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Certifying Examinations

Preparation and Validation Process of the Certification Examinations

Preparation and validation of the certification examinations in Veterinary Anatomic Pathology and Veterinary Clinical Pathology begin with selection of the Examination Committee members by the Council. Members are selected on the basis of experience, expertise, areas of interest, and access to examination materials. Geographic distribution and employment sector (university, government, private industry) are also considered in selection of Committee members. New members (proctors) serve a one- or two-year apprenticeship before advancing to regular committee member status. Only those proctors who demonstrate a solid academic commitment to preparation of the examination are advanced to regular membership. Regular committee members serve from three to five years. Staggered turnover provides year-to-year continuity and balance for the preparation and administration of the examination. Separate committees prepare the Veterinary Anatomic Pathology and the Veterinary Clinical Pathology examinations; each has a chairperson, one is also designated as the general chairperson who coordinates all activities. Both committees participate in preparation of the general pathology section which is common to both examinations. Both committees also contribute to the clinical pathology module of the veterinary pathology section of the examination in Veterinary Anatomic Pathology.

From late Fall until early Spring, Committee members and proctors compose written questions and select projection photographs, electron micrographs, and glass microscopic slides for the various sections of the Veterinary Anatomic Pathology and Veterinary Clinical Pathology examinations. Questions are also solicited from the ACVP membership at-large.

In March, written questions with references for each multiple-choice section of the Examination are mailed from all Committee members to specific members who are designated as section leaders. The section leaders validate the references; edit and reconstruct questions; and consider correctness of the answer, suitability of foils, and relevance of the subject. A pool of questions is selected to produce a balanced examination. By mid-April this pool of questions, containing more than needed, is returned to the respective committee members for further review and preliminary selection. At a meeting in June, each committee, including proctors, again reviews each question in detail. The section leader may introduce a few questions of proven quality and discrimination from previous examinations to ensure overall balance. The questions selected for each section of the examination represent a total committee effort. The section leader assembles the final draft, and before printing, reads the examination once more.

Projection images, glass microscopic slides and electron micrographs (or other diagnostic techniques) with related questions are prepared by a process similar to that used for preparation of multiple-choice sections. The three categories of visual materials are collected from Committee members by the appropriate section leaders. The section leader reviews these materials for quality, and for relevance and balance of subject. At the June meeting, images are projected and glass microscopic slides are examined by the all members of the appropriate committee. Beginning in 2005, all projected images have been digital.

Grading of multiple-choice questions is done by machine. The computer-generated item analysis, including the discriminatory and difficulty coefficients of each question, as well as any apparent problem related to individual questions, is considered by the appropriate committee before final determination of candidate scores. Questions relating to projection images, electron micrographs, and glass microscopic slides (both examinations) and the essay subsection of the Clinical Biochemistry section (Veterinary Clinical Pathology examination) are graded by Committee members. All responses to a given question are assigned to one Committee member to ensure uniformity of results. The submitter of a glass microscopic slide or electron micrograph includes salient features and diagnoses at the time of submission. The Committee as a whole develops point allocation for each glass slide or electron micrograph. The Committee member assigned each item, in conjunction with a reviewer and with oversight by the section leader, is then responsible for designating points for specific parts of each answer for final grading.

During the entire examination process, candidates are identified only by number. Scoring calculations for all sections of the Examinations are checked at least twice before they are accepted as final. The chairpersons of each examination committee, Veterinary Anatomic Pathology and Veterinary Clinical Pathology, report scores to the Council. All discussion and decisions are completed before Council votes and before candidate numbers are decoded. After the Council accepts the chairpersons' reports by majority vote, the validity of the examination and its individual questions becomes irrevocable. Examination Committee members never learn the names of candidates that correspond to candidate numbers.

The pass-fail line is determined prior to the Examination. For each examination section, a grade of 60% or better is a passing mark. For sections with subsections or modules, only the total score for the section is used to determine whether a candidate passes. A candidate who takes all four sections of either examination and achieves a score of 60% or more on each section passes. A candidate who passes two or more sections must repeat only those section(s) not passed. A candidate repeating one or two sections and achieving a score of 60% or more on each repeated section(s) passes. A candidate who does not pass all sections after the two permitted additional attempts within a 4-year period must repeat the entire examination. These candidates and those who pass one or no section of the examination, when all four sections are attempted, must re-take the entire examination and submit a study plan with their application. There is currently no limit on time or number of attempts to repeat all sections of the examination. However, successful completion of the Requalifying Examination will be necessary to be eligible for the Certifying Examination once the Certifying Examination has been failed at least twice. Limits are imposed only on endeavors to repeat one or two sections of the examination. Any candidate who fails a certifying examination may request that scores of failed sections be re-totaled to verify the accuracy of the results as reported. Such request must be received by the Secretary/Treasurer in writing, accompanied by $50, within 30 days of the date of mailing of the results of the Examination to the candidate.

Each year the Examination is analyzed before final composition to ensure that any changes in the proportions of species, subject or discipline are gradual and that there are not sharp fluctuations in content from year to year. Immediately after the Examination, the Committee chairpersons present to Council the analysis of the Examination including categorization by species, by subject, by discipline. This is compared with historical analyses to determine what changes, if any, are occurring in the Examination. There is also an analysis of the difficulty and discrimination coefficients of examination questions. The Council advises the Examination Committee, in general, on the composition of future examinations. The Examination results are also reviewed for the general membership at the ACVP Annual Meeting. Council ensures that major changes in the Examination content or process do not occur before announcement on the College website or in information that is provided to prospective candidates.

Revised November 2007

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