Passing rates

CLEAR Exam Review (Winter 1992)
Eric Werner, M.A.

Question: My question concerns what group to use when examining test passing rates. The total passing rate on our multiple-choice test is about 60 percent, but those taking the test for the first time pass at a rate of about 80 percent. Critics of the board look at the 60 percent and say that our standards are too high and that our test unreasonably excludes people from practice. Is 60 percent the number we should consider or is the first-timer number correct?

Answer: First, let us agree that passing rates are not the first criterion for judging the quality of criterion-referenced licensing tests. The rate for first timers is the more appropriate one to use. Administrators of some testing programs go even further and define a reference group such as first-timers trained within the last two years in accredited programs. The idea is to judge the difficulty of the test and of individual test items in reference to a group about which you know something. Within reason, the more variables you control, the more you know. Repeat test takers often do less well than first timers, and the situation you describe is not unusual. To help address the issue your critics raise, you might consider setting up an examination information system that allows you to answer the question of how likely it is that a candidate will pass the test within any specified number of attempts.

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