Abstract:

Based on each examinee’s answers of previous items, computerized adaptive testing (CAT) selects items and aims to measure examinee’s actual ability more efficiently and accurately than paper and pencil-based tests. While it is a natural thing for examinees to review their answers and possibly change them in paper and pencil-based tests, the same thing is less common to happen in most CATs since it could deteriorate the measurement efficiency and make tests vulnerable to manipulative test-taking strategies, as confirmed by many researchers. The absence of review opportunities on operational CATs creates a dilemma for test developers as examinees need to review and change answers during the test in order to achieve more accurate estimates of their true ability. Researchers on reviewable CAT mainly focus on three aspects, namely changing the test design, improving the item selection strategy and building models. Future studies could further explore the comparison and combination of different methods and pay more attention to review and change methods for cognitive diagnostic CAT.

Key words: computerized adaptive testing, answer review, measurement efficiency, answer change