Tips to help your child prepare for an adaptive exam.
What is an adaptive exam?
An adaptive exam adjusts the difficulty of questions based on a student's performance in real time. The test begins with questions of average difficulty. As students answer correctly, questions become harder. If they answer incorrectly, the questions become easier.
Because each question depends on the previous answer, every student’s experience is unique. Adaptive exams are always online and powered by algorithms that respond to each student’s ability level.
Top Tips
1. Accuracy
Accuracy is key in adaptive tests, particular at the start. The more questions your child gets right at the beginning, the faster they’ll unlock the harder (and higher-scoring) questions. Aim to get as far through the test as possible without getting a question incorrect.
2. Take time with each question
In an adaptive test, your child can’t go back to previous questions or skip ahead — each answer decides what comes next. That’s why it’s so important to pause, think carefully, and make sure they’re happy with each response before moving on. If your child tends to rush, practising a steady, thoughtful pace during preparation will really help.
3. Use the full time available
Even if they reach the end of the test early, students can’t review or change answers afterwards. So there’s no advantage to finishing quickly. Encourage your child to use every minute to read questions carefully and check their reasoning before submitting each one.
4. Try the process of elimination
All questions in adaptive exams are multiple-choice, so there’s always something to work with. If your child isn’t sure of an answer, they can start by ruling out any obviously incorrect options. Narrowing down the choices increases the chance of choosing correctly, even if they have to make an educated guess.
5. Expect the test to get harder — that’s a good thing
Adaptive exams are designed to become more challenging as your child performs well. Let them know that trickier questions are a positive sign — they show that the system recognises strong performance. Before exam day, help them understand what to expect: easier questions at the start and harder ones later on. Feeling familiar with the format will boost their confidence and calm any nerves.