Signalperson
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How Do I Test? - Written and Practical Examinations

APPLICATION PROCESS TO TAKE THE SIGNALPERSONS EXAMINATIONS

First-time Signalperson candidates must take both written and practical exams at an approved NCCCO Unitary test site.

Pencil-and-Paper Option (Required for initial candidates)

Candidates desiring to sit for a pencil-and-paper written exam should visit nccco.org to see a schedule of upcoming Test Dates and Locations and then submit a completed Candidate Application form with the appropriate documentation and payment to NCCCO’s testing partner IAI. Applications are due two weeks prior to the scheduled examination date. Application deadline examples are shown on page 7. Information about the specific locations of the Test Sites will be available approximately four weeks prior to the examination. Candidates eligible to sit for the examination will receive an admission letter approximately one week before the scheduled test administration date.

Compute- Based Testing (CBT) (For retest candidates ONLY)

Candidates needing to retest for their written exam (only) may use the CBT option. Retest candidates should visit nccco.org and click on the Computer-Based Testing link under Test Dates and Locations. The CBT Frequently Asked Questions page includes links to a directory of PSI/LaserGrade locations and an online application form. After the candidate completes and submits the online application, IAI will send an authorization email within 48 hours. After receiving the authorization email, wait 24 hours. Then call the number provided in the email to schedule the test(s) with LaserGrade; LaserGrade will send an appointment confirmation email within 24 hours. Go to the selected test center at the scheduled date and time. Bring a valid photo ID and the authorization email, but be aware that materials such as cell phones, calculators, hats, coats, and bags are not permitted in the test room. Test results are available immediately.

Candidates Requesting Testing Accommodations

Arrangements for persons with disabilities will be provided upon request, in conformance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Professional documentation in support of a request for accommodation must be submitted to NCCCO no later than four weeks prior to the scheduled test date. Please read the policy for testing accommodations or contact CCO for further information.

SUBMISSION OF APPLICATION

The Candidate Application is located at the back of the Candidate Handbook. These forms can be downloaded from this site for your use.

The Candidate Application with appropriate fees as well as any correspondence and requests for information concerning the administration of the CCO Certification Examinations, should be directed to:

International Assessment Institute
Attention: CCO Testing
4141 S. Highland Drive, Suite 225
Salt Lake City, Utah 84124
Phone: 727-449-8525
Fax: 801-938-9540

Check your application to ensure that all information is accurate and complete. In addition to your completed application, make sure you have enclosed the appropriate fees.

Candidates may also register for either CBT or paper-and-pencil exams and pay online.

Follow the directions carefully when filling in the information required. Incomplete applications, incorrect payment, and/or inaccurate documentation will delay the processing and incur additional fees.

Failure to follow instructions precisely could result in the candidate NOT being able to sit for the examination. Therefore, please be sure the application is complete and payment is correct.

Deadlines

Please note that all deadlines are UPON RECEIPT deadlines and that candidates and Test Site Coordinators are solely responsible for making sure that complete and accurate applications reach International Assessment Institute by the stated deadline.

FEES

The appropriate fee must be enclosed with the completed application. Checks and money orders payable to International Assessment Institute are preferred. Candidates may also pay by credit card (VISA, MasterCard, or American Express). Do not send cash. Please do not staple checks or money orders to the application form, but do include payment in the envelope with all the other application materials.

All returned checks that are unable to be processed will be subject to a $30 fee.

Fees for Signalperson Examinations are:

Other Fees:
An additional $50 late fee will be charged if an application is late.
An additional $25 fee will be charged if a candidate:

• Wishes to reschedule without a valid reason (see Emergency Cancellations or Withdraws)
• Needs a duplicate/replacement certification care or score report

An additional $30 fee will be charged if:

• An application for is incomplete
• Full payment is not submitted
• A credit card cannot be processed for any reason
• A check is returned
• A candidate wants to add to or change the exams he/she plans to take after scheduling has been complted (in addition to the exam fee)

All application materials must be received at International Assessment Institute’s office according to the sample test schedule outlined below.

Applications received after the main application deadline, but at least four business days prior to the exam administration deadline, will be accepted for an additional $50 late fee. For example, for a test administration on a Saturday, late applications that arrive at IAI’s testing office by 5 p.m. (ET) on the Monday evening prior to the test will be accepted. Candidate applications that arrive after that time cannot be accepted.

Walk-in candidates cannot be accepted under any circumstances.

RESCHEDULING, CANCELLATIONS, AND WITHDRAWALS

Should a candidate be unable to sit for the examination, International Assessment Institute must receive notification in writing no later than seven business days prior to the scheduled examination date. Candidate fees will be held up to one year. When the candidate reschedules, he/she will need to pay an additional $25 rescheduling fee.

Candidates who wish to reschedule their NCCCO Written Examination(s) must notify International Assessment Institute and submit the necessary documentation and fees to International Assessment Institute by the deadline for the rescheduled test date.

Candidates withdrawing or canceling after the deadline or not sitting for the examination will forfeit all application fees and will NOT receive a refund.

Emergency Cancellations or Withdrawals

ONLY the following situations will be accepted as grounds for emergency cancellations or withdrawals:

• Called to work — supporting documentation required: letter from employer
• Candidate illness — supporting documentation required: doctor’s note
• Family death — supporting documentation required: death certificate or obituary notice

Requests for medical and personal emergency withdrawals are handled by International Assessment Institute. Please write a letter to International Assessment Institute describing your situation. Be sure to include your full name, address and social security number along with the scheduled test date, site number, and supporting documentation indicated above.

International Assessment Institute MUST receive your written notification within seven (7) business days after the scheduled examination date or you will forfeit ALL application fees. You will be allowed to reschedule for a future examination administration.

Candidates will NOT receive a refund if they decide they no longer wish to take the test.

TEST ADMINISTRATION SCHEDULE FOR THE CCO EXAMINATIONS

The NCCCO signalperson examinations are available for administration on demand with at least four (4) weeks notice.

APPLICATION DEADLINES

Tests can be administered at any time so long as the application deadlines are adhered to. Sample deadlines shown are for a test date of January 29.

ADMISSION LETTERS

Approximately one week before the scheduled test date, registered and eligible candidates approved to take the NCCCO Signalperson certification examinations will receive an admission letter by mail. The admission letter will contain information regarding the test center address, the reporting time, the examination(s) the candidate registered for and the materials candidates will need to bring with them on the day of the administration. This admission letter must be presented at the test site to gain admittance to the examination(s).

TEST SITE INFORMATION

Identification at the Test Site

In addition to an admission letter valid for the specific test date, candidates must bring a valid government issued photo identification to the test site on the day of the administration. Candidates will be required to sign the test site roster upon entry to the testing area. Acceptable forms of photo identification are:

• passport
• government issued driver’s license
• work identification

NOTE: Candidates without appropriate identification documents will NOT be admitted to take the written certification examination(s).

Materials to Bring to the Test Site

Each candidate must bring the following items to the test site:

• Valid photo identification
• The admission letter for the specific test date
• Two (2) sharpened #2 pencils (to complete the examination answer sheet)
• A good eraser

NOTE: No books, scratch paper, calculators, beepers, cellular phones or other materials will be allowed in the examination room.

Test Security

For the purposes of test security, candidates who sit for the NCCCO examination(s) acknowledge that they understand the following:

• This examination is the exclusive property of NCCCO.
• This examination and the questions contained therein are protected by federal copyright law. No part of the examination(s) may be copied, reproduced in part or whole by any means whatsoever, including memorization.
• Theft or attempted theft of an examination booklet or any of its pages is punishable as a felony.
• Candidate participation in any irregularity occurring during the examination, such as giving or obtaining unauthorized information or aid, as evidenced by an observation or subsequent statistical analysis, may be sufficient cause to terminate participation, invalidate the results of the examination or other appropriate remedy.
• Candidates verify that they are eligible to take this examination. If at any time it is confirmed a candidate has not met all the requirements, candidates will no longer be eligible for certification.
• A candidate’s signature on the answer sheet for the administration of the examination confirms that the candidate has read and understands the above statements.

Candidate Question Comment Forms

Candidates can comment on the examination(s) as a whole or on specific items within an examination by writing the comments on the Candidate Question Comment Form. These comments should be accompanied by the candidate’s name (which is optional), the specific examination and question referred to, the site code and test date. Examination comments are reviewed by NCCCO content experts on a regular basis.

NOTE: Only comments completed on the Candidate Question Comment Form at the test site will be considered for review.

TEST SCORING INFORMATION

Test Scoring - Written

The NCCCO written certification examinations are criterion-referenced examinations; i.e., the passing score is set beforehand, and candidate performance on the examination is not compared to the performance of others taking the examination.  In a criterion-referenced examination, a candidate must obtain a score equal to or higher than the “passing score” to pass the test. The passing scores represent absolute standards and are determined by panels of NCCCO content experts using psychometrically accepted standard-setting methodology.

Test Scoring - Practical

Candidate performance on the practical examination is recorded by Practical Examiners accredited by NCCC

Examiner requirements include meeting NCCCO requirements for certification, passing the written and practical  exams and successfully completing an accreditation workshop.

The testing procedure has been developed to provide the highest degree of standardization and reliability. The Practical Examiner's task is primarily to record the performance of the candidate.  The scoring of candidates' performance is done off-site at the facilities of International Assessment Institute.

Score Reporting - Written

The written examinations are electronically scored by International Assessment Institute. For this reason, it is important to complete the answer sheet according to the instructions provided by the Chief Examiner on the day of the exam. Candidates will receive credit only for answers recorded on the scannable answer sheet. Answers marked in the test booklet will NOT be counted toward a candidate’s score.

All candidates will receive a score report of their performance. Examination results are mailed to candidates approximately twelve (12) business days after the examination administration.

In reporting the examination results to candidates, statistical procedures are used to convert raw scores (i.e., the number of test questions answered correctly) to scaled scores which are equivalent for all administrations of the examination(s). The scaled score is not a “number answered correctly” score.

Candidate results will be reported as a scaled score, on a scale ranging from 0 to 100 points, with a score of 70 representing the “minimum passing” score. Candidate scores cannot be given over the telephone.

Score Reporting - Practical

All candidates receive a score report of their performance.  Examination results are mailed to candidates approximately twelve (12) business days after the examination administration.

In reporting the examination results to candidates, statistical procedures are used to convert raw scores (i.e., the number of test questions answered correctly) to scaled scores which are equivalent for all administrations of the examination(s). The scaled score is not a “number answered correctly” score.

Candidate results will be reported as a scaled score, on a scale ranging from 0 to 100 points, with a score of 75 representing the “minimum passing” score. Candidate scores cannot be given over the telephone.

Both the practical examination and the scoring system have been validated by NCCCCO's pilot testing program and verified by International Assessment Institute.

Retest Policy for Practical Exam

If a candidate thinks they may have failed the practical exam, they may attempt one additional practical exam after all candidates have tested, if time allows.  No more that one additional attempt will be allowed.

Hand Score Requests

Candidates not passing the examination(s) may request from International Assessment Institute a hand scoring of the answer sheet, provided the request is made in writing within three months of the test date, and the request is accompanied by a processing fee of $25 for one (1) test score. Requests should be mailed to:

International Assessment Institute
Attention: CCO Testing
600 Cleveland Street, Suite 900
Clearwater, Florida 33755
Phone: (727) 449-8525
Fax (727) 461-2746

In the event that the hand scoring of a failing candidate’s answer sheet results in a passing score, the fee will be refunded in full.

Hand scored practical exam reports include details of a candidate’s performance on each task.

Retaking the Examination(s)

Candidates who fail an examination(s) may retake the examination(s). Candidates will need to reapply and pay all corresponding fees.

Information Release Policy

NCCCO releases information pertaining to individuals who have successfully passed one or more NCCCO examinations according to its Information Release Policy.