About The Caviart Group
The Caviart Group is a certification and licensure consulting firm headquartered in Vienna, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C. metro area. Since 2006, we have helped associations, licensing boards and government agencies start new certification programs and strengthen established ones. Our work covers every step: feasibility studies, job task analysis, exam development, psychometrics and accreditation readiness.
Our Track Record
Founded in 2006, with 20 years of certification and licensure consulting
More than 50 national and international certification and licensure clients
More than 1 million candidates examined in the U.S. and abroad
Exams produced in 18 languages and delivered in more than 120 countries
Nearly 100 job task analysis studies
Programs built to meet ANSI/ISO 17024, NCCA standards and the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing
Our clients include the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM), the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM), CFP Board, NCARB, The Institute of Internal Auditors, the Association for Financial Professionals, AHIMA, ARDMS/Inteleos, PTCB, Africa CDC, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. See all industries and clients served.
Why We Started
Before founding The Caviart Group, our president spent years as "the client," running high-stakes licensing and certification programs. Too often, the vendors he worked with didn't think big enough about his problems. He started The Caviart Group in 2006 to do the opposite: build testing solutions tailored to each client. That required innovation from day one, because unique problems can't be solved with the same old answer.
How We Work
Tailored, never templated
We find the approach that fits each program instead of steering every client toward the same answer. That has meant creating new item types for computer-based exams when standard formats couldn't measure the skill. It has also meant producing paper-based exams for remote locations where internet service is unreliable.
Senior experts on every project
Our principals have built and run credentialing programs themselves. We work only with experienced testing professionals, so your project is never handed to an inexperienced junior team member.
The right team for each program
Our flexible model lets us assemble a team of specialists for each engagement. Our principals work alongside experienced independent psychometricians and subject matter experts, so every program gets exactly the expertise it needs.
The business of certification, not just the test
A successful program takes more than sound exams. We combine deep testing expertise with years of experience at the highest levels of association management. That lets us see how every piece of a program fits together and how it can strengthen the whole organization.
Our clients range from large associations and federal agencies to small specialty associations.
Our Mission and Values
Mission
Ensuring the public is well protected by creatively, purposefully and innovatively assessing professionals' ability to handle the complex, high-stakes, real-world situations the public actually encounters.
Vision
To champion and inspire the world's professions and professionals.
What We Value
Doing what's right, even when the best solution has never been done before. Above all, we value bravery: welcoming the future, taking smart risks and making positive change.
Our Leadership
Clarence "Buck" Chaffee, Founder and President
Buck Chaffee has more than 40 years of experience producing high-stakes national and international licensure and certification examinations in medical, financial and technical professions. He has served as CEO of an international licensing and certification organization and as Director of Examinations for an international licensing body.
Buck managed the Architectural Registration Examination, which at the time comprised seven separate examinations, including a performance-based design exam. It totaled more than 135,000 exams a year on a $4 million annual test development budget. He has also directed certification and test development for ABIM, ABFM, NBE/SISIAC, CDR, CBNC, CBCCT, ARDMS/Inteleos, AHIMA and CCHI.
Buck has published peer-reviewed articles on medical examinations, developed patented medical simulations, and served as an expert witness on the examination, certification and regulation of professionals. He has made numerous presentations at industry events and national testing conferences, including the I.C.E. Exchange. He is a member of the American Society of Association Executives and has chaired the steering committee of the Certification Networking Group in Washington, D.C.
Angie Woodward, Senior Test Developer
Angie Woodward has more than 30 years of experience developing and administering certification examinations. As Director of Certification for The Institute of Internal Auditors, she oversaw four global certification exams and more than 100,000 exams a year in 18 languages. She was also responsible for $6 million in annual certification revenue and led numerous global job task analysis studies.
Angie has guided the launch of new certification programs, the transition of a program between sponsors, and a global conversion from paper-and-pencil to computer-based testing. She holds all four IIA certifications, including the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA). She also holds a degree in English from Stetson University, which she puts to daily use in item editing.
Christie Edens, Senior Marketer and Test Developer
Christie Edens brings nearly a decade of high-stakes test development and 20 years of market research and strategy. She has developed medical examinations for the National Board of Echocardiography, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and ARDMS. She also leads the market research behind feasibility studies and credential marketing.
Before testing, Christie uncovered business-building insights for brands including the American Heart Association, GEICO, Tylenol, Kraft, Nabisco and Penske. She was the strategist behind GEICO's "Unskippable" campaign, winner of the Cannes Film Grand Prix. Christie holds a master's degree from the Virginia Commonwealth University Brandcenter.
LET’S CONNECT
Let's talk about your program.
Whether you're exploring a new credential or ready to grow an existing one, we'll meet you where you are. Contact us or call (703) 835-9697.