Nathan Thompson articles

Nathan Thompson earned his PhD in Psychometrics from the University of Minnesota, with a focus on computerized adaptive testing. His undergraduate degree was from Luther College with a triple major of Mathematics, Psychology, and Latin. He is primarily interested in the use of AI and software automation to augment and replace the work done by psychometricians, which has provided extensive experience in software design and programming. Dr. Thompson has published over 100 journal articles and conference presentations, but his favorite remains https://scholarworks.umass.edu/pare/vol16/iss1/1/ .

PsychometricsTest Development

What is classical item facility?

Classical test theory is a century-old paradigm for psychometrics – using quantitative and scientific processes to develop and analyze assessments to improve their quality. (Nobody likes unfair tests!) The most basic and frequently used item

psychometrics graduate programs university students

Education

How to get a graduate degree or training in psychometrics

I’m also frequently asked by people already in the field where they can go to get a graduate degree in psychometrics, especially on sophisticated topics like item response theory...

CredentialingPsychometricsTest Development

What is the Hofstee method for setting cutscores?

Have you heard about standard setting approaches such as the Hofstee method, or perhaps the Angoff, Ebel, Nedelsky, or Bookmark methods? There are certainly various ways to set a defensible cutscore or a professional credentialing

Adaptive testingPsychometrics

Monte Carlo simulation in adaptive testing

Simulation studies are an essential step in the development of a computerized adaptive test (CAT) that is defensible and meets the needs of your organization or other stakeholders. There are three types of simulations: Monte

CredentialingPsychometrics

What is decision consistency?

If you are involved with certification testing and are accredited by the National Commission of Certifying Agencies (NCCA), you have come across the term decision consistency. NCCA requires you to submit a report of 11

Adaptive testingEducationPsychometrics

What is the Sympson-Hetter Item Exposure Control?

Sympson-Hetter is a method of item exposure control within the algorithm of Computerized adaptive testing (CAT). It prevents the algorithm from over-using the best items in the pool. CAT is a powerful paradigm for delivering tests

Psychometrics

What is the Standard Error of the Mean?

The standard error of the mean is one of the three main standard errors in psychometrics and psychology. Its purpose is to help conceptualize the error in estimating the mean of some population based on

Adaptive testingPsychometrics

Machine Learning in Psychometrics: Old News?

In the past decade, terms like machine learning, artificial intelligence, and data mining are becoming greater buzzwords as computing power, APIs, and the massively increased availability of data enable new technologies like self-driving cars. However, we’ve