Differential performance in high vs. low stakes tests: evidence from the GRE test

Arbeitspapier

We study how different demographic groups respond to incentives by comparing their performance in “high” and “low” stakes situations. The high stakes situation is the GRE examination and the low stakes situation is a voluntary experimental section of the GRE. We find that Males exhibit a larger drop in performance between the high and low stakes examinations than females, and Whites exhibit a larger drop in performance compared to minorities. Differences between high and low stakes tests are partly explained by the fact that males and whites exert lower effort in low stakes tests compared to females and minorities.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: CESifo Working Paper ; No. 7590

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Field Experiments ; Higher Education; Research Institutions ; Education and Inequality ; Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination ; Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination ; Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
• Subject: high stakes ; low stakes ; GRE ; incentives ; experiment ; performance ; gender gap ; race gap

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Schlosser, Analia ; Neeman, Zvika ; Attali, Yigal
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Center for Economic Studies and ifo Institute (CESifo)
• (where): Munich
• (when): 2019

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/198950
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:42 AM CET