Jumping around on the PCAT

[islsk]

I recently heard that jumping around on the PCAT is now a counterproductive strategy. Apparently Pearson/PsychCorp know that Kaplan and others recommend skipping around and looking for the 'easy' questions on the exam. So how do they combat this, you ask?

They have several questions on the test which are "experimental" and do not count toward or against your score. These tend to be the on the easier end of the spectrum. So if you jump around looking for the easy questions, you are more likely to encounter ones which do not count toward your score. The time lost will negatively effect your score in the end.

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[Tatodotcom]

1. You have no idea which questions are experimental or not. No body does.

2. You have no idea which questions are "easy"...what may be easy for one person may be very difficult for another person. it depends on what you know...

3. I don't find any validity to this post...sorry

 

[islsk]

1. You have no idea which questions are experimental or not. No body does.

Pretty much true.

You have no idea which questions are "easy"...what may be easy for one person may be very difficult for another person. it depends on what you know...

It is the general consensus that there are certain portions of each test which are more difficult than others. Numerous test-prep books (Kaplan, Dr. Collins, etc) attest to this fact.

3. I don't find any validity to this post...sorry

PsychCorp wants its test to be unaffected by certain test taking strategies. Their business depends on it. This would be easy for them to implement, and they have an incentive to do it. What makes you think that they wouldn't have already done it?

 

[diastole]

What is your source of this information? Without some evidence, I would have to agree that your thread isn't terribly helpful and could hurt test takers if they alter their strategies for no good reason.

 

[Tatodotcom]

Pretty much true.



It is the general consensus that there are certain portions of each test which are more difficult than others. Numerous test-prep books (Kaplan, Dr. Collins, etc) attest to this fact.



PsychCorp wants its test to be unaffected by certain test taking strategies. Their business depends on it. This would be easy for them to implement, and they have an incentive to do it. What makes you think that they wouldn't have already done it?

No, their business does not depend on which of the 8 questions are experimental... that has nothing to do with the point of your post. There are more than 8 "easy" questions on the test (again, depends on what you call easy) so it would still be helpful for test takers to do the questions they know first.

It doesn't matter if it's a test taking strategy or not. Do the questions you know how to do and skip the ones who have problems with initially, only to come back to them if you have time. That isn't really a strategy, its common sense and I would implement this "strategy" on any test. Why sit there and waste time on questions you don't know how to do....skip them and get the free easy ones, even if, and I say IF, they are experimental..

sorry man, but i still don't see how this thread has any backbone to it without the slightest bit of evidence other than "it's the only way to stay in business".

that is just one of the MANY test taking strategies that can be implemented. the company will never be able to eliminate them all, yet they are still in business.......

 

[fenderbiz]

All they'd have to do is make it computer-based and make it so you can't go back. That's how the GMAT works.

 

[Tatodotcom]

All they'd have to do is make it computer-based and make it so you can't go back. That's how the GMAT works.

exactly, that would be one of the many solutions. This again proves that their business does not depend upon keeping up with these test "strategies"...if it did they would implement this into the test as fenderbiz previously stated.

i still don't see how this thread makes any sense though..why would you not do the easy ones first? lol

 

[diastole]

I don't think it makes sense either. The experimental questions are to test them for future tests. If all the experimental questions are easy, how are they testing the medium and hard questions for future exams?

 

[miko]

This thread had me confused until he became ashamed of what he did last night. I think that Diastole hit it on the nose when he said that this thread can hurt test takers more than help.