May 2002

NBCE Gives Thumbs-Down to Computer-Based Testing

Greeley, Co. - The National Board of Chiropractic Examiners president Dr. Peter Ferguson reported recently to state delegates that NBCE would not implement computer-based testing at this time.

Ferguson made the announcement at the NBCE’s annual meeting in early May. The announcement reflected a recommendation by the NBCE Computerization Committee and Executive Committee - unanimously approved by the full NBCE Board of Directors - that computerization be delayed until testing technology and environments can provide truly improved test delivery methods.

The computerization study included a full review of the current testing processes, impacts upon state boards, trends in chiropractic college enrollment and their effect on cost, future cost projections and test designs of paper and pencil exams vs. computerized exams, and more.

The committee concluded that:

· Conversion to a computer-based testing format at the present time would result in more costly exams, possibly increasing student fees by as much as 100%.

· A sample of 1,116 students indicated by a margin of 3 to 1 that the expected increase in expense is not considered worth the perceived benefit of switching to computer-based testing.

· The level of security the NBCE currently maintains cannot be matched by existing third-party testing centers, thereby jeopardizing the integrity of NBCE’s written examinations.

The Computerization Committee concluded that circumstances may change, and that the question should be reconsidered periodically. In the meantime, the National Board says it plans to maintain open lines of communication with all constituencies.

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