What are the advantages of CAT?
In addition to the issues of cost and efficiency addressed above, advantages of CAT include: • Compared to paper-and-pencil tests, CAT technology requires fewer test items to arrive at a more accurate estimate of test takers’ language proficiency. • CAT scoring allows for finer distinctions than total number correct. • CAT scoring takes into account not just the number of item answered correctly, but which items were answered correctly. A test taker who correctly answers a more difficult set of questions will score higher than a test taker who correctly answers an easier set of questions. • The time required to take a CAT is shorter, since test items outside the test taker’s proficiency level are excluded. • The test taker is continuously faced with a realistic challenge–items are not too difficult or too easy. • Because each test taker is potentially administered a different set of test items, test security is enhanced. • CAT technology allows test takers to receive immediate feedbac
