Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to bring a form of identification to the exam site?

Yes. When reporting for any written or practical examination, candidates must present one (1) form of current (i.e., not expired) governmentissued photo identification (e.g., Driver’s License, State ID, Military ID, Passport) to sit for the exam. The government-issued photo identification must be valid, and it must include the candidate’s date of birth. Candidates without proper ID are not allowed to test. Candidates must be registered and admitted to the test room before the door is closed. Once the door is closed, the candidate will not be allowed to test.

What materials should I bring to the written exam?

Candidates should bring their ID described above.

Candidates cannot have access to electronic equipment in the testing room other than a standard calculator. Candidates are permitted to use their own calculators provided they do not have a QWERTY keyboard, camera, or access to the internet. If a candidate does not have one of these required calculators, a spare calculator will be provided for the candidate to use during testing.

These items are not allowed in the exam room:

- Food or drink
- Cell phones
- Any type of camera
- Laptop computers
- Notebooks, tablets
- Smart watches, Fitbits
- Any device that could access the Internet or take pictures or video
- Books, paper notebooks, or loose paper
- Pens, markers, highlighters
- Hats, knitted caps, scarves, or jacket/shirt hoods
- Sunglasses

Restricted items brought into the exam room will need to be placed under the candidate’s chair and not touched or accessed until the exam is completed and all exam materials have been turned in.

Unwrapped cough drops, throat lozenges, or hard candy will be permitted in the testing room only after visual inspection by the proctor. These items are to be stored in a sealed clear plastic bag no larger than one quart in size. Once the candidate is seated, the bag must always remain on top of the table.

Candidates who do not abide by these policies will be dismissed and their written test will be voided.

How will I be notified about the results of my exam?

Candidates will be mailed a letter by the CICC indicating whether they passed or failed the examination(s). Candidates are provided with their overall examination score and a breakdown of their score based on the major subject areas of the examination. Candidates who pass the written and practical examinations (when practical is required) also receive instructions on how to appropriately describe their accomplishments (e.g., a CRS candidate may state that they are a Certified Rigger and Signaler and use the CRS designation to market credentials on business cards, resumes, etc.; whereas a BE candidate may state that he or she is a Certified Building Envelope Technician and use the CBET designation to market their credentials on business cards and resumes). Candidates who fail are provided with instructions on how to re-apply and prepare for retesting.

What if I need to retake the examination(s)?

Please refer to the Candidate Information Brochure (CIB) for each certification program for specific retesting policy information.

How can I request a copy of the Practice Analysis Report for any CICC program?

Contact the CICC at CICC@carpenters.org

What score do I need to pass, what is scaled scoring, why are the scores scaled, and how do I interpret my test score?

What score do I need to pass?

A cut score serves as a decision point in the certification process. In essence, a cut score (or passing point) makes a pass-fail decision. Cut scores for CICC exams are never determined in an arbitrary manner. Each item on the exam is analyzed through a rigorous process to determine the cut score for each exam. hese predetermined cut scores screen out candidates who do not possess the required proficiency needed to perform effectively as a CMRS/LD. A cut score can be thought of as the interpretation of the standard of competence for the certification program.

The cut scores for the first form of all written certification examinations are developed using the Angoff method or other criterion-referenced method. An equating method appropriate for each CICC program (i.e., based on annual candidate count) is used to determine the cut score for all subsequent forms (whenever possible).

What is scaled scoring?

To allow for consistency and ease of interpretation, candidates’ scores are changed from a raw score (i.e., number of test questions answered correctly) to a scaled score. Scaled scoring simplifies the interpretation of candidate scores on different certification tests. It enables the scoring of tests with different numbers of questions, difficulty levels, and pass points to be reported in the same way to test takers.

For example, if a candidate takes three certification tests (e.g., the initial test, recertification test, and retests), that member’s score would be interpreted in the same way, even when there are different numbers of items or different pass points among the three tests. Specifically, a candidate’s raw score is changed to a scale that ranges from 200 to 800, where 500 is the pass point. Therefore, regardless of how the test difficulty changes over time, the scores are reported and interpreted in the same way. That is, a score from 500 to 800 will always indicate a passing score and a score from 200 to 499 will always indicate a failing score.

Why are the scores scaled?

Scaled scoring is important because in order to maintain the programs’ accreditations, the tests’ content must be kept up to date and must reflect the current state of the industry. Doing so is accomplished by changing test questions periodically to prevent candidates from taking the same test repeatedly. Therefore, all of CICC’s tests change over time. With each change, the exact content of each test is modified slightly. After each test is updated, the pass point is assessed to see if it needs to be adjusted to ensure that only qualified individuals are certified.

How do I interpret my test score?

For all CICC tests that use scaled scoring, the scores range from 200 to 800, with 500 being the minimum score required to pass. That is, if you answer every item incorrectly, your score will be 200, and if you answer every item correctly, your score will be 800. If you have a score from 500 to 800, you pass. If you have a score from 200 to 499, you fail. This way, you can interpret your scores on any CICC test (e.g., initial test, recertification test, or retests) in the same way, regardless of which test you take or when you take it.