Most testing centers have established policies regarding test score interpretation. Some of the material upon which you are tested very easily lends itself to quantitative analysis. Multiple-choice questions require single answers, and only one choice will be correct. These quantitative tests simply measure the percentage of correct answers as a comparison to the number of possible answers on the entire test section. Other tests, the GMAT for example, may yield a combination of both quantitative results and qualitative results, which may be combined to produce a total score. Qualitative scoring is used for such testing activity as Writing or Writing Assessment Skills. While modern scoring methodologies make use of technology in order to quantify writing skills to some degree, the ability to do this is limited. Qualitative testing to assess writing ability still relies, to a large extent, on human perceptions. The use of technology to score writing samples can point out structural irregularities in much the same way that spell-check software warns of erroneous sentence structure, punctuation, or grammar. Without the intervention of academic experts, however, there is no guarantee that the software has made the appropriate analysis. The sentence structure and punctuation of the world's best-known writers might be signaled out as incorrect by language analysis software.
Writing assessments are particularly difficult because a rubric is often used. A rubric is a set of conditions or values against which the work is to be appraised. A fair score cannot be assigned until a writing sample has been reviewed by experts in a particular field. The academics who review the test taker's writing will focus upon the following categories: language structure, vocabulary, logical development of theme, clarity of issues, and analytical ability. Knowing the scoring methods or rubric to be used on a particular test beforehand will improve your success rate. Bear in mind that most test scores are comparisons of one's performance to the performance of one's peers. To again use GMAT scores as an example, the range of scores is set upon a database of scores ranging from 200 to 800. Two-thirds of test takers will attain scores within the 400 to 600 range.