The American IAQ Council has released its 2008-2009 certification exams and has announced compliance with the latest guidance on psychometrics from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

The updated version of ANSI-PCAC-GI-502: Guidance on Psychometric Requirements for ANSI Accreditation outlines detailed procedures for exam development, statistical analysis and review.

IAQ Council executive director Charlie Wiles reported that the IAQ Council's exams are already compliant with these procedures.

"The IAQ Council has maintained high standards for exam development for many years," he said. "ANSI's new guidelines merely confirm procedures that we have always followed."

According to IAQ Council policies, each certification exam must undergo a thorough psychometric review annually at the hands of a national certification board.

This process begins at the January executive meeting, where board volunteers and staff from across North America and overseas spend approximately 600 man-hours analyzing a full menu of psychometric data from the previous year's exams.

Changes to exam content, references, syntax, distracters and passing scores are discussed and implemented in preparation for the July 1 deadline, when the new exams are published.