Development of Examinations

Each examination is developed by the appropriate committee to test candidates' knowledge of the subject matter as defined in the syllabus. The officers of the individual examination committee, one or more General Officers, and where applicable, representatives of jointly administering organizations, review each examination to assure its quality.

Every effort is made to ensure that the questions fall within the scope of the syllabus, and that each question can be answered in the allocated time. Complete coverage of all parts of the syllabus is not practical for every examination every year, but the goal is to develop well–rounded examinations containing representative, high–quality questions that test the candidates' knowledge and ability to make use of material from many parts of the syllabus. Trick questions are avoided, and the wording of each question is carefully considered to eliminate possible ambiguities. Preliminary versions of each examination are thoroughly reviewed in relation to all of these factors before the final examination is set.