How is the passing score determined?
ANSWER. The method used by the ABIH for setting the passing score is the Item Response Theory (IRT). Scored questions for the exam are chosen from among those available that have adequate IRT and performance statistics. Scored questions are chosen to meet the exam blueprint. Exam items are pre-tested before being used as scored items by including a number of experimental items on the exam that are not included in the scoring of the test.
When the original form of a test in any field is administered, committees of Arizona technical and content experts and educators in that field meet to review the questions on that test form. Committees recommend a passing standard to the ADE and the Arizona State Board of Education (ABE). The ABE makes the final determination of the passing standard and periodically reviews the standards on all tests in the AEPA program.
The passing score is developed using a content-based, or criterion-referenced standard setting procedure. Members of a committee composed of veterinarians representing the various content areas covered by the NAVLE work individually and collectively to determine the minimum score that a candidate has to achieve in order to be judged minimally competent to enter private clinical practice. The passing standard is approved by the NBVME, and is applied to each form of the NAVLE using a procedure called equating. Equating ensures that the passing standard remains constant in spite of minor variations in item difficulty from one form of the NAVLE to another. Raw scores (the number of items that candidates answer correctly) are converted to scaled scores (see above) and the scaled scores are reported to licensing boards and candidates. More information on NAVLE standard setting can be found on the NAVLE page on this website.
