RankBuffer: Efficient Ranking-Based Rewards for Open-Ended Generation
Quick summary
arXiv:2609.36652v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Open-ended generation lacks canonical answers, making pointwise rewards difficult to calibrate for group-based reinforcement learning. Directly ranking same-query rollouts provides a more suitable relative reward signal, but existing ranking-based reward methods can incur substantial judging cost. We introduce RankBuffer, which maintains an ordered, query-specific buffer of previously judged responses as a reusable quality scale. Each rollout is first inserted into an anchor interval through an independent coarse judgment, after which only rollou
Key takeaways
- arXiv:2609.36652v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Open-ended generation lacks canonical answers, making pointwise rewards difficult to calibrate for group-based reinforcement learning.
- Directly ranking same-query rollouts provides a more suitable relative reward signal, but existing ranking-based reward methods can incur substantial judging cost.
- We introduce RankBuffer, which maintains an ordered, query-specific buffer of previously judged responses as a reusable quality scale.
Why it matters
The importance of “RankBuffer: Efficient Ranking-Based Rewards for Open-Ended Generation” will be measured by what changes in practice. User behavior, access conditions, verifiable performance and responsible-use outcomes are the signals worth following.

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