Examination Security Policy
The NBRC is determined to safeguard the integrity of its credentialing programs by ensuring the security of the examinations. In today’s world of instant information sharing, we believe it is important for all candidates and credentialed practitioners to be reminded of the NBRC’s and PSI’s policies regarding examination security. We take these policies very seriously and expect that all credentialed practitioners and candidates will do the same.
As you begin your NBRC credentialing examination at a PSI testing facility, you must agree to and be bound by certain terms, conditions and all applicable laws that govern the use and reproduction of the information on the examination before proceeding, including:
“You agree, under no circumstances, may you remove test questions or any part of the test from the testing facility. Both during and after the test, you may not reproduce test questions or any aspect of the test by any means, including without limitation, paper or electronics. Both during and after the test, you may 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.”
Additionally, when applying for an NBRC credentialing examination, your signature on the application certifies that you have read the Judicial and Ethics Policies contained within the NBRC’s Candidate Handbook which clearly state potential policy violations, including:
“Unauthorized possession and/or distribution of any official NBRC testing or examination materials to include copying and/or reproduction of any part of NBRC examination questions or problems.”
The NBRC may cancel or invalidate examination results regardless of the time that has passed if, upon investigation, these NBRC policies are found to have been violated.
To help you better understand what is acceptable to share and what is not, here are a few examples:
Acceptable Sharing/What You Can Share
- How you felt about the exam. “The exam was hard, but I felt like I did well.”
- How long it took to complete the exam. “It took me about three hours to complete the exam.”
- Where you took the exam. “I took the PFT exam at the testing facility by the library.”
- If an educator asks you to let them know how the exam went. “I thought the test was about as difficult as I expected.”
Unacceptable Sharing/What You Cannot Share
- Specific sections or questions. ‘I felt unprepared for the _____ section of the test.”
- Asking a peer to share answers or sharing your own answers. “What was your answer for the _____ problem?”
- The order or layout of the exam. “They ask about _____ in the first section. Easy. But toward the end, you’re asked scenario questions about _____. That was the toughest part.”
- Speaking to an educator. “There was a question about _____ that you didn’t teach me, so I felt unprepared.”
In addition to your obligations under the NBRC policies discussed above, remember that all of NBRC’s examinations (including the individual examination questions, SAE’s and practice exams) are the copyrighted property of the NBRC. It is forbidden under federal copyright law to copy, reproduce, record, distribute, or display the examination by any means, in whole or part, without written permission. Doing so may subject you to legal action and civil penalties, as well as loss of your credential.
Please remember, these policies and procedures are designed to ensure fairness and equality for all candidates and credentialed practitioners. We see it as an integral part of our mission to ensure excellence defines every credentialed respiratory care practitioner and to protect the health, safety, and welfare of respiratory care patients. Everyone, yourself included, deserves the care of credentialed practitioners who demonstrate their skills and knowledge through a rigorous examination process that is the same for all.
