Exam Development
What is the Certification Examination?
The ACA certification examination consists of 100 multiple-choice questions across eight domains defined in the Role Delineation Statement for Professional Archivists.
Passing the examination is required for initial certification. Current Certified Archivists may also use the examination to recertify.
Who Develops the Examination?
The Examination Development Committee (EDC), led by the Regent for Examination Development, oversees the creation, evaluation, and ongoing revision of:
- The Role Delineation Statement
- The Reading List
- The Examination Item Bank
Committee members serve three-year terms and represent diverse archival backgrounds and areas of professional practice.
How the Examination Is Developed
ACA works with a professional psychometrician (testing expert) to help ensure each examination is developed and analyzed in accordance with established testing standards.
The EDC meets regularly to write, review, and revise examination questions. Each question in the item bank is mapped to a domain, task statement, and knowledge statement from the Role Delineation Statement. Questions are also assigned a level of difficulty based on psychometric standards and performance data.
When building each annual examination, the committee selects questions from the item bank to ensure the exam:
- Represents all eight domains
- Reflects the current reading list and Role Delineation Statement
- Meets quality and statistical performance standards
Where Do Examination Questions Come From?
The EDC monitors archives-related publications to update and create new content for the reading list and the examination. The committee identifies and reviews references for each question in the item bank by assessing sources from both foundational and current professional literature.
Sources are evaluated to ensure they:
- Support theoretical and practical standards relevant across the profession
- Align with topics described in the Role Delineation Statement
- Are reasonably accessible through libraries, purchase, or open-access platforms
Is the Certification Examination Reliable?
ACA maintains a large, continually updated bank of questions that the EDC reviews for accuracy, clarity, and relevance. Each annual examination is constructed to represent all eight domains and to include a range of theories and practices.
The psychometrician provides expertise in test design and statistical analysis, including data on question performance. The EDC uses this analysis to improve question quality and help ensure the examination continues to perform in accordance with professional testing standards for certification exams.