Computer Adaptive Test
Computer-Adaptive Test Format: The Computer-Adaptive Test (CAT) is a new, computerized version of the GMAT that automatically tailors the test to the performance level of the test-taker and generates more accurate information about their abilities. The old GMAT was composed of a mix of questions that were easy, medium, and hard. The CAT employs self-adjusting technology that selects questions based on how well the test-taker is doing during the test.
At the beginning of each test section, the computer generates a question of medium difficulty. If the student gets that question right, the computer gives them a harder question; if they get it wrong, the computer gives them an easier one. This process continues until the end of each section and restarts at the beginning of the next. The student is presented with only one question at a time and is not allowed to skip, return to, or change responses to questions they have already answered.
Scores on the CAT are based on a few factors, including the total number of questions answered, the number of questions answered correctly or incorrectly, and the difficulty level of each question. The questions are not weighted according to where they are in the test, but rather according to their difficulty level and other advanced properties. During the test, if a student answers a question incorrectly because they made a mistake or correctly because they guessed, the questions they answer later in the section will return them to the appropriate level of difficulty.
Test-takers need only a bare minimum of computer skill to successfully complete the CAT. They need to be able to operate a mouse, enter responses, move to the next question, operate a word processor, and select the Help function. The Help function is available to all test-takers during the test, although the time spent using the function will be deducted from the total time for the section.
This computerized format has many implications for people preparing to take the GMAT. The first principle to keep in mind is the fact that harder questions count for much more than easier ones in the CAT. The students who answers difficult questions and gets fewer correct will receive a higher score than the student who answers easy questions and gets all of them correct. This is particularly important at the beginning of the test because the ability to answer the first question correctly determines if the student is given harder or easier subsequent questions. The goal should be to start off strong, spending more time on earlier questions and less time on later ones.
Time management is critical when taking the CAT for other reasons as well. If the student fails to complete questions in a section before the allotted time for that section expires, they receive a harsh penalty (more sever than answering a question incorrectly). So it is important to finish each section completely before time runs out. Students are not allowed to go back and double check answers if they finish a section early. And they cannot skip a question without an answer if they get stuck. This last point means that using the process of elimination and educated guesses are even more important on the CAT.
