What is a Computer-Adaptive Test?
This is a test where the computer selects questions for you according to how well you have answered previous questions. In other words, the questions adapt to the level of the student. The CBT includes a large bank of test questions, covering all levels of ability from Beginner to Very Advanced. The questions are displayed on-screen, and students respond using the keyboard and mouse. As each question is answered, the computer assesses the response and selects the next question. The questions are selected according to whether the student’s previous answer was right or wrong. In this way, the questions become progressively easier or harder until the system has made a reliable assessment of the student’s level.
This is a test where the computer selects questions for you according to how well you have answered previous questions. In other words, the questions adapt to the level of the candidate. The Computer Test includes a large bank of test questions, covering all levels of ability from basic to advanced. The questions are displayed on-screen, and candidates respond using the keyboard and mouse. As each question is answered, the computer assesses the response and selects the next question. The questions are selected according to whether the candidate’s previous answer was right or wrong; in this way, the questions become progressively easier or harder until the system has a reliable assessment of the candidate’s level.
As test takers respond to test items, a computer-adaptive test “adapts” itself to test takers by selecting the next item to be presented on the basis of performance on preceding items. For example, if a test taker performs well on a set of intermediate-level questions, the computer will next present a set of questions at the advanced level. If the test taker performs poorly on the intermediate-level questions, the computer will select novice-level items as the next question set. Thus, the CAT is constantly attempting to establish the appropriate level for the test taker’s performance, and stops testing once the performance at a given level is shown to be the test taker’s highest sustainable performance.
A computer adaptive test is a sequential exam in which the computer determines the range of questions asked according to the test-taker’s ability. Successive questions are chosen from a large question bank categorised according to content and difficulty. Questions are selected according to the candidate’s responses to previous questions. This means that the student receives fewer questions that are either too hard or too easy. This technique is used by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) for large scale US testing in the US such as the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), which is taken by all candidates for postgraduate study in American universities. Click here for ETS information about using adaptive tests. See also an article on computer adaptive testing, This Test Is For You, (1995).
This is a test where the computer selects questions for you according to how well you have answered previous questions. In other words, the questions adapt to the level of the student. A computer-adaptive test (CBT) is based on a bank of test questions, covering all levels of ability from Beginner to Very Advanced. The questions are displayed on-screen, and students respond using the keyboard and mouse. As each question is answered, the computer assesses the response and selects the next question. The questions are selected according to whether the student’s previous answer was right or wrong. In this way, the questions become progressively easier or harder until the system has made a reliable assessment of the student’s level.
