Independent evaluation of high-stakes professional examinations.
CPEA's research program is designed to examine whether licensing and certification examinations are fair, scientifically defensible, transparent, and effective in advancing public protection.
Key dimensions of examination accountability.
Validity
Whether evidence supports the interpretations and uses made of examination scores.
Reliability
Whether scores are sufficiently consistent and precise for the decisions being made.
Fairness
Whether examination systems minimize irrelevant barriers and function equitably across candidate populations.
Transparency
Whether agencies disclose meaningful information about standards, policies, performance, and governance.
Governance
Whether responsibilities, conflicts, appeals, and oversight are clearly structured and accountable.
Public Outcomes
Whether examination requirements meaningfully relate to competence, safety, discipline, and professional performance.
From national inventory to comparative evaluation.
- Develop a national inventory of professional licensing and certification examinations.
- Create standardized evidence-based evaluation criteria.
- Review examination governance, transparency, appeals, and candidate protections.
- Study pass-rate patterns, access barriers, and public consequences.
- Evaluate disciplinary and professional-outcome data where appropriate.
- Publish research briefs, scorecards, white papers, and recommendations.
Research independence
CPEA's credibility depends on preserving intellectual and organizational independence. Research funding, partnerships, and collaborations will be structured to protect objective methods, transparent reporting, and the organization's ability to publish findings.