Defining Gmat, Gre, And Cat Tests

By Author: Eric Simmerman
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CAT exams, or Computerized Adaptive Testing exams, are those that adjust themselves to the test taker's comprehension, knowledge and ability levels over the course of the testing period. These are computerized tests that measure the answers provided by the test taker and the time taken to complete particular questions or sections of the examination, as well as other factors specific to a particular type of CAT exam.

CAT exams are now being used in classrooms throughout the world at various educational levels but they are still most firmly entrenched in the college-level placement process and graduate school testing arenas. There are various CAT exams utilized in the graduate school placement process, with the two most common being the GRE and GMAT.

How CAT Exams Work

Traditional performance assessment tests typically start with the most basic questions and then proceed through the intermediate and advanced levels, with a limited number of questions in each level. Some argue this method leaves test takers with scores that may not be truly reflective of their actual performance levels. An individual who ...
... takes the entire exam but only gets the few questions correct that are in the basic level category may have a very low score on the overall examination, appearing to have learned very little in their previous education.

CAT exams adapt or tailor themselves to the user throughout the entire testing period. The computerized testing program monitors the test taker's performance throughout the testing period. How long does it take them to answer questions at the basic, intermediate and advanced levels? How often are they answering questions correctly at each level?

After a sufficient period of time has passed in the exam for the computer to correlate data on the test taker, the examination will begin to adapt itself to the individual user and provide the next set of questions based on the test taker's performance in previous sections of the examination. This process means that a test taker who performs well on the basic level exam questions will then proceed to a set of questions at the intermediate level; however, if a test taker does poorly on a set of questions at the intermediate level, the computerized test will revert to a set of questions at the basic level. This method has been purported to provide a better overall assessment of test takers' proficiency levels, giving each individual the ability to show a greater depth or proficiency at each level of the assessment.

GRE - the Graduate Record Examination

The GRE is a graduate school placement exam which actually consists of two tests, the General Test and the Subject Test. The General Test is required for entry into all graduate school programs, while the Subject Test is only required for admittance to some.

The General Test consists of three parts, all focused on writing ability - the verbal, the quantitative and the analytical. Each section of the General Test is scored separately, with the verbal and quantitative sections generating a score between 200 and 800, and the analytical section scoring on a half-point scale between 0.0 and 6.0.

The Subject Test, only required for entry to certain graduate school programs, is designed to measure the test taker's knowledge of the concepts particular to the student's intended field of study. This exam produces a score between 200 and 800, as well.

GMAT - the Graduate Management Admissions Test

The GMAT consists of three parts, the analytical, quantitative and the verbal sections. The GMAT scoring process includes several figures. The first is the overall or composite score which is calculated on a scale of 200 to 800 and tallies all parts of the test into one performance figure. Each section of the test generates an individual placement score, with the verbal and quantitative sections measured on a scale between 0 and 60. The analytical section is measured on a half-point scale between 0.0 and 6.0.

The analytical section of the GMAT requires the writing of two essays, one focusing on analysis of an issue or topic and the other on analysis of an argument. The quantitative and verbal sections are multiple choice exams. The quantitative consists of multiple choice questions focusing on data sufficiency and problem solving, and the verbal section focuses on sentence correlation, critical reasoning skills, and reading comprehension.
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