Examination Scoring
Receiving Examination Scores
Prior to leaving the test center, candidates will receive a preliminary
score report. These results are preliminary and unofficial.
Official score reports will be mailed every two-three weeks.
The official score report will be mailed to all candidates and
is also available for viewing online. To view your score report online, go to
www.cpancapa.org and select the option to view your
Score Report. You will need the email address and password
you selected when you submitted your application to
view the report. In addition to a score report, passing candidates
will receive a certificate and wallet card from
ABPANC. The certificate and wallet card will be sent to the
primary mailing address provided in the application, so
make sure that you update your address if it has changed.
Under no circumstances will scores or pass/fail information
be released over the phone, via email or Internet, or by fax.
The score report provides information on whether the candidate
passed or failed the examination. In order to pass
the examination, candidates must obtain a total scale score
of 450 or higher. See the following section on "Scoring" for
more information. For individuals who pass an examination,
the score report will simply indicate the words, “you have
passed.” No numerical scale score values will be reported.
In order to give individuals who fail an examination feedback
about their performance, scale score values will be
reported in each of the four domains in addition to their total
scale score on the score report. Due to the need to maintain
test security, examination questions and answers will
not be released to candidates.
Scoring of Examinations
The scale range for the CPAN® and CAPA® examination is
200 to 800, with 450 set as the passing point. Different scales
are often used to transform and report scores on an examination
– these are commonly called scale scores. The reason
for using scale scores instead of raw scores (the number of
questions a candidate answers correctly) is to make scoring
comparable from one examination form to the next.
Although all examination forms are based on the same test
blueprint and are carefully constructed to have similar difficulty
levels, slight differences in difficulty are unavoidable.
To ensure that candidates who take an easier or more difficult
form of the examination do not have an advantage or
disadvantage, a statistical process called equating is used
to adjust for the difficulty level of the form. For example,
candidates who take a slightly more difficult form may need to
answer 105 questions correct in order to pass whereas
candidates who take a slightly easier form may need to answer
108 questions correct to pass. Although the raw score
passing point (the number of questions a candidate needs
to answer correctly) may change to account for the difficulty
of the form, the scale score passing point is always set at
the same point on the scale, i.e., 450. Since raw scores
usually differ from one form to the next, many certifying
bodies use scale scores so that the passing point can be
provided to candidates prior to the examination.
Setting the Passing Point
The passing point was determined by a passing point study
using the modified-Angoff method. The Angoff method is a
commonly used criterion-referenced passing point methodology
in the credentialing industry.
For each examination, a panel of CPAN® or CAPA® content
experts independently rated each question on the examination
in terms of how many minimally qualified candidates
will answer each question correctly. These ratings
were then used to determine the passing point by averaging
the panel’s ratings for each question and summing the
averages across panel members.
Retaking the Examination
Candidates who fail the examination may re-apply for the
examination during the next available examination administration
window, but may not apply for the examination during
the same examination administration window in which
they failed. ABPANC does not limit the number of times a
candidate may retake the certification examination. Fees
and application procedures for those retaking the examination
remain the same as those for first-time applicants.
Unsuccessful candidates will be granted a one-time only
discount on the examination fee of $50 if they retake the
examination within the next 12 months (within the next two
administration periods).
Unsuccessful candidates who use the discount are not eligible
for a withdrawal or rollover to a subsequent examination.
Instructions on how to apply the discount will be provided
in the score report that is mailed to the candidate.
|
