Human test scores may not measure LLM abilities the same way
Researchers challenge a foundational assumption in LLM evaluation: that standardized tests designed for humans measure the same underlying constructs when applied to language models. Using latent structure analysis, the work questions whether benchmark performance on human assessments actually reflects comparable cognitive abilities in LLMs or merely surface-level pattern matching. This matters because the field routinely uses human-normed exams to make sweeping claims about model reasoning and knowledge. If the latent structures diverge, current benchmarking practices may systematically mischaracterize what LLMs can actually do, forcing a reckoning with how capability claims are validated.62
