Efficient RLVR Training via Weighted Mutual Information Data Selection
On the map: LLM alignment / RLHF / preference optimisation → Reward modeling and RLHF
Abstract (arXiv)
Reinforcement learning (RL) plays a central role in improving the reasoning and alignment of large language models, yet its efficiency critically depends on how training data are selected. Existing online selection strategies predominantly rely on difficulty-based heuristics, favouring datapoints with intermediate success rates, implicitly equating difficulty with informativeness and neglecting epistemic uncertainty arising from limited evidence. We introduce InSight, an INformation-guided data SamplInG metHod for RL Training, grounded in a weighted mutual information objective. By modeling data outcomes with Bayesian latent success rates, we show that expected uncertainty reduction decomposes into complementary difficulty- and evidence-dependent components, revealing a fundamental limitation of difficulty-only selection. Leveraging this observation, InSight constructs a stable acquisition score based on the mean belief of datapoints' success rather than noisy sampled outcomes, and naturally extends to multi-rollout settings common in reinforcement learning with verifiable rewards (RLVR). Extensive experiments demonstrate that InSight consistently achieves state-of-the-art performance and improves training efficiency, including a +1.41 average gain on Planning & Mathmatics benchmarks, +1.01 improvement on general reasoning, and up to ~2.2x acceleration, with negligible additional computational overhead.
Key facts. Cited by 4 papers in the map (data through 7 Oct 2026). Placed in Reward modeling and RLHF, one of 10 directions in LLM alignment / RLHF / preference optimisation. Builds on 27 of its 36 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 2 Mar 2026.
Builds on
27 of 36 references.
Closest ancestors · 2
Same direction, newest first
- 2025BOTS: A Unified Framework for Bayesian Online Task Selection in LLM Reinforcement Finetuning30 Oct
- 2024HybridFlow: A Flexible and Efficient RLHF Framework28 Sep
Other references · 25
- 2021Evaluating Large Language Models Trained on Codecited by 8,053
- 2023Let's Verify Step by Stepcited by 3,598
- 2023GPQA: A Graduate-Level Google-Proof Q&A Benchmarkcited by 2,748
- 2025DAPO: An Open-Source LLM Reinforcement Learning System at Scalecited by 2,678
- 2017Understanding Black-box Predictions via Influence Functionscited by 1,714
- 2022Solving Quantitative Reasoning Problems with Language Modelscited by 1,359
- 2024OlympiadBench: A Challenging Benchmark for Promoting AGI with Olympiad-Level Bilingual Multimodal Scientific Problemscited by 1,099
- 2019Aleatoric and Epistemic Uncertainty in Machine Learning: An Introduction to Concepts and Methodscited by 903
- 2020Aligning AI With Shared Human Valuescited by 706
- 2019Data Shapley: Equitable Valuation of Data for Machine Learningcited by 617
- 2024LESS: Selecting Influential Data for Targeted Instruction Tuningcited by 514
- 2025SimpleRL-Zoo: Investigating and Taming Zero Reinforcement Learning for Open Base Models in the Wildcited by 505
13 more
- 2025From System 1 to System 2: A Survey of Reasoning Large Language Modelscited by 319
- 2025LIMR: Less is More for RL Scalingcited by 136
- 2025General-Reasoner: Advancing LLM Reasoning Across All Domainscited by 132
- 2025Online Difficulty Filtering for Reasoning Oriented Reinforcement Learningcited by 100
- 2025Curriculum Reinforcement Learning from Easy to Hard Tasks Improves LLM Reasoningcited by 89
- 2025Beyond Pass@1: Self-Play with Variational Problem Synthesis Sustains RLVRcited by 53
- 2024Estimating Epistemic and Aleatoric Uncertainty with a Single Modelcited by 52
- 2024Correlated Proxies: A New Definition and Improved Mitigation for Reward Hackingcited by 50
- 2025Can Prompt Difficulty be Online Predicted for Accelerating RL Finetuning of Reasoning Models?cited by 48
- 2025TreeRPO: Tree Relative Policy Optimizationcited by 45
- 2025Depth-Breadth Synergy in RLVR: Unlocking LLM Reasoning Gains with Adaptive Explorationcited by 40
- 2024HyperINF: Unleashing the HyperPower of the Schulz's Method for Data Influence Estimationcited by 7
- 2025How Many Code and Test Cases Are Enough? Evaluating Test Cases Generation from a Binary-Matrix Perspectivecited by 4
Built on by
Citing papers per year: 2026: 4.
4 papers.
- 2026Low-rank Optimization Trajectories Modeling for LLM RLVR Accelerationcited by 2
- 2026Faster Synchronous On-Policy RL via Straggler-Aware Group Sizingcited by 2
- 2026RLVR Datasets and Where to Find Them: Tracing Data Lineage for Better Training Datacited by 1
- 2026RISED: RubrIcs for agentic multi-environment Selection and sElf-Distillationcited by 0
- 2026RISED: RubrIcs for agentic multi-environment Selection and sElf-Distillation1 Oct 2026
- 2026Faster Synchronous On-Policy RL via Straggler-Aware Group Sizing1 Jun 2026
- 2026RLVR Datasets and Where to Find Them: Tracing Data Lineage for Better Training Data26 May 2026
- 2026Low-rank Optimization Trajectories Modeling for LLM RLVR Acceleration13 Apr 2026
Similar, not cited
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- 2026Linear Dynamics in the RLVR Training of Large Language Models
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- 2026Resource-Efficient Reinforcement for Reasoning Large Language Models via Dynamic One-Shot Policy Refinement
- 2026MaPP: A Unified Marginalized Posterior-Predictive Framework for Data-Efficient RLVR
- 2025Data-Efficient RLVR via Off-Policy Influence Guidance
- 2025Efficient Reinforcement Learning for Large Language Models with Intrinsic Exploration
- 2025Reshaping Reasoning in LLMs: A Theoretical Analysis of RL Training Dynamics through Pattern Selection