One of the unique features of PAT Adaptive compared to other computer adaptive assessments is that students are not locked into responding to items sequentially; students may skip and return to items during their test.
PAT is a low stakes assessment (in contrast to, say, a scholarship or entrance test) and this deliberate design feature is intended to provide greater flexibility and to reduce testing stress for students in that context.
As a consequence, it is technically possible for students to move from one stage of the test to the next without recording any responses. With zero correct responses recorded in the first stage, the adaptive rules will assign a lower level of difficulty in the next stage and so on.
You may notice this in a student's individual report. The example report below shows a high number of correct responses. In such a case, we would expect the test items (questions) in an adaptive test to become more difficult on average. Instead, the report shows that the later items are in fact less difficult than the earlier ones.
To reduce any possible anxiety or perceived pressure, it is important that students understand that PAT is only intended to help show teachers where they are in their learning.
Monitor student progress during testing and encourage students to view and respond to each item in sequence. Students may return to earlier items to enter or change their responses if needed.