An Important Update on Exam Security
In 2023, the NBRC became aware of some troubling activities within a Facebook group named “Respiratory Review with Jana.” We learned individuals were paying to access the group in order to share and distribute confidential information and copyrighted documents regarding NBRC’s credentialing examinations and Self-Assessment Examinations (SAEs) in violation of the law and in violation of NBRC’s testing policies and credentialing requirements. All of the NBRC credentialing examinations, SAEs, and SAE Feedback are copyrighted materials that may not be copied, sold, or otherwise distributed in a public forum whole or in part without the express written approval of the NBRC. In addition, NBRC protects the credentialing examinations as trade secret confidential information requiring candidates to agree not to share the examination questions with others as a prerequisite to taking the examinations. In joining these groups, the NBRC believes many of the individuals were attempting to gain an unfair advantage to pass an NBRC credentialing examination. and that the individual operating this group was knowingly assisting other persons in obtaining or attempting to obtain Certification, Registration, Recertification or Reregistration in violation of the NBRC Judicial and Ethics policies.
As a result, the NBRC has made several changes to help ensure examination security. One change is the implementation of a new fraud reporting page where anyone can report the potentially unauthorized distribution of information and documents regarding NBRC’s credentialing examinations, along with other violations. This new fraud reporting page will allow us to take swift action when reports are made. In addition, the Jimmy A. Young Memorial Lecture given by the NBRC at this year’s AARC Summer Forum titled “The Boundary Around Legitimate Examination Preparation” is dedicated to this topic, and we encourage anyone who is in attendance to join us.
As a reminder, if you ask other candidates who are attempting NBRC examinations or credentialed practitioners what content is on the examination, this is in direct violation of our testing rules and is also unethical. Anyone who has ever taken an NBRC SAE or credentialing examination has acknowledged and agreed in pertinent part:
- that the test questions, their arrangement, and the manner in which they are displayed, presented, and laid out is confidential and proprietary information on which a substantial amount of money and effort were expended to develop;
- that the person granted access will not reproduce test questions or any aspect of the test by any means, including without limitation, paper or electronic;
- that the person granted access will not disclose test questions or any aspect of the test to others by use of paper copies, electronic media, oral communication, or any other means;
- that if the person granted access violates the aforementioned terms, NBRC will have the right to seek injunctive relief and/or other relief as the law may permit against the person for breach of the terms and conditions.
We ask that that you help put a stop to any violations of these rules and/or of the NBRC Judicial and Ethics policies by reporting them to us. Ultimately, we must all work together to ensure the integrity of our credentialing system!
