1.  Certification exams screen candidates seeking the credentials issued by an organization. The exam is only effective at screening if the questions that make up the test are performing as intended. Poor performing questions allow candidates without the desired level of knowledge to pass and/or candidates with the proper knowledge to fail. An item level in-service analysis reviews the statistical performance of the test items to identify poorly performing items. The in-service analysis identifies which items should be kept, deleted, or changed to make them effective. The in-service analysis also checks for aberrant response patterns that could indicate cheating.  

2.     Test form(s) should meet a minimum standard of reliability, and if multiple forms of the exam exist they should be equivalent in content and in difficulty. Periodically exam form(s) should be analyzed to determine if test form(s) are performing in a satisfactory manner. A forms level in-service analysis will review the performance of the test forms and make recommendations to correct any identified problems. Periodic in-service analyses also safeguard the certification program by identifying possible security problems.