Exam Development
You may not know it, but you are a crucial part of BCSP’s Examination Department!
BCSP’s examinations reflect the most current knowledge and skills required to keep people safe. To ensure our exams accomplish this, we enlist the help of our certificants who qualify as subject matter experts (SMEs) and lead reviews of an exam’s blueprint. Chosen SMEs help us create, revalidate, and revise our certification examinations through three steps:
Job and Task Analysis: A three-day panel activity for defining the exam and identifying domains, tasks, and knowledge and skill statements that will be used to create the draft examination blueprint.
Item Writing: An activity for writing and validating new questions. When questions are being written for an exam, one or more activities lasting several days are conducted with a panel of SMEs. When questions are being written for a self-assessment, the activity is generally conducted with a single SME who may spend up to a week writing items.
Passing Score Activity: A three-hour webinar for evaluating the questions that appeared on the examination to determine an appropriate passing score.
If you are interested in assisting with our examination development process, see the “Upcoming Panel Activities” section of this page for a list of upcoming panel activities and information to sign up for consideration.
Exams Process Instructional Videos
Below are four videos which provide information on the overall exam development process, and the specifics of the job and task analysis, item writing, and passing score panel activities in further detail.
Overview
Job and Task Analysis
Item Writing
Passing Score
Thank You, Panel Participants!
Upcoming Panel Activities
Job and Task Analysis
- None currently scheduled
Item Writing (Exams)
- CIT May 22-25, 2023; Click Here
- CSP June 12-14, 2023; Click Here
- ASP July 17-19, 2023; Click Here
Item Writing (Self-Assessments)
- CIT Dec 4 – 6, 2023Click Here
Passing Score Activities
- SMS, [TBD];Â Click Here
- OHST, [TBD];Â
- CHST, [TBD];
Qualifications
Participants must hold the certification corresponding to the exam for the panel activity in which they wish to participate.
Resources
Blueprints & References
CSP Exam Blueprint
(PDF, 223KB)
CSP Blueprint References
(PDF, 203KB)
SMS Blueprint
(PDF, 198KB)
SMS Blueprint References
(PDF, 204KB)
ASP Exam Blueprint
(PDF, 209KB)
ASP Blueprint References
(PDF, 254KB)
OHST Exam Blueprint
(PDF, 253KB)
OHST Blueprint References
(PDF, 264KB)
CHST Exam Blueprint
(PDF, 189KB)
CHST Blueprint References
(PDF, 207KB)
STS Exam Blueprint
(PDF, 237KB)
STS Blueprint References
(PDF, 206KB)
STSC Exam Blueprint
(PDF, 238KB)
STSC Blueprint References
(PDF, 224KB)
CIT Exam Blueprint
(PDF, 210KB)
CIT Blueprint References
(PDF, 156KB)
Examination Information
Five-Year Revalidation Cycle
BCSP examinations follow a five-year revalidation cycle (click on image for larger view):
