A test case, seriously
THE RULE of testing puts two different individuals with equal scores on the same platform. Or so, a student appearing for competitive exams thinks. But that may not be the case for candidates appearing for tests like GMAT or GRE and unfortunately not many are aware of this. The assessment method is different when compared to Indian tests.
For example, the first five questions, if answered correctly, give a better score to a candidate than another candidate with five correct answers from the middle part though they both may end up answering same number of questions correctly in the entire paper.
"Unfortunately, good students end up with poor scores on this account," says Kevin Vela, a master trainer in SAT and GMAT working with The Princeton Review in Dallas of the US, a worldwide institute preparing SAT and GMAT aspirants. Mr. Kevin, who was in Hyderabad recently to guide trainers at Princeton's newly-opened branch in the city, says the software is designed in such a way that it throws up difficult questions after every correct answer and relatively easy questions if the previous question is wrongly answered. Obviously, the difficult ones carry higher marks. "But this is just one of the many tricks that helps students prepare better," he says, adding that every year new testing methods are being introduced and one needs training institutions that provide highly research-based services to aspirants. They guide students in understanding the techniques and employing them successfully," he says.
Read and practise
Princeton spends millions of dollars on research every year and that makes the difference, he observes. Regarding Indian students, Mr. Kevin says they are excellent in mathematics but lack verbal skills. "I interact with students of various countries and I can vouch that Indian can do much better provided they concentrate on verbal skills." What's the remedy? "Read and practise. But practise with feedback from trainers," he says. He wants students to read classics and serious newspapers. Exams like GMAT, SAT and GRE assess a student's test-taking abilities, he signs off.
By RRR
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