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A Study of the Effects of Item Rearrangement SAT

Author(s):
Flaugher, Ronald L.; Melton, Richard S.; Myers, Charles T.
Publication Year:
1966
Report Number:
RB-66-39
Source:
ETS Research Bulletin
Document Type:
Report
Page Count:
59
Subject/Key Words:
College Board, College Entrance Examinations, Difficulty Level, Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), Test Format, Test Items

Abstract

This study was directed to answering the question, "Can the items in a test which is slightly speeded be rearranged in such a way as to discourage cooperation among test takers in a group setting, without affecting the item and score properties of the test?" The literature on the rearrangement problem consists of studies in which the test was either highly speeded or completely unspeeded, or in which rearrangements were extreme. Only moderate rearrangements were used in the present study. Two types of items were used. One group contained 40 items typical of those in the Verbal section of the CEEB Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and one contained 25 items typical of the Mathematics section of the SAT. Results indicated no significant alteration of the item statistics or of the tests' correlations with other tests, but analysis of the regression of the experimental Verbal tests on a longer Verbal test revealed significant differences in intercepts; i.e., some of the Verbal arrangements were slightly more difficult than others. No such difference was found for the Mathematics tests.

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