WHAT IS THE WEIGHT OF AN EXAMINATION PAPER?
James M. Thyne · British Journal of Educational Psychology · 1966
S ummary . Examiners are often advised that, if one examination paper is to have twice the weight of another, it is only by the former's having twice the S.D. of the latter that the required effect will be achieved. But precisely what is the effect which is called ‘having twice the weight’? And will doubling the S.D., in fact, achieve it? The answers call for a definition of Weight. Some established definitions are examined, and it is shown that, on these, doubling the S.D. will only rarely have the effect promised. A simple definition is proposed, which appears to be in accord with examiners' intentions, and which is such that a paper's weight is directly proportional to its S.D.