Evaluation & Quality
Exact match
A scoring rule that accepts an answer only when it matches an allowed answer under specified formatting rules.
Example
A system's answer must match a reference date after formatting is normalized.
Why people use it
It checks whether an answer meets a precisely specified acceptable form.
What you'll hear
“Does the answer exactly match an accepted version?”
What this means for you
Define accepted variants and normalization before comparing scores.
Can you control it?
No
No direct control. This describes a wider issue, concept or result rather than something you can simply switch on or off in a tool.
Common questions
- Can a partly correct answer receive no credit?
- Yes. A strict match rule can reject an answer even when some of its information is correct.
- Can two equivalent answers receive different scores?
- Yes, unless the comparison rules allow both forms.
- Why decide the formatting rules in advance?
- Changing the rules after seeing answers can make comparisons unfair or misleading.