Compromise Models for Establishing Examination Standards

Cutoff scores based on absolute standards can be unacceptable in terms of the number of failures they produce. Cutoff scores based on relative standards, that is, cutoff scores set to achieve a fixed percentage of failures, can be unacceptable because an acceptable performance level for passed examinees cannot be guaranteed. In some situations one can improve upon an absolute standard using a compromise model, which draws on the information in the observed score distribution for a test to adjust the standard. Three compromise models are described and compared in this article.