Exam Validity: Applying Extreme Ownership

In a world where credentials are the gold standard of competence, credentialing organizations face the challenge of exam validity; that is, crafting assessments that genuinely measure what matters. With public trust and career opportunities on the line, the pressure to create reliable, high-stakes exams has never been greater. 

Validity means that the scores associated with an exam support the inferences based on what the exam intends to measure. Creating these assessments requires careful planning, expert collaboration, and continual improvement. To succeed, credentialing bodies must embody “Extreme Ownership,” a philosophy that encourages taking complete responsibility for the outcomes of one’s actions, decisions and systems. 

This blog explores the critical importance of validity in exam content creation as it relates to credentialing, framed through the lens of a leadership framework: Extreme Ownership. The principles of Extreme Ownership, as outlined by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin in their book “Extreme Ownership,” provide a framework that can be applied to the complex task of developing fair, accurate and effective assessments. 

What is Exam Validity? 

In credentialing, exams are vital in verifying that professionals meet industry standards and are qualified to perform specific tasks or roles. In the context of credentialing exams, validity refers to the degree to which an exam measures the particular competencies it was designed to assess. These exams are critical for the individuals taking them, as well as for employers and the public who rely on them to verify the competence of professionals in their field. The intention, then, is that the instrument built maximizes appropriate decisions about an examinee and, therefore, serves as an assurance to the public. 

Sources of Validity in Credentialing Exams 

For credentialing bodies, creating a valid exam is not just about guaranteeing fairness or accuracy for individual candidates. It’s about maintaining the profession’s integrity, assuring public safety and upholding standards in a given industry. Failure to develop a valid exam can result in issuing credentials to individuals who are not truly qualified, potentially harming the credentialing body’s reputation and undermining the profession’s quality. 

While not exhaustive, some sources of validity include: 

1. Content Validity: Confirms that the exam content accurately reflects the job tasks or competencies required for the credential. The exam must align with the knowledge, skills and abilities needed for success in the field. 
2. Construct Validity: Makes sure that the exam measures the intended construct—whether it’s a specific skill, knowledge area or ability—without being influenced by unrelated or irrelevant factors. 
3. Criterion-Related Validity: Certifies that exam results predict relevant outcomes, such as job performance or the successful application of skills in real-world settings. 

Extreme Ownership in Credentialing Exam Creation 

Extreme Ownership is the leadership principle of taking full responsibility for everything within your influence. It encourages individuals to accept responsibility for successes and failures, learn from mistakes and consistently seek improvement. When applied to the creation of credentialing exams, Extreme Ownership means that every aspect of the exam development process, from design to delivery, must be owned and executed with integrity and diligence. 

Let’s examine how we can apply the principles of Extreme Ownership to creating valid credentialing exams. 

1. Own the Mission: Understand the Purpose of the Exam

The first tenet of Extreme Ownership is about understanding the mission and identifying a purpose statement. The mission is clear for credentialing bodies: the exam must accurately assess whether a candidate can perform essential job tasks in a specific profession. A strong purpose statement keeps the exam grounded in a clear understanding of the competencies required for success in the role. 

In practice, owning the mission means: 

• Collaborating with industry experts to define measurable competencies. These competencies should derive from job task analysis (JTA), practice analysis or role delineation studies (RDS), which reveal whether the exam content links directly to the essential skills and knowledge needed for the profession. 

• Continuously reviewing and updating the job task analysis to reflect changes in the field, ensuring that the exam remains relevant and accurate. 

Failure to define the purpose and own the mission can result in an exam that’s out of touch with industry needs, potentially allowing unqualified individuals to pass and ultimately undermining the credential’s value. 

2. Own the Process: Design and Develop with Rigor

What does ownership look like within a professional process? Exam development isn’t something that just happens; it is a rigorous process that involves careful planning, review and revision. With Extreme Ownership, leaders must take complete ownership of the process. This requires precise planning and communication across all levels of the organization to effectively engage with volunteers, internal teams and external stakeholders and to align and clarify every aspect of the exam development process. 

When credentialing bodies create exams, they must verify that the exam structure and content align with the competencies identified in the job task analysis. This includes: 

• Designing the Exam Blueprint: The blueprint specifies the proportion of content that will be covered in the exam so that each section appropriately reflects the competencies required for the role. 

• Creating Valid and Fair Questions: Each exam item must measure specific knowledge or skills. The questions must be clear, unbiased and free from irrelevant information. Question formats should assess a range of cognitive skills, including recall, application and analysis. 

• Using Psychometric Analysis: Credentialing exams must be validated using statistical methods to create reliability and fairness. This may involve testing for item difficulty, discrimination and bias to make sure the exam accurately measures what it’s intended to assess. 

Owning the process means producing an exam that is scientifically sound, fair and aligned with the competencies required for the credential. This takes time, expertise and attention to detail. 

Organizations can improve their exam development process by keeping it simple. Overcomplicating it can lead to confusion and errors. Leaders should communicate clear goals, provide straightforward instructions and make sure that expectations are understood at every level. Simple, transparent communication minimizes misunderstandings and keeps the process streamlined. 

3. Own the Team: Collaborate and Gather Feedback

In the creation of a credentialing exam, collaboration is key. It takes a team to build an exam.  

While leaders take ownership, they must also empower group members to make decisions within their areas of expertise. From Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) who create the content to exam managers who define the flow and adhere to style to psychometricians who consult on best practices and live exam performance, each member must own their part while understanding how it affects the larger team and the exam’s validity.  

Knowing each member’s roles and responsibilities helps prioritize and execute tasks effectively. When team members trust one another to handle their respective areas, it fosters collaboration and strengthens the overall process. Colleagues must also work together, supporting each other to meet goals. If one area faces challenges, other teams should step up to help. This interconnected effort keeps the process moving forward. Trust leads to more informed decision-making and a greater understanding of how each contribution impacts the final product. 

Some tips for building an agile and effective exam development team include: 

• Working with SMEs to ensure the exam content reflects current practices and standards in the field. These experts can also help identify and address knowledge gaps. 

• Seeking feedback from pilot candidates or previous exam takers to identify areas where questions may be unclear, misleading or biased. 

• Consulting with psychometricians to analyze the results of pilot exams so the exam is valid and reliable. 

Extreme team ownership means relying not just on your own knowledge but also on the collective expertise of those around you. Incorporating feedback throughout the process helps guarantee that the exam accurately measures what it’s supposed to measure, and that no candidate is unfairly disadvantaged. 

4. Own the Outcome: Analyze and Continuously Improve

Once the exam has been delivered, the work is far from over. Extreme Ownership requires credentialing bodies to take responsibility for the outcome of their exams—whether they are successful or not. A valid exam doesn’t remain static; it evolves to meet the changing needs of the profession and the candidates it serves. 

Organizations can take ownership of outcomes by: 

• Analyzing Candidate Performance: After each exam administration, look at the results to determine if any questions were too complex or confusing. Did specific questions not differentiate well between high and low performers? Did some questions favor certain groups of candidates? Psychometric analysis and item-level statistics can provide valuable insights into how well the exam functions. 

• Gathering Feedback from Stakeholders: A comprehensive exam review isn’t complete without input from key stakeholders. Seek feedback from candidates regarding their exam-taking experience. Were the questions straightforward and aligned with the exam’s objectives? Did they feel the exam accurately reflected the knowledge and skills required in the field? Additionally, consult subject matter experts and industry professionals to keep the content relevant to current standards and practices. 

• Refining the Exam for Future Administrations: Using quantitative data and qualitative feedback, make necessary adjustments to strengthen the exam’s validity. This could mean adjusting the content, clarifying questions or updating the exam to reflect new industry standards. 

Extreme Ownership means never settling for “good enough.” Credentialing bodies must stay proactive, recognizing that professional landscapes evolve. Regularly revisit the exam development process, benchmark against industry standards and embrace opportunities for enhancement. Doing so establishes your certification as a valuable and respected measure of competence, benefiting both candidates and the industries they serve.  

 5. Own Accountability: Uphold Ethical Standards and Fairness

Finally, Extreme Ownership extends to upholding the ethical standards of the credentialing process. A credentialing exam must be valid, fair and accessible to all candidates. This means addressing any potential biases in the exam content, keeping the exam accessible to individuals with disabilities and making the testing process transparent and equitable. 

Credentialing bodies must take responsibility for the following: 

• Addressing Bias: Conduct regular bias reviews using diverse panels of subject matter experts. Create exam content representing varied perspectives and experiences, minimizing cultural or linguistic biases that could disadvantage certain groups. 

• Providing Accommodations: Confirm compliance with relevant laws and regulations by providing appropriate accommodation for candidates with disabilities. This accommodation may include extra time, assistive technology or alternative exam formats. 

• Ensuring Transparency: Communicate with candidates about the exam process, including how questions are developed, how scoring is conducted and how results are interpreted. Offering clear guidance on appeals and rescore procedures further promotes fairness. 

• Monitoring Exam Security: Uphold the integrity of the exam by proactively monitoring for cheating, content theft or other misconduct. Implement secure exam environments and continually refine security measures to protect the validity of the exam. 

Owning accountability means being proactive in building an exam process that is fair, ethical and accessible to everyone. 

Conclusion: Extreme Ownership Improves Exam Validity 

Extreme Ownership calls on us to take full responsibility for the entire exam creation process by understanding the mission, owning the process, collaborating with the right team, analyzing outcomes and upholding accountability. By doing so, credentialing bodies can create exams that genuinely reflect the qualifications of professionals and maintain public trust in the credentials they issue. 

The cornerstone of any credentialing body’s mission is creating valid, reliable and fair exams. By applying the principles of Extreme Ownership, credentialing bodies can ensure that their exams measure the required competencies while supporting the integrity and reputation of the profession. 

 

Applying a leadership lens to your exam development process can make all the difference. Partner with Quadterion today to see the difference it makes!