GRE the last to go

Did you guys know that the GRE has a computer adaptive test?Whether you get a question right or not determines the difficulty of the next one, with more difficult questions being weighed more. This means that the questions in the first third of the math and verbal test largely determines the final score. So, if you get the first few wrong, the difficulty level drops (as will the score) and, even if you get all the rest correct, the score will never fully return to the higher level. It's like losing your 4.0 GPA once you don't get an A.
Knowing the subject matter is not as important as knowing HOW to take the test. No wonder there's a mint to be made in test preparation classes.

Posted by jua on 12/9/03 at 8:07PM


Comments:

Um...

Not getting an A would stop you from having a 4.0, though, wouldn't it? I think this is sort of a neat idea, myself, but that's probably 'cause I think anything that involves computers in the classroom "teh b0m".

Posted by martin on 12/9/03 at 8:34PM

That makes sense to me

If you start blowing the easy questions, you don't deserve to get a high score. Besides, I'm sure it has an allowance for missing a couple without it totally tanking your score. Additionally, if you're struggling with the easy questions, you'll be destroyed by the hard ones, so this method gives you a chance to salvage your score by being asked more easy questions that you may be able to answer.

Posted by bryce on 12/10/03 at 10:21AM

What is easy?

I see problems arising from whoever is deciding which questions are easy. I mean I might know all the other "easy" questions and most of the difficult ones but if they put the one easy question I don't know first it screws the rest up for me.

Posted by sean on 12/10/03 at 10:28AM

Here's how it works...

Yahoo! says:

Every time you get the question right, the computer raises your score, then gives you a slightly harder question. Every time you get a question wrong, the computer lowers your score, then gives you a slightly easier question. In this way the computer tries to "home in" on your score.

Posted by bryce on 12/10/03 at 12:56PM


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