In our ongoing series on NCCA Accreditations, we've covered panel composition (Standard 13), job analysis (Standard 14), exam specifications (Standard 15), exam development (Standard 16), and standard setting (Standard 17). Today, we will continue with the candidate's most loved and hated topic, their score.
Standard 19 states, "The certification program must employ and document sound psychometric procedures for scoring, interpreting, and reporting examination results." Rather than quote all of the technical elements associated with this standard, we'll focus on how ARRT meets the two components most visible to the public, reporting and interpreting.
First, NCCA requires programs to provide candidates with their overall score and let failing candidates know how their performance relates to the passing standard. ARRT goes one step further because all candidates receive their overall scaled score on the report with relative performance baked in. The passing score is always set to 75, so a 74 is always close to passing while a 62 would always be much further away.
Second, programs need to give candidates guidance for interpreting section-level scores. ARRT provides section scores (e.g., patient care, image production, procedures) to help candidates learn from their attempt and, hopefully, improve before retaking the exam. These section scores are calculated from fewer items and are therefore less reliable. ARRT recommends using these scores to identify relative strengths and weaknesses and prioritize study before the next attempt. As a reminder to the candidate, these scores are reported on a visually distinct scale (7.5 instead of 75).
For more information about the score report, look for the score interpretation guide that comes with every report (passing or failing). Additionally, you can read more on our website here (Exam Scoring) or watch the (Standard Setting and Exam Scoring) episode of our YouTube series "Discover ARRT."
