Wrong answers listed on DSST exam sheet??

[cboyle]

Hello all,

I'm scheduled to retake the DSST BusMath on Thursday, and I was going over the practice problems listed on the Fact Sheet for Business Math. I am almost positive that two of the questions/answers are incorrect, but I failed the test once so I know that math is not my forte!

Here are the two questions from the fact sheet.

4. Given five numbers, which of the statements
below is always true?
a. The arithmetic mean cannot be smaller than
the largest one of the numbers.
b. The arithmetic mean cannot be smaller than
the smallest two of the numbers.
c. The arithmetic mean cannot be smaller than
the median.
d. The arithmetic mean cannot be smaller than
three of the numbers.

The answer listed for problem 4 is b. But, what about the set of numbers: 1,4,4,4,5 ? The mean would be 3.6 which is smaller than the two smallest numbers. Could they have meant the median?



5. A jewelry store wants to sell five diamonds for
$1,200 per carat. If the weights of the diamonds
are 1/4, 5/6, 3/7, and ½ carats, what is their total
value?
a. $2,400
b. $2,750
c. $2,800
d. $2,814

The answer listed for problem 5 is d. My problem is that I only see the weights listed for 4 diamonds?

Maybe there are a few math geeks that could double check me? If the practice problems are incorrect, then how do I know that the test does not have incorrect problems too?

Thanks,

Caleb

[cboyle]

Here is a link to the current fact sheet for the DSST exam Business Math- http://www.getcollegecredit.com/images/u...s_Math.pdf

[JDM]

The first isn't a very well written question, but if any of the answers are right it has to be b, where I guess we're suppose to understand it as _both_ of the smallest two of the numbers. Read it that way, since the mean can't be smaller than the smallest number, it obviously can't be smaller than both the smallest two numbers.

In the second question, I think the four diamonds would be worth $2414 and some change as listed, so I'm guessing they left off one diamond that was 1/3 of a carat from the list. If we add a 1/3 carat diamond, the answer is close to d's $2814.

I agree that the practice problems don't inspire a lot of confidence in the actual test.

[Tedium]

I can't comment on Business Math. I do know the Intro. to World Religions test was worded all kinds of weird. I mean I passed it, but there were more than a few answers that were really ambiguous or just plain goofy in some cases. You could sort of divine which is the closest to being correct, but a lot of them sort of made me cringe as I was clicking on the answer.

I thought it was just that test, or maybe I was not remembering the clarity of my CLEP questions/answers correctly. I guess they have an issue with their writer's on more than the one test, though.

[columbia]

I had an issue with a different exam (yes, the actual exam). I won't give the details; but I knew the answer to the question in Fahrenheit and the answers were in Celsius. I had left the question for last as I thought it was a freebee math one; but then I spent fifteen minutes reworking my formula over and over because none of the answers lined up. I really KNEW the answer, but it wasn't there in Celsius.

[cboyle]

Thanks folks. I'll just do my best and see how it goes. Nothing else to do.

Thanks.

[BGSU_Alum_86]

Everyone does realize that in an actual exam you do have an option available if you feel the correct answer is not among the choices or that there is more than one correct answer, right? You are to report the question number to your test proctor and they are required to file a report on this. None of the testing programs will realize corrections need to be made if there are no official complaints.

[NAP]

Everyone does realize that in an actual exam you do have an option available if you feel the correct answer is not among the choices or that there is more than one correct answer, right? You are to report the question number to your test proctor and they are required to file a report on this. None of the testing programs will realize corrections need to be made if there are no official complaints.

I did not know this was possible. Thank you; it has been so helpful to have you sharing your knowledge on this forum!

[columbia]

Everyone does realize that in an actual exam you do have an option available if you feel the correct answer is not among the choices or that there is more than one correct answer, right? You are to report the question number to your test proctor and they are required to file a report on this. None of the testing programs will realize corrections need to be made if there are no official complaints.

With the online DSST there was a feedback box after the timed portion of the test and I told them the issue I had, though I don't remember if I gave them the question number (I think I did).
I wasn't going to complain about my score though since I nearly aced it and knew it.

[BGSU_Alum_86]

columbia, I am glad to read that you communicated something in the feedback section at the conclusion of the exam, but all proctors are instructed during training that they are to submit a report if a candidate "thinks that a test question is incorrect or ambiguous." I have no idea how much emphasis is put on the information entered into the feedback box at the conclusion of an exam. If you do not say anything to the proctor, no formal steps can be taken. Better to have it communicated in two places if need be.