Examination Development

The Board develops examinations to test candidate’s skills for licensure in California. The development of an examination represents a significant effort on the part of the Board, the Office of Professional Examination Services, the Board's subject matter experts and the testing vendor.

The development of an examination begins with an occupational analysis. An occupational analysis is a method for identifying the tasks performed in a profession or on a job and the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform that job. The results of an occupational analysis are used to form an examination plan. An examination plan consists of content areas. Each content area describes examination content in terms of the task statements and knowledge gathered during the occupational analysis.

All the Board’s licensing examinations are developed and maintained by the Office of Professional Examination Services (OPES). Test validation and development specialists at OPES work with licensees serving as Subject Matter Experts (SME), to develop licensure examinations that are valid and legally defensible.

To establish pass and fail standards for the, a criterion-referenced passing score methodology is used. The intent of this methodology is to differentiate between a qualified and unqualified licensure candidate. The passing score is based on a minimum competence criterion that is established by OPES. By adopting a criterion referenced passing score, the Board applies the same minimum competence standards to all licensure candidates.