2021 RETA Breeze Jan-Feb

RETA TESTING CORNER NO. 23

RETA’S CREDENTIALING EXAMS AND ACTIVITIES Dr. Ron Rodgers, RETA’s Psychometrician (testing expert) and ANSI Accreditation Manager

R ETA’s remotely proctored testing is nearly identical to exams taken in Kryterion and RETA Network test centers. RETA achieves this with several steps to support remotely proctored candidates. All must meet the same test security requirements. • RETA loans an external webcam to candidates who do not have one that meets RETA’s remote proctoring requirements. Internal webcams are not permitted. • RETA sends remotely proctored candidates a digital “scratch pad” because scratch paper is prohibited when an onsite proctor is not present to collect it after a test. • RETA allows remotely proctored candidates to review and change answers to questions using the same rules that apply in Kryterion and RETA test centers. RETA also encourages all candidates to use RETA Study Guides and Practice Tests to help them prepare to pass these exams. Study guides can be downloaded free from the Certification section of the RETA website at www.reta.com. Practice tests can be purchased on the RETA website for $59 per attempt. Study guides provide a content outline, identify books candidates can use to prepare, and include references that candidates see next to questions during their test. Each candidate must decide when to use these references – just as they must know when to refer to a manual or technical information when problems occur on the job. RETA urges all candidates to become as familiar with these references before the test as they are with manuals to operate, maintain and monitor equipment in facilities where they work. For example, candidates can find answers to some safety questions in the ammonia Safety Data Sheet (SDS) in the onscreen references. However, some candidates fail after selecting wrong answers to questions that they could look up in the SDS.

RETA significantly expanded access to CARO, CIRO and CRST during the COVID-19 pandemic by adding remotely proctored testing at home or at work for candidates who are not close to an open test center. Nearly 80% of RETA test centers closed in March 2020. While some test centers reopened, 28 CARO candidates and five CIRO or CRST candidates were approved by late January 2021 to use remotely proctored testing. RETA is expecting remotely proctored testing to continue to grow in 2021. CARO SCORES AND PASS RATES FOR CANDIDATES WHO TOOK REMOTELY PROCTORED TESTS WERE NEARLY IDENTICAL TO CANDIDATES WHO TESTED IN KRYTERION AND RETA NETWORK TEST CENTERS WITH ONSITE PROCTORING FROM JULY 2020 THROUGH JANUARY 2021.

Kryterion

RETA

Remotely

Test Centers

Test Centers

Proctored Tests

All Candidates

72.2

71.7

71.9

72.0

Average Scores

57%

56%

60%

57%

Pass Rates

CARO Scores and Pass Rates, July 2020 through January 2021

28 RETA.com