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The first certification examination was administered in computer-based format during the window November 30-December 5, 2009. On December 16, 2009, a psychometrician facilitator from the testing service, Schroeder Measurement Technologies, Inc. (SMT), convened a group of eight knowledgeable and experienced organizational ombudsman practitioners as IOA Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) for a standard setting workshop. The SMEs used their ratings of each item on the certification examination to establish a passing score recommendation for the examination, based on entry level knowledge of the organizational ombudsman job. SMT aggregated and averaged the SME ratings to calculate the passing score, which was subsequently approved by the CO-OP Board of Directors.
This version of the examination was administered again, in paper-and-pencil format, on April 8, 2010. Altogether 80 candidates completed the first version of the certification examination.
The second version of the examination has been administered three times in computer-based format, and 59 candidates have so far taken that version.. This administration of Version II of the certification examination was followed by a similar psychometric process to establish the passing score, including a committee of IOA Subject Matter Experts, statistical analysis by SMT and final approval by the CO-OP Board of Directors.
Candidates’ examination performance is reported as a scaled score, using a scale of 100-500, with the passing score being 405. To date, 139 people have taken the certification examination, with a passing rate of 96%.
Please note examination scores are used to determine the pass or fail result. It is not appropriate to rank different individuals' knowledge levels based on their examination scores.
