64B-1.011. Requirements and Standards of a National Examination

(1) National examinations will be certified by the department according to the criteria established in this rule. National examinations shall be recertified during contract renewal periods as established by the department.

(a) The national examination shall be developed either by or for a national, regional, or multi-state professional association, board, council or society (hereinafter referred to as national organization). The organization providing the examination shall either:

1. Be recognized by state regulatory boards as a national organization, or

2. Be recognized by a substantial number of that profession’s licensed practitioners as a national organization, or

3. Have a substantial number of the nation’s practitioners licensed or certified through an examination provided by or for the national organization.

(b) Examinations prepared by or for a national organization shall meet the following requirements:

1. The examinations shall be administered for the purpose of assessing entry-level skills necessary to ensure the minimum competence of practitioners to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public,

2. The national organization or its test provider shall be the responsible body for overseeing the development and scoring of the national examination, and

3. The national organization or its test provider shall provide security guidelines for the development, administration and scoring of the national examination and shall oversee the enforcement of these guidelines.

(c) A national examination shall meet the following generally accepted testing standards:

1. The examination tests the scope of practice and entry-level knowledge, skills and abilities defined by a national or multi-state job/task analysis or similar study with a representative sample of licensed practitioners and professional practices.

2. The examination is justified in terms of the protection of the health, safety and welfare of the patient or client.

3. The scores, sub-scores or combinations of scores are statistically reliable.

4. The examination uses psychometrically sound methods to determine the passing score.

5. There are standardized procedures for administering and scoring the examination.

6. There are standardized procedures to ensure the security of the examination.

(2) If an organization makes a request to the department to certify a national examination, the organization shall submit to the Division of Medical Quality Assurance, Bureau of Operations, Practitioner Reporting and Examination Services, 4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin C-90, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-3290, documentation establishing that it meets the requirements established in subsection (1) of this rule, and a non-refundable fee of:

(a) $1,700 for a written examination,

(b) $3,000 for a clinical examination, or

(c) $4,200 for an examination consisting of both a written and clinical component.

(3) No fee shall be charged for certifying an examination if the request for certification is initiated by the department or the respective board.

Rulemaking Authority 456.004(5), 456.017(1)(c) FS. Law Implemented 456.017(1) FS. History–New 9-7-98, Amended 7-20-03, 4-7-08, 9-30-09, 3-19-12.