Topic

Computer Adaptive test

Career Assessment

Subject

Psychological testing

Submitted by

Khushboo Gulalay

BS 6th Semester

Submitted to

Ma`am Irum Mir

Dated

07-April-2021

Women University Mardan

Career Guidance:
“In choosing occupation one is in effect choosing a means of implementing a self-concept”.
What might be called “Super’s Dictum” has an antecedent in ancient Greek thought: ”Know
Thyself” It was formulated in the early days of the career development revolution that eventually
swept away square-peg-square-hole thinking about assessment. Current thinking regarding the
role of assessment in career development and counseling represent an extension of Super’s
Dictum and a revitalization of trait and factor theory.

Since the content or assessment in career counseling (e.g interests, abilities ,career certainty)is
well -covered by other digests in this series .This digest focuses on the process –specifically ,the
contribution of assessment procedure to career exploration and planning .(Super’ Dictum on
choosing an ”occupation” encompasses the trait occupational choices characterizing exploration
and planning .Because these career development tasks are experienced be everyone ,this digest
addresses assessment for the many (e.g via career planning courses) rather than intensive
,problem focused career counseling.

Basic Considerations:

Trait and factor theory :The foundation for assessment:

Assessment procedures used in career counseling have their roots in tests used for diagnostic
screening and personnel selection thiring) As a result the “test “ ’ em and tell em “approach to
test use and the focus of scores on arbitrary decision points .(e.g helping Pat choose a career at
10:20 am on Tuesday march 17th) were major problems at one time. Trait and factor theory was
and continued to be blamed for these problem. However, there is nothing inherently wrong with
assessing human traits. Indeed, assessment is part of human nature; for millennia, we have
"sized-up" strangers and acquaintances. Misinterpretations and misapplications of trait and factor
theory are now widely recognized and there have been several recent attempts to place trait
assessment into the context of career development theory (e.g., see Chartrand, 1991; Rounds &
Tracey, 1990).

Self-Concept: The Basis for Career Choice"

According to Super's Dictum, an occupation gives one the chance to be the kind of person one
wants to be; hence, career choices are based on self-concepts projected into career options. It
follows that a major task in career counseling is to elicit and inform self-concepts--not a simple
process (Betz, 1994) unless one prioritizes components according to career relevance. Faulty
self-concepts are likely to result in flawed plans and choices. Herr and Cramer (1992) said it this
way: "The major concern in a career [development] model is the clarity and accuracy of the self-
concept as the evaluative base by which to judge available career options" (p. 155).
"Assessment: A Primary Means for Self/Career Exploration":
Given today's complex array of career options, one of the most difficult developmental tasks
persons face is the identification and exploration of options congruent with their characteristics.
Assessment can provide focus to career exploration. In the process of assessment and career
exploration, counselees will develop insights about themselves and the work world that will
inform their self-concepts. In a nutshell, the major role of assessment in career counseling is
"self/career exploration"--a complementary process.

"Development of Possibilities into Realities: A Requirement":

One of the career counselor's primary functions is to help counselees develop career possibilities
into realities--that is, to facilitate personal growth (e.g., building the abilities needed for a
preferred career path). In conjunction with other information about the counselee, assessment
information can suggest where growth would be helpful and how it can be effected.

Computer Adaptive Testing:

Computer Adaptive Tests

Based on IRT
For computer adaptive tests which
implement IRT (Item Response
Theory) a
relatively large base of questions for a
given task is developed and their
informational functions are defined. A
well-formed question bank for CATs
contains questions that together
provide information through a whole
range of
Computer Adaptive Tests
Based on IRT
For computer adaptive tests which
implement IRT (Item Response
Theory) a
relatively large base of questions for a
given task is developed and their
informational functions are defined. A
well-formed question bank for CATs
contains questions that together
provide information through a whole
range of
Computer Adaptive Tests
Based on IRT
For computer adaptive tests which
implement IRT (Item Response
Theory) a
relatively large base of questions for a
given task is developed and their
informational functions are defined. A
well-formed question bank for CATs
contains questions that together
provide information through a whole
range of
Introduction:
Computer-adaptive testing (CAT) is the more powerful successor to a series of successful
applications of adaptive testing, starting with Binet in 1905. CAT is a form of computer based
testing that adapts to the test taker’s ability level.it is also known as tailored test.CAT are based
on an item response theory model.

Brief History Of Computer Adaptive Testing:

In principle, tests have always been constructed to meet the requirements of the test-givers and
the expected performance-levels of the test candidates as a group. It has always been recognized
that giving a test that is much too easy for the candidates is likely to be a waste of time,
provoking usually unwanted candidate behavior such as careless mistakes or deliberately
choosing incorrect answers that might be the answers to "trick questions". On the other hand,
questions that are much too hard, also produce generally uninformative test results, because
candidates cease to seriously attempt to answer the questions, resorting to guessing, response sets
and other forms of unwanted behavior. There are other forms of adaptive testing, for instance
tests that attempt to identify particular diagnostic profiles in the test-takers. Such strictly
diagnostic tests are not considered here, but the response-level results of performance-level tests
often contain useful diagnostic information about test-takers .Adjusting a test to meet the
performance level of each individual candidate, however, has been viewed as problematic, and
maybe unfair. How are candidates to be compared if each candidate took a different test? Alfred
Binet (1905) achieved the major advance in this area with his intelligence tests. Since his
concern was with the diagnosis of the individual candidate, rather than the group, there was no
issue of fairness requiring everyone to take the same test. He realized he could tailor the test to
the individual by a simple stratagem - rank ordering the items in terms of difficulty. He would
then start testing the candidate at what he deemed to be a subset of items targeted at his guess at
the level of the candidate's ability. If the candidate succeeded, Binet proceeded to give
successively harder item subsets until the candidate failed frequently. If the candidate failed the
initial item subset, then Binet would administer successively easier item subsets until the
candidate succeeded frequently. From this information, Binet could estimate the candidate's
ability level. Binet's procedure is easy to implement with a computer Lord's (1980) Flexilevel
testing procedure and its variants, such as Henning's (1987) Step procedure and Lewis and
Sheehan's (1990) Testlets , are a refinement of Binet's method. These can be conveniently
operated by personal administration or by computer. The items are stratified by difficulty level,
and several subsets of items are formed at each level. The test then proceeds by administering
subsets of items, and moving up or down in accord with success rate on each subset. After the
administration of several subsets, the final candidate ability estimate is obtained. Though a crude
approach, these methods can produce usefully the same results as more sophisticated CAT
techniques (Yao, 1991).The use of computers facilitates a further advance in adaptive testing, the
convenient administration and selection of single items. Reckase (1974) is an early example of
this methodology of computer-adaptive testing (CAT). Initially, the scarcity, expense and
awkwardness of computer hardware and software limited the implementation of CAT. But now,
in 2000, CAT has become common-place.

Purpose of CAT:
Computer adaptive test are designed to adjust their level of difficulty –based on the responses
provided to match the knowledge and ability of a test taker .if a student gives a wrong answer
,the computer follows up with an easier question, if the student answers correctly ,the next
question will be more difficult.

Where CAT is used:

Military

Schools

Computer Adaptive Tests Based on IRT:

For computer adaptive tests which implement IRT (Item Response Theory) a relatively large
base of questions for a given task is developed and their informational functions are defined. A
well-formed question bank for CATs contains questions that together provide information
through a whole range of Properties (θ). The examinee starts the test with an initial estimate of
theta (θ), which may be identical for each examinee, or it may be used as predefined information
available on the candidate (e.g. results attained in other tests, marks or information from the
professor). The question is administered on the basis of the initial theta estimate and immediately
evaluated by the computer that generated the test.

Advantages of CAT:

Frequent :The high number of permutations also enable more frequent receives a few weeks of
instruction ,by the time they take a CAT again their ability has increased somewhat, and they
will receive a completely different test.

More precision :because CAT are more efficient ,the organization has the option to design the
CAT to actually be more precise than a conventional test while still using fewer items.

Shorter Tests :CAT can reduce testing time by 50% or more. This can obviously translate into
huge financial benefits.

Examinee experience: A CAT will provide challenge for each examinee .Low examinees are
not discouraged or intimidated. High examinees enjoy receiving difficult items.

Disadvantages of CAT:

Requirements: CAT require large sample size and extensive expertise.

No review: CAT rarely allow for examinees to return to items already administered as the CAT
has since adapted and it cannot updated..