Does Cheating on CAT Pay: NOT!
Richard C Gershon, Betty A. Bergstrom · American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting · 1995
ABSTRACT When examinees are allowed to review responses on an adaptive test, can they cheat the adaptive algorithm in order to take an easier test and improve their performance? Theoretically, deliberately answering items incorrectly will lower the examinee ability estimate and easy test items will be administered. If review is then allowed, examinees can change answers from wrong to right, thereby raising their initial ability estimate. Following this strategy, examinees can take an easy test, rather than a test targeted to their ability. The consequences of following such a strategy, for the examinee and for the testing agency, are explored. Results of a simulation using data based on the Rasch model indicate that is a risky business. If an examinee makes a mistake and fails to change even one answer from wrong to right, the consequences may be dire. When an item bank has very easy items and test length is short, highly able examinee ability is severely underestimated. In addition, cheating can be detected and prevented during test administration altering test targeting. (Contains 4 figures, 4 tables, and 22 references.) (Author/SLD)