Exam Development
How is the certification exam developed?
The ACA employs a professional psychometrician to ensure the exam is developed and revised according to proper psychometric standards. The Exam Development Committee convenes annually to write new test questions and revise existing ones based on test results, changes in best practice, new professional literature, or revisions in the Role Dilineation Statement.
Each question in the item bank is linked to a domain, a task statement, and a knowledge statement on the Role Delineation Statement. The questions for each test are chosen to reflect the entire range of the Role Delineation Statement. Examination Development Committee chairs have sought to ensure that the committee represents a wide variety of employing institutions, subject expertise, length of experience in the profession, and geography.
Why are there multiple choice questions?
Nearly all certification/licensure exams include multiple-choice questions; and it is very common that they contain only this type of question. Multiple choice questions can test many different levels of knowledge and a broad range of knowledge and skills. The amount of research on this type of question makes conclusions about the validity of any given test quite firm and permits development of guidelines for writing good questions. Finally, multiple choice questions are efficient and economical to score.
Is the exam reliable?
The ACA exam has continually tested well according to standard statistical measures. After each exam is given, statistical tests are applied to the test as a whole and to each question. Results are transmitted to the Examination Development Committee, as are any questions or comments by test takers that are reported by proctors, Academy officers and board members, etc. If statistical analysis of testing results uncovers a flawed question, that question is removed from the item bank or revised and test takers are not penalized for getting the answer wrong. Exams are revised and questions are revised or eliminated based upon the statistical tests and reported questions and comments.