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RAGMedium· Retrieval· Reranking· System Optimization

Should you retrieve more documents or buy a better rera...

Refuse the false dichotomy of choosing one over the other without context. At low values of m (e.g., m=3), adding a document often provides more value than a better ranker, but this ratio shifts as m increases (e.g., m=8). The generator’s own accuracy is a constant that cancels out, so the focus should be on the marginal return of the next increment. A strong answer avoids defending a specific architecture and instead focuses on calculating the marginal gains to inform the decision.

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