Performance Differences According to Test Mode and Computer Familiarity on a Practice Graduate Record Exam

Authors:
  • AGAmie L. Goldberg
    Amie L. Goldberg
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Abstract
Ideally, test performance is unrelated to the mode in which the test is administered. This study investigated the relationships between test mode (paper and pencil vs. computerized with editorial control and computerized without editorial control) and computer familiarity (lower, moderate, and higher) with test performance on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). The GRE was administered to 222 undergraduates stratified by gender and randomly assigned to the three test mode groups. With self-reported grade point average as a covariate in a MANCOVA, the authors found that examinees in the paper-and-pencil group outperformed the computerized-without-editorial-control group on all subtests. The computerized-with-editorial-control group outperformed the computerized-without-editorial-control group on the Analytical subtest only. The authors also found a significant main effect for computer familiarity on the Analytical and Quantitative subtests. A significant interaction between computer familiarity and test mode on the Quantitative subtest confounded the main effect for that subtest. The subtests were dramatically more speeded in the computerized forms. The results emphasize the importance of evaluating time constraints when converting exams from paper-and-pencil to computer-delivery mode.