2019 RETA Breeze Mar-Apr

RETA TESTING CORNER NO. 12

RETA’s Testing and ANSI Guru

Dr. Ron Rodgers, RETA’s Psychometrician (testing expert) and ANSI Accreditation Manager, has guided development of all RETA credentialing exams since 2002. RETA Testing Corner provides information and answers

may not serve on RETA’s Certification Committee (CertComm). Similarly, a RETA-Authorized Instructor (RAI) who takes a RETA exam must agree in writing not to teach classes to prepare candidates for that RETA test for two years. RAIs who violate this policy can lose all their RETA creden- tials and be fined to help cover RETA’s costs if they compromise the security of a test. No RAI has violated these policies in the 10 years since RETA created the RAI program in 2009. The content of each test is supported by a practices study to document the knowl- edge and skills needed to perform tasks assigned to people who hold that RETA credential. Experienced industrial refrigeration operators, trainers, consul- tants and managers rate the proficiency level and risk of harm related to each content area. Their ratings help define how many questions appear in a test for each content area. Each study guide lists both the references and the content outline for that RETA examination. RETA certification tests also require candidates to know when to use references that appear on-screen next to questions during each test. For example, an ammo- nia Safety Data Sheet (SDS) is one of these references. Candidates can look up answers to questions about ammonia safety if they know when to use the SDS, but many fail by guessing instead of referring to the SDS that is provided on-screen during each test. On-screen references for CIRO, CRST, CRES and RAI also include screen shots that show normal and abnormal operating conditions in a refrigeration system to help RETA assess system troubleshooting skills. All screens appear in RETA study guides,

which also offer explanations of how to use system data to identify and respond to possible maintenance needs, hazards and emergencies. All RETA study guides are available to download free from the Certification section of the RETA website at any time. RETA updates its test references regularly. Recent RETA publications include a new Industrial Refrigeration Book I (IR-1) in 2018, IR-3 in 2016, and the first RETA Energy Efficiency Handbook in 2018. The 2019 edition of IR-2 will be published soon. Each new book triggers CertComm test reviews and revalidation of all questions whose references or performance data have changed. Citations for each test question are updated whenever a new reference is published. Any question that is answered differently in a test reference is refined or replaced in future exams. RETA has never penalized a candidate because content or practices changed over time. RETA reviews candidate performance data at least twice each year to monitor how every question is working on every test. Any question that it is not differentiating between high-scoring and low-scoring candidates effectively is refined or replaced to assure that each exam remains fair and valid for all qualified candidates. RETA’s test delivery software also protects test security by presenting answers to each looking at the same question in adjacent test stations each may be viewing any of 24 possible answer sequences for every question. That makes it very difficult to compare answers without talking to each other to determine the order of answers on each of their screens. question in random order to every candidate. Two candidates who are

questions from RETA members, candidates and others to help them earn and benefit from RETA credentials. Every RETA candidate bulletin and study guide begins with the following statement. “RETA is fully committed to maintain- ing the fairness, impartiality, validity and integrity of all RETA certification programs. RETA policies and proce- dures are designed to assure that all decisions about certifying every candidate are based solely on the candidate’s qualifications and perfor- mance on RETA examinations and other certification-related activities.” Certified Assistant Refrigeration Operator (CARO) and Certified Industrial Refrigera- tion Operator (CIRO) are ANSI-accredited, but all RETA exams are prepared to meet ANSI 17024 Standards. RETA will add Certified Refrigeration Service Technician (CRST) and Certified Refrigeration Energy Specialist (CRES) to its ANSI-accredited certification programs when these exams meet all ANSI 17024 Standards, but the new CRST and CRES exams began in 2018 and 2019 and may not satisfy ANSI 17024 for a few years. RETA maintains a firewall between its Education and Certification Committees, both to meet ANSI 17024 Standards and to assure the fairness, security and validity of each test. People who write RETA books

26 RETA.com