Top tips for adaptive exams

What is an adaptive exam?

An adaptive exam changes the difficulty of questions based on how a student is doing.

• The test starts with questions of average difficulty

• Correct answers lead to harder questions

• Incorrect answers lead to easier ones

Each question depends on the last answer, so every child’s test is different. Adaptive exams are always taken online and adjust in real time to a child’s ability.

Top tips for adaptive exams

1. Accuracy matters most

   Getting questions right at the start is especially important. Early correct answers unlock harder questions, which are usually worth more marks. Encourage your child to focus on accuracy rather than speed.

2. Take time with each question
   
   Children can’t skip questions or go back to change answers. Each response affects what comes next, so it’s important to pause, think, and only move on when they’re confident.

3. Use all the time available
   
   There’s no benefit to finishing early, as answers can’t be reviewed at the end. Using the full time helps your child read carefully and check their thinking on every question.

4. Use the process of elimination
   
   Adaptive exams are multiple choice. If your child isn’t sure, ruling out wrong answers can make the correct choice much clearer - even when guessing.

5. Expect the test to get harder

   Harder questions are a good sign. They show your child is doing well. Let them know to expect easier questions at the start and more challenging ones later. Knowing this in advance can really boost confidence on the day.

Frequently asked questions 

If my child has 5 questions left in an adaptive test and only 1 minute to go, should they guess?

In an adaptive test, the questions your child sees change based on how they answer. Get one right, and the next question gets harder, opening the door to a higher score. Get one wrong, and the test moves to an easier question, impacting how high their score can go from that point on.

This is why guessing is risky. An incorrect guess can shift your child onto an easier path for the rest of the test, lowering the difficulty level they're being scored against and, in turn, their final SAS.

Encouraging your child to work through a question carefully rather than guess gives them the best chance of achieving the highest possible score.

My child has answered more questions correctly but achieved a lower SAS, why is this?

Adaptive SAS scores are based on both accuracy and the difficulty of the questions answered, then standardised by age. Answering more difficult questions correctly earns a higher SAS than answering the same number correctly at an easier level. 

The most likely explanation: in the lower-scoring test, your child answered more questions but at a lower difficulty level. In the higher-scoring test, they reached a higher difficulty threshold, which led to the higher SAS.

This is why accuracy matters so much in adaptive tests. Getting a guessed answer wrong shifts the difficulty of the questions that follow, which affects the final score.

My child is eligible for extra time. How can I add this on Atom?

Sign in to Atom Home, click your profile icon, then Settings. Scroll to Learning Settings, click Edit, and enter the percentage under Add Extra Time (for example, 25 for 25%).