So...
A common topic that comes up is "equating" for the CLEP exam scores. After finishing my exam today I was pleasantly surprised to see I scored a 76 :-D
While many study guides ie (REA's College Mathematics) tell students to score their practice exams with 20+Raw Score=Your Score, I'm almost certain THIS IS NOT THE CASE on all of the actual exam's point distribution.
I haven't seen a full explanation of equating on this forum yet, but link me if there is one. (I'd appreciate it :-) )
That being said:
I suspect it works similar to the process the College Board uses on another set of exams.
Awhile back, when I was looking at information for the AP exams I also came across the term "equating" and figured I'd do some searches. The link below is what I found for their scoring:
AP: The Score-Setting Process
While the College Board has not explicitly explained their methods for the CLEP exam, I presume it works similar to AP. Equating is applied to the AP exam when they determine the number or point spread based off of performance on a sample set of similar (or even the same) questions that are consistent between past/present exam samples.
These equated results help (but do not alone[I]) determine the appropriate distribution curve. Obviously, in the AP exam the scoring system is relatively simple as its 1,2,3,4,5. The equating for this exam probably helps the scoring board/committee determine how many standard deviations to make the inner fields.
From what I infer with the CLEP exams the scoring system works:
[I]Raw Score + (80pts-Max Raw Points Possible)*B
B=A figure relative to your spot on a distribution curve. The curve would be shaped similar to an INVERTED bell curve.
Your place on curve B is also determined by your performance on the sample of EQUATING QUESTIONS incorporated into your exam compared to the statistical performance of examinees answering the same (or equivalent) equating sample during prior reference periods. [This is another reason why you must wait 6 months to retake an exam.]
The curve is inverted such that an individual scoring a 0 correct on the sample would receive 20 points and while an individual scoring all correct in the sample would receive all 20 points.
If anyone would like I can upload a MS Excel workbook illustrating the process.
A common topic that comes up is "equating" for the CLEP exam scores. After finishing my exam today I was pleasantly surprised to see I scored a 76 :-D
While many study guides ie (REA's College Mathematics) tell students to score their practice exams with 20+Raw Score=Your Score, I'm almost certain THIS IS NOT THE CASE on all of the actual exam's point distribution.
I haven't seen a full explanation of equating on this forum yet, but link me if there is one. (I'd appreciate it :-) )
That being said:
I suspect it works similar to the process the College Board uses on another set of exams.
Awhile back, when I was looking at information for the AP exams I also came across the term "equating" and figured I'd do some searches. The link below is what I found for their scoring:
AP: The Score-Setting Process
While the College Board has not explicitly explained their methods for the CLEP exam, I presume it works similar to AP. Equating is applied to the AP exam when they determine the number or point spread based off of performance on a sample set of similar (or even the same) questions that are consistent between past/present exam samples.
These equated results help (but do not alone[I]) determine the appropriate distribution curve. Obviously, in the AP exam the scoring system is relatively simple as its 1,2,3,4,5. The equating for this exam probably helps the scoring board/committee determine how many standard deviations to make the inner fields.
From what I infer with the CLEP exams the scoring system works:
[I]Raw Score + (80pts-Max Raw Points Possible)*B
B=A figure relative to your spot on a distribution curve. The curve would be shaped similar to an INVERTED bell curve.
Your place on curve B is also determined by your performance on the sample of EQUATING QUESTIONS incorporated into your exam compared to the statistical performance of examinees answering the same (or equivalent) equating sample during prior reference periods. [This is another reason why you must wait 6 months to retake an exam.]
The curve is inverted such that an individual scoring a 0 correct on the sample would receive 20 points and while an individual scoring all correct in the sample would receive all 20 points.
If anyone would like I can upload a MS Excel workbook illustrating the process.
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