because if it's what I'm thinking, I am a big fat hell no on this.