Changes to the Certifying Exam

It was announced at the Assembly of School Faculty last week that the Council on Certification will be making some small changes to the certifying exam, starting in April 2007. First of all, the minimum number of questions will increase from 90 to 100. However, the number of "pre-test" items will increase by 10 as well, so this is really not a significant change. Pre-test items are those that are being standardized for future exams. The maximum number of questions will be 170. Whereas the reported scores in the past were 300 to 600, this will be expanded to 0 to 900. In the past, these scores were computed, but the highest reported score was 600. That is why "600" was not a perfect score, just the highest reported score. A passing score will continue to be 450. Other notes: Test security. Cheating of any kind is not tolerated. Please don't fall prey to the concept of remembering questions and answers, then circulating that information amongst your peers. If this is discovered, there is a real possibility that eligibility to sit for the exam could be denied, or certification could be revoked. There are currently several ongoing investigations. The chairman of the council on certification wants all of us to be aware of the gravity of this violation. Finally, be sure the council has verification of your current RN status throughout the process. If your license expires and is renewed after your paperwork is submitted but before your score and certified status is ready to be sent to you, there could be a delay. Hope this is of interest to all of you.