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Please predict whether this patent is acceptable.PATENT ABSTRACT: A method and apparatus for optimization of predictor variables. The apparatus includes a value obtaining section to obtain a plurality of answers from an answer database, each answer including an answered value for each variable of a plurality of variables, the plurality of variables answered by each respondent of a plurality of respondents, a cost obtaining section to obtain a cost for answering each of the plurality of variables from a cost database, and a determining section to determine at least one predictor variable from the plurality of variables based on a prediction performance and an answering cost, the at least one predictor variable for predicting at least one remaining variable of the plurality of variables.