How ARRT Develops Exams and Assessments

Summary

The transcript outlines the process of earning and maintaining credentials through ARRT (American Registry of Radiologic Technologists). After passing the ARRT exam, technologists must complete a structured self-assessment every 10 years. The exam development process involves various committees that ensure the exams reflect current practices and standards. This includes practice analysis, item creation, and determining pass/fail scores through scaled scoring. The transcript also highlights the use of pilot questions and how adjustments to passing scores are made to align with evolving industry requirements.

Takeaways

• 📜 Taking and passing an ARRT exam is a key requirement for earning certification through the organization.
• 🔄 Registered technologists must complete a structured self-assessment every ten years to maintain certification.
• 📚 These exams assess whether candidates possess the necessary knowledge and skills to work as technologists.
• 🛠️ The exam development process is strategic and involves multiple steps to ensure accuracy and relevancy.
• 🧑‍⚕️ Various committees, including those for practice analysis, exam creation, and standard setting, are integral to the process.
• 📊 A practice analysis survey is conducted among registered technologists to create task inventories that inform exam content.
• 📝 Volunteers help write exam questions based on specific discipline content outlines, which are later reviewed and approved.
• 🚧 Pilot questions are included in exams but do not affect a candidate's score; their performance helps decide future inclusion.
• 📏 Exams use scaled scoring to adjust for variations in difficulty, with a passing score typically set at 75.
• 📈 Regular reevaluation of the pass/fail cut score ensures the exams reflect the current skills needed by entry-level technologists.

Q & A

What is one of the requirements for earning a credential through the organization?

Taking and passing an AR RT exam is one of the requirements for earning a credential through the organization.

How often do registered technologists need to take a structured self-assessment?

Registered technologists need to take a structured self-assessment once every ten years as part of maintaining their certification and registration.

What is the purpose of the exams and assessments mentioned in the script?

The exams and assessments are designed to determine whether technologists have the knowledge and cognitive skills required to enter the profession and to provide high-quality, safe patient care.

What committees are involved in the exam and assessment development process?

The three types of discipline-specific committees involved are the Practice Analysis Advisory Committee, the Examination Committee, and the Standard Setting Committee.

How is the practice analysis process conducted for exam development?

The Practice Analysis Advisory Committee drafts a survey and sends it to a large sample of registered technologists. The responses are used to create a task inventory of activities that technologists routinely perform.

How are exam questions developed and selected for scoring?

Volunteers write exam questions using discipline-specific content outlines. These questions are reviewed by staff and exam committees, then added to an item bank. Some questions are piloted on exams before being scored.

What happens to the pilot questions that are included in AR RT exams?

Pilot questions are included in AR RT exams but do not count toward a candidate’s score. Based on their performance, they may be included as scored questions in future exams.

How is fairness ensured across different versions of certification exams?

A comprehensive scoring method called scaled scoring is used to adjust for differences in exam difficulty. This ensures fairness by allowing candidates to pass with varying numbers of correct answers depending on the exam’s difficulty.

What additional requirement is mentioned for sonography candidates?

In addition to receiving a total scaled score of 75, sonography candidates must also pass the abdomen and OBGYN sections of the exam.

How does the organization ensure that exams remain relevant over time?

The organization convenes Standard Setting Committees to reevaluate the pass/fail score (cut score) based on current professional standards and practices. This ensures that exams reflect the knowledge and skills required of entry-level technologists today.