Licensure Exam Services

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Why Licensure Boards Choose The Caviart Group

Customized test development, Job Task Analysis, and psychometric services tailored to the strict requirements of professional licensing boards and government agencies.

When public safety depends on a credential, there is no margin for error. Licensing boards and regulatory agencies operate under legal, legislative, and public scrutiny that demands more than a technically competent examination — it demands one that will hold up in court, withstand a legislative audit, and maintain the trust of the profession it protects.

The Caviart Group has developed and supported licensure examinations for state regulatory agencies, federal government programs, and professional licensing boards for more than 20 years. Every engagement is led by senior professionals with direct licensure experience. We do not assign junior staff to your program. The team you meet is the team that does the work.

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Our Licensure Exam Development Services

  • Every legally defensible licensure examination begins with a rigorous job task analysis (JTA). We design and facilitate the full JTA process — from subject matter expert (SME) panels through practitioner surveys — producing the exam blueprint and content specifications required by licensing boards and courts. 

  • Our senior test developers work with subject matter experts to write and review examination items that reflect the real demands of licensed practice. We support all item types, including innovative formats such as case simulations, video-based scenarios, and interactive performance items where the practice demands it.

  • We conduct the full range of psychometric analyses required for high-stakes licensure programs, including item response theory (IRT), classical test theory (CTT), differential item functioning (DIF) studies, and multiple standard-setting methodologies including Angoff, Bookmark, and Modified Angoff.

  • A sound exam blueprint ensures every edition of your examination covers the same content in the same proportions — a foundational requirement for legal defensibility and candidate fairness. We develop and maintain blueprints that reflect current practice and survive legal challenge.

  • We conduct ongoing validity and reliability studies to ensure your examination continues to measure what it is intended to measure. These studies provide the documented evidence licensing boards need for program defense, legislative reporting, and accreditation.

  • Licensure programs are never static. We provide continuous program support — reviewing item pools, updating blueprints as practice evolves, and conducting periodic practice analyses — so your examination remains current, defensible, and psychometrically sound.

  • Issuing or responding to an RFP for licensure exam development requires specialized knowledge. We consult with licensing boards navigating vendor selection, transitions, and procurement requirements — helping you ask the right questions and evaluate proposals with confidence.

OVER 20 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

Our Approach to Licensure Exam Development

Developing a licensure examination is not a product — it is a professional service that requires judgment at every stage. Our approach is built on three principles that matter most to licensing boards:

Senior expertise on every project.

The Caviart Group does not staff licensure programs with junior analysts or generalist consultants. Your program is led by professionals who have spent careers in examination development and psychometrics — people who have sat across the table from boards, attorneys, and legislators and know what legal defensibility really means in practice.

Custom solutions, not packaged workflows.

No two licensing programs are alike. The occupation, the regulatory environment, the candidate population, the budget, and the board's governance structure all shape what the right examination looks like. We build the solution your program needs, not the solution that is easiest for us to deliver.

Transparency and legal defensibility by design.

Every decision we make is documented. Every methodology we apply is grounded in current professional standards including the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (2014) by American Educational Research Association (AERA), the American Psychological Association (APA), and the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME), the federal Uniform Guidelines for Employee Selections Procedures (1978), the Civil Rights Act of 1991, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. When your program faces a legal challenge, a legislative inquiry, or a public records request, you will have a complete and defensible record.

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Experience with Regulatory & Government Clients

State Regulatory Agencies

  • The Caviart Group developed the licensure examination for Licensed Site Remediation Professionals (LSRP) for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and has provided ongoing program support since the program's inception.

Federal Government Programs

  • The Caviart Group developed the inaugural Tribal HUD Certified Housing Counselor (Tribal HCTC) examination for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development — the first examination of its kind for tribal housing counselors nationwide.

  • Created, updated and revised the HUD Certified Housing Counselor (HCTC) examination.

  • Created, updated and revised the HUD Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) counselor examination.

  • Developed certification examinations for the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

National Professional Licensing Programs

  • The Caviart Group’s President, Buck Chaffee, led the development of the Architectural Registration Examination (ARE) for the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB).

  • Buck Chaffee led the Landscape Architecture Registration Examination, development as Executive Director/CEO of the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB).

LET’S CONNECT

Let's Talk About Your Licensure Program

Whether you are launching a new examination, re-validating an existing program, or preparing an RFP, The Caviart Group brings the senior-level expertise and documented methodology that licensing boards require.

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FAQ

Do you have more questions about licensure programs? Here are answers to some of the most common questions. 

  • A legally defensible licensure examination is one developed and validated according to professionally accepted standards — including a documented job/task analysis, a content blueprint derived from that analysis, item development and review by qualified subject matter experts, and ongoing psychometric monitoring. In the event of a legal challenge, the examination's development process must be fully documented and demonstrably grounded in current professional standards such as the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (AERA, APA, NCME).

  • A new licensure examination program — from initial job/task analysis through first administration — typically requires 12 to 24 months depending on the complexity of the occupation, the size of the SME pool, and the examination format. Programs requiring innovative item types or performance-based components may require additional time. The Caviart Group works with licensing boards to establish realistic timelines that do not compromise the defensibility of the final product.

  • A job/task analysis identifies the tasks, knowledge, skills and abilities essential to safe and competent practice in a licensed occupation. It is the foundational evidence that connects the content of a licensure examination to the actual demands of the profession. Courts and regulatory bodies require such scientific validity of test content as the basis for any high-stakes licensure examination.

  • Yes. We assist licensing boards in structuring RFPs that clearly define scope, evaluation criteria, and vendor qualifications. We also consult with boards evaluating proposals or transitioning between vendors. [Contact us] to discuss your timeline and needs.

  • Yes. Our clients range from state agencies administering examinations to thousands of candidates annually to emerging licensing programs launching their first examination. Because we build custom solutions rather than packaged programs, our services scale to the size and budget of your program.