Which metric expresses the point at which FAR and FRR intersect, with a lower value indicating better performance?

Which metric expresses the point at which FAR and FRR intersect, with a lower value indicating better performance?

• A. Crossover Error Rate (CER)
• B. False Rejection Rate (FRR)
• C. False Acceptance Rate (FAR)
• D. Biometric authentication

Answer: (A)

Equal Error Rate is the metric that expresses the point at which the false acceptance rate and the false rejection rate intersect. When you adjust a biometric threshold, FAR and FRR move in opposite directions; at the crossing, both error types occur at the same rate. That crossing value is the Crossover Error Rate (CER). A lower CER means the system achieves a smaller error rate at the balance point, indicating better overall discrimination between legitimate users and impostors. FRR alone measures how often legitimate users are rejected, FAR alone measures how often impostors are accepted, and biometric authentication is the broader system concept, not a single metric.

Equal Error Rate is the metric that expresses the point at which the false acceptance rate and the false rejection rate intersect. When you adjust a biometric threshold, FAR and FRR move in opposite directions; at the crossing, both error types occur at the same rate. That crossing value is the Crossover Error Rate (CER). A lower CER means the system achieves a smaller error rate at the balance point, indicating better overall discrimination between legitimate users and impostors. FRR alone measures how often legitimate users are rejected, FAR alone measures how often impostors are accepted, and biometric authentication is the broader system concept, not a single metric.