Measuring Behavioral Traits with Psychometric Models

Behavioral traits—like whether you’re more introverted or extroverted, prone to anxiety, or super chill—make up the quirks and habits that define who we are. But how do researchers and psychologists take something as abstract as behavior and turn it into data they can analyze? Enter psychometric models, the tools that let us measure and…

Making Sense of Item Response Theory

Let’s talk about Item Response Theory (IRT)—not as some intimidating academic concept, but as that one super-smart friend who always knows how to make sense of things. If you’ve ever taken a standardized test or done an online quiz, chances are IRT had its hands all over the process, even if you didn’t realize…

Adaptive Testing: How Your Test Adapts to You

Ever taken a test and thought, Wow, this is way too easy—or, worse, Why is this so impossible?! If so, you’re not alone. Traditional tests don’t always get you. They can feel like a guessing game, a waste of time, or just totally unfair. That’s where Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT) comes in. Instead of…