CCO is updating its practical exam administration process leveraging the latest technology.
November 7, 2023—CCO is nearing completion of field testing a new tablet-based solution for practical exam administration. This solution will result in candidates receiving their practical exam scores in significantly less time than they do today.
CCO’s current system uses paper score sheets that must then be scanned and sent back to CCO for manual processing, meaning results for the candidate may not be received until weeks after taking the exam. The manual process causes delays in scoring and issuing certifications, and in some cases preventing candidates from going to work.
Available in January
Starting on January 2, 2024, Practical Exam Proctors (PEPs) will be able to record candidate performance via a tablet rather than on a paper score sheet. The system used to record candidate performance will also score the exams and will allow candidates to receive exam results in a day or less; this is a drastic improvement from the current timeline, which can take up to 22 days following the exam when using paper score sheets.
“This is one of the most exciting improvements at CCO to date—we will be able to vastly reduce the amount of time it takes to get certified from nearly month to just days,” said CCO CEO Thom Sicklesteel.
While PEPs will not be required to use the new system until July 1, 2024, candidates who need to certify quickly may ask their proctors if they will be using the new system, so they know what timeline to expect for their score report.
Benefits and Efficiencies
In addition to the major improvement to score reporting time, the new practical exam process will allow for real-time authentication of credentials for those administering the exams, practical test sites’ registration status and candidates’ authorization codes for testing. This is expected to reduce administrative issues related to exam administration and increase program integrity.
Also with the new process, candidates will be able to confirm that the test administration has been authorized and approved by CCO. This new development is another step CCO is taking to improve speed and responsiveness.