[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-405333-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-405333-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","nbstsa-comprehensive-guide-to-professional-certification-exam-development-revised-12024","NBSTSA Comprehensive Guide to Professional Certification - Exam Development - REVISED 1/2024","","NBSTSA Comprehensive Guide to Professional Certification - Exam Development - REVISED 1/2024 explains how the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA) develops the CST® and CSFA® credentialing examinations. It details the end-to-end workflow from creating the exam content outline, writing and reviewing test items, and administering pretests to reviewing content for each new exam form annually. The guide emphasizes psychometric rigor, defines reliability and validity goals, and describes oversight by the NBSTSA Board of Directors and committees of subject matter experts throughout the process.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/exam/","Exam",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/nbstsa-comprehensive-guide-to-professional-certification-exam-development-revised-12024/405333/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/nbstsa-comprehensive-guide-to-professional-certification-exam-development-revised-12024/405333.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Jacob","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-29","2026-09-28",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",10,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What is the purpose of NBSTSA’s exam development process?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"The process is designed to create standardized, scientifically rigorous examinations that support the credential purpose and are legally defensible while protecting public safety.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"How does NBSTSA ensure reliability of test scores?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"NBSTSA aims to develop tests so that candidates would score similarly on the same exam taken twice in succession without remedial actions in between.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"How does NBSTSA establish content validity for test items?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"Multiple groups of subject matter experts review the test items against the test content outline, and items identified as inadequately matched or flawed are revised or removed.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},405333,1790672563,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,95,100,105,110,115,120,123,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":93,"slug":94},70,"exam",{"id":96,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":97,"show_sort_weight":98,"slug":99},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":101,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":102,"show_sort_weight":103,"slug":104},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":106,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":107,"show_sort_weight":108,"slug":109},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":111,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":112,"show_sort_weight":113,"slug":114},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":116,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":117,"show_sort_weight":118,"slug":119},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":118,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":121,"show_sort_weight":118,"slug":122},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":55,"slug":125},"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":96,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":131},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":33,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},962084931830,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_a8503ba1806abce46bf441b54a3ca4cd","NBSTSA Comprehensive Guide to Professional Certification  \nExam Development  \nThis guide is provided by the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA), which administers the Certified Surgical Technologist and Certified Surgical First Assistant examinations. The NBSTSA is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), and our examinations comply with the NCCA Standards.  \nThis guide will demonstrate the steps in the development of the outline that defines the contents of our examinations (CST® and CSFA®), the process of writing test items, item review, how items are pretested, examination content review, and ultimately, the launch of new examination forms each year.  \nPsychometrics is the science of measuring mental capacities and processes, and our certification examinations are aimed at measuring individual skills and knowledge at the entry level for the professions of surgical technology and surgical first assisting. We work with our psychometricians and test developers at PSI (a third party), and with our subject matter experts (SME) to develop valid test items that measure what’s important. We use psychometrics to assess those items, assemble tests, and establish valid examination passing scores.  \nSignificantly, our test development processes are based on scientific rigor and well-established standards in the professional examination industry, which ultimately helps to ensure public safety.  \nThe entire process is overseen by the NBSTSA Board of Directors, NBSTSA’s leadership, which consists of 10 individuals appointed by NBSTSA, the Association of Surgical Technologists, and the American College of Surgeons, including a surgeon and a member representing the interests of the public. The Board of Directors includes CST® and CSFA® practitioners and educators in both fields.  \nNational Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting 2024©  \nREVISED 1/2024  \nTest Development Overview  \nA person new to the world of credentialing might think,“How hard could it be to create a valid credentialing examination for surgical technologists or surgical first assistants?” Some might think that it would just be a matter of getting a couple of people to write test items, put them on a test, and then we are ready to go, possibly forever. But creating a quality examination is much more complicated and requires a standardized process to create an examination that supports the purpose of our credentials and is also legally defensible.  \nNBSTSA’s credentialing examinations are used to make high-stakes decisions. A high-stakes decision is one that has meaningful consequences for the candidate and/or the public.  \nFor instance, test scores from our credentialing exams are often used to make decisions as to whether an individual:  \n• Is allowed to practice surgical technology or surgical first assisting in an operating room or surgical center.  \n• gets hired, promoted, or receives a pay raise, or  \n• is deemed competent and safe enough to practice in each state or with a given employer.  \nWe recognize that whether individuals obtain a credential can significantly impact their lives and sometimes the welfare of surgical patients.  \nTherefore, it is important the test scores from credentialing exams are valid, reliable, and legally defensible. 1  \n1 \"A Psychometrician's Guide to Smart Test Development.\" Kryterion. Kryterion, [https://doi.org/](https://doi.org/)[https://www.kryterion.com/psychometricians-guide-smart-test-development/\\#](https://www.kryterion.com/psychometricians-guide-smart-test-development/#) .  \nNational Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting 2024©  \nREVISED 1/2024  \nReliability  \n\n| It is important that NBSTSA’s certification programs provide test scores that can be considered sufficiently reliable and valid to withstand a challenge. Our tests should be developed in such a way that if a candidate took the same exam two times in a row, without any kind of remedial","cbCainA7n6M1FSOu","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCainA7n6M1FSOu","pdf",261689,18,"English","# Test Development Overview\n## Reliability\n## Validity\n## Subject Matter Experts – Committee Process","[{\"question\":\"What is the purpose of NBSTSA’s exam development process?\",\"answer\":\"The process is designed to create standardized, scientifically rigorous examinations that support the credential purpose and are legally defensible while protecting public safety.\"},{\"question\":\"How does NBSTSA ensure reliability of test scores?\",\"answer\":\"NBSTSA aims to develop tests so that candidates would score similarly on the same exam taken twice in succession without remedial actions in between.\"},{\"question\":\"How does NBSTSA establish content validity for test items?\",\"answer\":\"Multiple groups of subject matter experts review the test items against the test content outline, and items identified as inadequately matched or flawed are revised or removed.\"}]","NBSTSA Comprehensive Guide to Professional Certification - Exam Development - REVISED 1/2024 | PDF",1790556755,45]