Computerized testing also changes some basic rules of standardized tests. It puts a premium on people comfortable with fast-paced, strategic guessing. Computer-adaptive tests penalize people who sit and ponder questions or think of the correct answers a few minutes later. Computer testing also doesn't address concerns about biases in standardized testing, and may, in fact, introduce an additional layer. Test creators emphasize that very little technical expertise is required to take a computer-based test, and all test takers are given ample time to familiarize themselves with testing computers.
Critics say the format gives an obvious advantage to people who are more comfortable with computers.
If you are very comfortable with the computer, that shows across the board. Despite concerns about their accuracy, computerized tests are probably here to stay. And that probably means more horror stories like Amy Cuddy's. She's now in a Ph.D. program in social psychology at the University of Massachusetts. For many people, I'm sure that a mis-scored test changed their life course.