2 replies to this topic

[abadger42]

Something came to me while I was taking(re FAILING) my 270 test the other day. Adaptive tests gives you harder or easier questions based on your your answers. I noticed my questions got real easy at the end because I was doing poorly.

My thought is this, if you have a review screen, why not miss questions on purpose to get progressively easier questions and then go to the review screen and fix your answers. Now I know the powers that be must have a fail-safe to prevent such, but I am curious. Can someone answer why that wouldn't work?

Please bear in mind I don't advocate any kind of cheating, if you don't learn the material you don't deserve to pass and the only one you cheat is yourself. I was just wondering.

[abadger42]

Interesting thought.  But I'm not sure that the tests are adaptive.  Here's a blurb I found way on the bottom of the MS test prep page for the 70-270:
Hrm.  So it might be adaptive, it might not - they are not saying.  I guess it's so that they can change the format as necessary and at whim, and also to discourage people from trying to figure out ways to "trick" the program into giving them easier questions (ahem, cough cough).  Sorry, couldn't help that last bit there...

But seriously, I don't know if that's possible to fake out this or any other.  And I don't see how adaptive testing can work if you have the option to review and change answers, wouldn't the test architects have figured that out & built in systems to prevent something like that?

Hey thanks for the reply. I wondered the same, how can adaptive testing work with a review screen?  I can attest that my questions got easier at the end, whether that was adaptive or by design. I can assure you I wasn't trying to trick it, I just flat missed the questions.

This was my first MS test after 3 Comptia's and the difference was amazing. The CompTia test was very easy to navigate and never even had a hiccup. The MS was shaky at best with some answers taking up to 1 minute to go through. Some times it was real slow loading the next question with just a couple of the boxes at the bottom of the page were visible. At one point after hitting next, a dialog box came up and said terminating. The lady there had to come in and reset. I was on #47, but it started back on 48. At the end there was a feedback section. When I tried to leave feedback, the test abruptly ended. The level of questions between the tests were like night and day. MS much, much harder. Very few fact/answer questions (couple of T/F), mostly all troubleshooting themed.

Edited by abadger42, 10 September 2008 - 08:10 PM.

[jameandrew]

that was extremely clever of you to point out. he he seems like you have a great observational powers. But i wonder if this could be possible. If it is, it could be a serious loophole in the system and needs to be addressed as soon as possible before somebody could take an undue advantage of this discrepancy.