how has hard exams vs easy exams compared to practice test scores?

[fastfingers]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I personally took the 8am exam and I thought the physics section is pretty darn hard. From what the website seem to say, there isn't a curve, but rather the test takers determine the difficulty of the exam and then scale the test accordingly.

Could people please comment on the exams they took? I'm wondering if it ends up being more advantageous to take a hard exam or easy exam.

If somebody could say:

Practice exam score:
Rating of exam difficulty from 1-10 (10 being hardest):
Actual exam score:

I think this might give a little perspective. I'm not sure how they can determine whether a test is easy or hard unless they have trials.

 

[whiteshadodw]

I personally took the 8am exam and I thought the physics section is pretty darn hard. From what the website seem to say, there isn't a curve, but rather the test takers determine the difficulty of the exam and then scale the test accordingly.

Could people please comment on the exams they took? I'm wondering if it ends up being more advantageous to take a hard exam or easy exam.

If somebody could say:

Practice exam score:
Rating of exam difficulty from 1-10 (10 being hardest):
Actual exam score:

I think this might give a little perspective. I'm not sure how they can determine whether a test is easy or hard unless they have trials.

technically that means there is a "curve" but that its already been set. they've probably done enough statistics to show that it holds up to their percentile ranks or w/e. so technically you won't be scored against other people who took it that day but rather EVERYONE who's ever taken those sets of passages or PS section.

 

[fastfingers]

yeah, but the problem is, passages are always different to some extent and i'm sure they don't reuse passages. so it's hard to compare to everybody without giving the exact exam. I wonder, has the hard exam usually have around the same bell curve as the easy easy?

 

[vandyam]

I believe there are advantages and disadvantages to both. An easy section bodes well because if you do not make careless errors, it should be straight forward. This is also good from a mental standpoint, because you go into the next section confident. However, easy sections are scored much more harsly. Imagine if the PS or BS section were scored like the VB. So easy sections make careless mistakes or "difficult" questions within the so-called easy section worth more (so to speak). Conversely, hard sections are much more generous with the curve, so while you may miss more the score turns out the same in the end. The general consensus is that most people score within their practice range, regardless. It all seems to even out in the end for most people.