asq certification program gain wider recognition

7/29/2019 ASQ Certification Program Gain Wider Recognition

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ASQ Certification ProgramGains Wider RecognitionExams based on rigorous development process

carried out by member volunteers

by

John W. Moran and Patricia C. La Londe

P R O F E S S I O N A L D E V E L O P M E N T

OR ALARIS MEDICAL SYSTEMS

Inc. quality and reliability are liter-

ally a way of life. Thats because the

company makes an array of devices

used in health care, including pace-

maker monitors and high-tech pumps for

intravenous drug therapies.

Five years ago, ALARIS decided to underscoreits commitment to quality by instituting a new

personnel policy: Individuals working in quality

would need to pass an ASQ certification exam if

there was one applicable to their job duties.

The ALARIS staffers were given two years to

get their certifications, and the company helped

organize study groups and put them in touch

with ASQ sections that could provide refresher

courses. For some, it was a challenging assign-

ment. They had to expand their knowledge and

learn techniques and approaches that werent

necessarily in use at ALARIS. Not everyone

passed the exam the first time around.Despite the difficulties, however, the certifi-

cation requirement has proven to be a success.

Today ALARIS has approximately 60 ASQ

certified technicians, inspectors, auditors,

engineers and managers, with some holding

multiple certifications.

Fostering teamwork

The common experience of certification has

helped foster teamwork among the quality

staffers. Because of their shared knowledgebase, they are able to communicate more effec-

tively with their counterparts throughout the

company, whether they are at the companys

San Diego headquarters or at its manufacturing

plants in Mexico and North Carolina. They

have also helped to shift the companys quality

focus, with a greater emphasis on preventive

rather than reactive efforts.

F

Q U A L I T Y P R O G R E S SI

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C e r t i f i c a t i


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Employees have benefited on an individualbasis from the certification process as well. Notonly do they get a gift and recognition from thevice president of quality during quarterly staff

meetings after passing their certification exams,but the ALARIS employees also know that theyhave increased their value to their employer andtheir marketability in their industry. Whilecertification may not be the only factor, qualityprofessionals with ASQ certifications reportearning as much as $20,000 more per year thanindividuals working in similar jobs who lackcertification.

Growing recognition

Since 1968, when the first certification exam was

given, more than 85,000 individuals have becomecertified through ASQ, including many who haveattained more than one designation (see sidebar 19Hold All ASQ Certifications). In addition, anincreasing number of companies, approximately 125at last count, havelike ALARISformally recog-

William C. Meyer dropped out of high school in 1974 to

pump gas at his local Texaco station. It may not have been

the most auspicious beginning to a career in quality, but

today he has become part of an elite group of ASQ members.

What sets him apart is not his educational record, whichincludes two associates degrees as well as bachelors and

masters degrees in business administration. Nor is it his

work history, although he has come a long way, from ser-

vice station attendant to quality manager at Mercury

Marine in El Paso, TX.

What makes Meyer a rarity among quality professionals

is his certification status. He is one of just 19 individuals

who maintain all seven certifications.

Quality Progressknew little about the 19 individuals

who accomplished this feat, so we set out to understand

the motives behind their dedication, perseverance and

determination regarding ASQ certification. While the paths

leading them toward professional certification varied, wefound three commonalities regarding their drive to pass

all seven exams. The 19 seemed motivated by the desire

to understand the quality arena in its entirety, the opportu-

nity to outshine competitors in the job market and the

need to satisfy an inner drive for achievement.

19 Hold All

Certified

C e r t i f i e d Q u a l i t y E n g i n e e r

The certified quality engineer (CQE) is a professional who understands the

principles of product and service quality evaluation and control. This body of

knowledge and applied technologies include, but are not limited to, development

and operation of quality control systems, application and analysis of testing and

inspection procedures, the ability to use metrology and statistical methods to diag-

nose and correct improper quality control practices, an understanding of human

factors and motivation, facility with quality cost concepts and techniques, and the

knowledge and ability to develop and administer management information sys-

tems and to audit quality systems for deficiency identification and correction.

Body of knowledge

The following is an outline of the topics that constitute the body of knowledge

for quality engineering:

Management and leadership in quality engineering.

Quality systems development, implementation and verification.

Planning, controlling, and assuring product and process quality.

Reliability and risk management.

Problem solving and quality improvement.

Quantitative methods.

Exam dates for 2000 Application deadlines

AQC administration May 7 April 21

June 3 April 7

December 2 October 13

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Personal achievement

Having achieved all of the ASQ certifications and sever-

al of those offered by other organizations, John H. Bille

has a particular aspiration. I did and still do have a per-sonal goal to be the most certified dude, he says. Bille,

president and chief operating officer for Quality Services

International in Richardson, TX, is not alone in viewing all

of the certifications as a kind of personalized pursuit of

excellence.

Many of the 19 say that after passing three or four

exams, it became somewhat of a sport, an opportunity

to prove to themselves that they could pass all the

exams. Most say they enjoyed preparing for the exams,

expanding their knowledge of quality philosophies and

challenging themselves. Glenn E. Andres, a quality man-

ager from Downers Grove, IL, says that much of the

reward was the journey itself.Most of the 19 men said they would take any future cer-

tification exam ASQ offers in order to maintain their

personal goal. And many urge other ASQ members to

establish similar goals, discover how ASQ can help them

reach those goals and then work toward achieving them.

ASQ provides a level playing field, game rules and the

referees, Andres says. All you must do is pick up the

ball and run with it. How far you run is your choice.

Understanding qualitys body of knowledge

When he entered the quality field, Lyle F. Hilfigure Jr.

was a self-described high school graduate with an atti-

tude. While preparing for his first attempts at

certification, however, he realized just how much he didnt

know. In preparing for my first four exams, I learned

about 10 times as much as I had known about quality, he

says. After taking those exams, I realized I knew less than

one-tenth what I thought I knew.

Preparing for an exam means understanding the con-

cepts behind the exams body of knowledge (BOK). Many

of the 19 said that by passing all the exams, they hoped to

better understand the entire scope of the quality arena

the BOK for the overall realm of quality.

My drive was to master the quality domain, says

Tracy P. Omdahl, who works for Underwriters Laboratories

in Argentina as a general manager of a subsidiary. Thegreatest personal benefit of certification lies in my satisfac-

tion at being immersed in the quality body of knowledge.

Several of the 19 members we talked to mentioned the

same motive for taking all the exams. Phil Sands of Lucent

Technologies and Bill Klodt of Sonopress LLC, for exam-

ple, say they took the exams to learn more about the

various aspects and principles of quality. Klodt says that

achieving all the certifications was his way of discovering

and understanding all of qualitys various disciplines.

Standing out in the crowd

Another reason members sought to pass all the exams

was to enhance their positioning among others in the jobmarketto stand above the competition. I thought to

have all [of the ASQ certifications] would set me apart

from many of my colleagues, says Steven A. Arndt of the

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in Washington.

I wanted my rsum to get noticed, agrees Owen B.

Mayer, a staff reliability engineer in Longmont, CO. I

earned all the certifications because it demonstrates that I

have a very broad set of skills, which increases my value

to employers. Mayer believes many employers would

call him in for an interview if only to meet the kind of indi-

vidual who earned all of ASQs certifications.

John W. Jennings III can validate Mayers claim.

Jennings, currently a reliability engineer in Irving, TX, sayshis unique certification status kept companies interested in

his rsum during the downsizing of the 1980s. I was laid

off several times during that period, Jennings says, but I

was always able to find a job within six weeks because of

my ASQ certifications. Jennings can point to specific

instances where employers told him he was called for an

interview due to his certification status.

Owning a rsum that stands out among others isnt the

only reason Jennings made ASQ certification such a large

part of his professional life. It is also the personal pride of

having done what few others have done, he says.

ASQ Certifications

Glenn E. Andres

Steven A. Arndt

John H. Bille

Mahlon (Woody)

Cashman

John A. Conte

Darrin Dodson

Richard Hauser

Lyle F. Hilfigure Jr.

John W. Jennings III

Bill Klodt

Kevin M. Laird

Owen B. Mayer

William C. Meyer

Tracy P. Omdahl

Phil Sands

Philip Stein

L. M. (Lez) Stodart

James Vanaman

Jimmie L. Wisdom


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Mark R. Hagen, assistant editor

Here is a list of the individuals who currently

maintain all of ASQs certifications:


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nized ASQs certification as verification of an individu-als knowledge of quality theory and techniques. Arecent search on www.monster.com, an Internet job list-ings site, resulted in more than 575 job postings calling

for an ASQ certification. These statistics demonstratethe increasing value of ASQ certification as perceived inthe marketplace.

But for many, the process of becoming certifiedremains something of a mystery (see Top 10 Myths ofCertification, p. 34). Frequently asked questions comeup about how the exams are put together, how they arescored (see sidebar ASQ Uses Cut Score Process,p. 36) and how to prepare for taking the test. The bal-ance of this article will attempt to address these issues,although we should say at the outset that preparing totake an exam is a personal matter and highly dependent

on an individuals personal learning methods. For some,a careful reading of the texts in the reference bibliogra-phy will be most helpful, while others may find value inpurchasing study guides, taking a refresher course orforming a study group with other quality professionals(see sidebar Tips for Taking the Exams, p. 38).

Ensuring exam integrity

For its part, the Certification Board of ASQ does notendorse any particular method of preparation. TheSocietys top priority is ensuring the integrity of theexam process, and to that end it mandates that anyoneinvolved in the development of an exam must agreeto refrain from having anything to do with helpingothers prepare for the test, either formally or informal-ly, for a period of two years.

Its important to understand that ASQ certificationis not a license or registration. It is a peer recognitionthat an individual has demonstrated a proficiency inand comprehension of a particular quality area at aspecific point in time. ASQ certification is offered tothose who meet three sets of criteria. Candidates mustshow that they have a specified level of education

and/or experience, provide proof of professionalismand pass a standardized exam.

Although ASQ membership is not a prerequisite forcertification, most of those holding one of these desig-nations do belong to the Society. In fact certificationranks as one of the top benefits of membership.

C e r t i f i e d Q u a l i t y A u d i t o r

The certified quality auditor (CQA) is a professional who understands the stan-

dards and principles of auditing and the auditing techniques of examining,

questioning, evaluating and reporting to determine a quality systems adequacy

and deficiencies. The CQA analyzes all elements of a quality system and judges

its degree of adherence to the criteria of industrial management and quality eval-

uation and control systems.

Body of knowledge


for quality auditing:

Ethics, professional conduct and liability issues.

Audit preparation.

Audit performance. Audit reporting.

Corrective action follow-up and closure.

Audit program management.

General knowledge and skills.



June 3 April 7

December 2 October 13Cert

ified



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The certification exams are not created in an ivorytower or by a computer program that generates ques-tions. Their development relies heavily on the effortsof ASQ members. During the course of a given year,approximately 300 volunteers will be involved insome phase of certification, ranging from developing

a body of knowledge (BOK) to writing questions toensuring the validity of an exam.

Volunteers come to ASQ headquarters inMilwaukee for up to three days at a time. During thatperiod, they are expected to put in long, fast-paceddays that may keep them occupied for up to 10 hoursat a stretch. These are intensive sessions with lots ofquestioning and interaction. In return the volunteersget to sharpen their skills, network with peers andcome away with the knowledge that they have con-tributed to the development of the quality field.

Job analysis survey

The starting point for the exam development processis a job analysis survey that is conducted every fiveyears to identify the skills and knowledge areas cur-rently being used in the field. In order to createappropriate items for the survey instrument, an adviso-ry board is appointed by the sponsoring ASQ division.

This committee, like all of the subsequent examdevelopment committees, is composed of ASQ mem-bers who work in the area to be tested and are alreadycertified. In the case of brand new certification exams,ASQ volunteers who are subject matter experts in the

field to be tested serve on the committee. These volun-teers meet for two days. Their primary goals are toidentify typical job responsibilities (what people do onthe job) and the knowledge bases required (what peo-ple need to know in order to perform their job). Thecommittee also reviews a wide variety of textbooks to

ensure that these topics are covered in reference mate-rial that is readily available.

In the case of the survey advisory board, its workresults in a questionnaire that asks respondents torate each item in the survey in terms of criticality(how important is this task or knowledge) and fre-quency (how often is this task performed orknowledge used). The survey is piloted to ensure thatthe questionnaire itself is as clearly presented and aseasy to complete as possible.

Member input

Once the survey instrument has been approved andall necessary revisions made, it is sent to a sample ofcertified ASQ members who either work in the area tobe tested (as identified by job title) or superviseemployees who perform the tasks identified in thesurvey. Except for the deliberate job title selection, the2,000 plus certified ASQ members who receive thesurvey are randomly selected across geographic loca-tions and industry types to ensure that no oneindustry or region skews the results of the survey.

The data from the survey are then analyzed and aset of recommended tasks and knowledge areas is pre-


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C e r t i f i e d S o f t w a r e Q u a l i t y E n g i n e e r

The certified software quality engineer (CSQE) is a professional who has a

comprehensive understanding of software quality development and implementa-

tion; has a thorough understanding of software inspection, testing, verification

and validation; and can implement software development and maintenance

processes and methods.

Body of knowledge


for software quality engineers:

General knowledge, conduct and ethics.

Software quality management.

Software processes.

Software project management.

Software metrics, measurement and analytical methods.

Software inspection, testing, verification and validation.

C

ertified



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A S Q C E R T I F I C AT I O N P R O G R A M

Myth: The passing score for all

ASQ exams is 70%.

Fact: The passing score for each

ASQ exam is established as a mini-

mum performance standard duringthe cut score process, which is

detailed on p. 36.

Myth: Taking a section refresher

course or buying ASQ exam prep

material is a sure bet to pass.

Fact: Section refresher courses and

the self-directed products are excellent

ways to prepare for the examinations,

but using them does not guarantee

that you will pass. Refresher courses

are meant to refresh your knowledge,

not to instruct you in areas that arent

familiar to you. Questions from the

self-directed products will assist you inbecoming familiar with how to answer

certain questions, but they are not the

same questions that you will see on

the exams. Individual study is also a

critical element for success.

Myth: There is no grace period for

recertification journals.

Fact: You have six months after

your recertification expiration date to

submit your journal. The journal

should be sent to your local section

if you are an ASQ member, or direct-

ly to ASQ if you are a nonmember.

Myth: If you do poorly on one areaof the body of knowledge, you auto-

matically fail the test.

Fact: Your total score on the exam-

ination determines whether you pass

or fail, not your score on any one

portion of the test. Even in the certi-

fied quality managers exam it is

possible to pass if you do poorly on

the constructed response portion, as

long as your overall score is at or

above the passing grade.

Myth: ASQ limits the number of

people who pass.

Fact : Anyone who meets orexceeds the passing score (cut point)

passes the examination. ASQ does

not set a passing rate.

Myth: The grading of the con-

structed response portion of the

certified quality manager exam is

very subjective.

Fact: The constructed response

portion of the exam is designed to

test the candidates ability to

respond to real world situations. The

responses are scored by certified

quality managers who have been

trained in the evaluation techniques

used for the scoring process. In addi-

tion, all the scorers judge the papers

against a standard of performance

that is specific to each essay ques-

tion. That standard is neither

arbitrary nor subjective, but is devel-

oped on the basis of sound quality

practices, as described and pre-

scribed in major textbooks in thefield of quality. The essay questions

are pretested on a group of certified

quality managers, so the develop-

ment of the question includes a

reality check to make sure that the

committees expectation of perfor-

mance matches actual responses.

Myth: The more paper documen-

tation and/or activities you send in

with your recertification packet, the

better.

Fact: Actually you are only adding

to the cost of sending your recertifi-

cation packetnot to mention thetime involved. As long as you meet

the requirements for recertification

by accruing the minimum 18 credits,

there is no need to exceed that with

additional documentation or activi-

ties. If you wish to include some

additional activities and/or documen-

tation for your peace of mind, than

typically one or two additional recer-

tification credits will be sufficient.

The exception to this rule is if you

are interested in synchronizing mul-

tiple certifications. Further questions

regarding synchronization may be

answered either by your local ASQ

section or by contacting the recertifi-

cation coordinator at ASQ head-quarters at 800-248-1946.

Myth: It takes a long time to

receive exam results.

Fact: ASQ works very hard to turn

the exam results around as quickly as

possible and is very aware that the

examinees are anxious to learn

whether they have passed or failed.

As a direct result of bringing the

exam development in-house, ASQ

has recently reduced the exam turn-

around time from eight weeks to

three and one-half weeks.

There are many steps that have to

be completed, verified and checked

prior to sending out the results: The

answer sheets have to be sent back to

ASQ headquarters and scanned; sta-

tistics must be run and reviewed by

the test development staff and appro-

priate volunteers. The results are then

scored, verified and uploaded to a

computer before any result letters can

be generated. ASQ is continuously

working to reduce this cycle time.

Myth: Test questions are deliber-

ately tricky.Fact: ASQ goes through an exten-

sive process to ensure that examina-

tion questions are as accurate, clear

and concise as possible.

Myth: I can get my scored test back.

Fact: Because of its policy to reuse

examination questions, ASQ cannot

release copies of the examinations.

Releasing tests would give the retake

applicants an unfair advantage over

candidates taking the examinations

for the first time. The integrity of the

examination process is of para-mount importance to ASQ.

Besides, it would not support the

underlying premise of the certifica-

tion program for candidates to just

study the questions they got wrong,

as it would not ensure that they

would understand the material any

better. It is more appropriate for the

retake candidates to use the diagno-

tisic information to identify the areas

where they are weak and improve

their knowledge in those areas.

Top 10 MythsOf Certification

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sented in a summary report, which is submitted to thesponsoring division. The rule for recommendation isthat a task or knowledge must score at or above themidpoint, in other words earn a score of at least 2.5 on

a scale of 1 to 5, for criticality or frequency. The spon-soring division approves the results, which are thensubmitted to the Certification Board for final approval.

After the approval process, a BOK committee isformed. This committee of subject matter experts,which includes some members of the advisory com-mittee and again has representatives from across awide demographic spectrum, meets for two days.

The BOK committees primary task is to translatethe job analysis results into meaningful categories thatcan be tested. Committee members use a variety ofquality tools to facilitate this process, and the finalresult forms an outline of major topic areas, supportedby appropriate subtopics.

The committee then determines how many ques-tions will be asked in each area of the BOK, based onthe importance of the topic as well as the depth oftestable material in that topic. The committee againuses tools such as multivoting and prioritizationmatrices to help guide the decision making process.

Writing the questions

The next step is the actual writing of the exam ques-tions. This task is handled by a group of 25 certified

volunteers who attend a two to three day questionwriting workshop. The volunteers are given extensivetraining in a variety of exam development issues, inaccordance with nationally recognized standards forthe development of assessments. The training coversvarious kinds of item types (including whats appro-priate and what isnt), how to avoid writing trickquestions and various techniques for creating ques-tions that enable candidates to show their expertise inthe quality topic being tested.

After the initial training period, the volunteers formteams or small groups that focus on specific topics inthe BOK. The teams are given forms on which to writetheir questions. The forms require the item writer toidentify the major area of the BOK, subtopic and sub-subtopic being tested for each question written.

The forms also require a reference that supports thecorrect answer to the question, including author, title,edition and page number. Each question must belinked to a reference book listed in the brochure for

C e r t i f i e d Q u a l i t y T e c h n i c i a n

The certified quality technician (CQT) is a paraprofessional who, in support of

and under the direction of quality engineers or supervisors, analyzes and solves

quality problems, prepares inspection plans and instructions, selects sampling

plan applications, prepares procedures, trains inspectors, performs audits, ana-

lyzes quality costs and other quality data, and applies fundamental statistical

methods for process control.

Body of knowledge


for quality technicians:

Quality concepts and tools.

Statistical techniques. Metrology and calibration.

Inspection and test.

Quality audits.

Preventive and corrective action.



October 21 August 25

Certified


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Since the whole point of taking an

ASQ certification exam is to pass it,

many questions arise about how the

passing grade for any given exam is

determined and what adjustments are

made to ensure that one version of an

exam is no harder, or easier, than any

other one.

The passing grade, or cut point, is

established through a standard setting

process known as a cut score study.

The methodology used on ASQ

exams is called a Modified Angoff and

is based on the work of the late

William Angoff, a renowned measure-

ment research statistician at the

Educational Testing Service in

Princeton, NJ.

The cut point for an ASQ exam is

established each time a new body of

knowledge (BOK) is created or major

revisions are made to an existing

BOK. The cut score process begins

when a panel of 12 to 15 subject mat-

ter experts, also called judges, is

convened.

The panels first task is to set the

performance standard for the exam,

which is the consensus set of charac-

teristics that the judges expect of a

minimally qualified or borderline can-

didate in relation to the BOK. The

distinction regarding borderline candi-

dates is key to understanding the cut

score process, as it ultimately draws a

very fine line between candidates who

are qualified to be certified and those

who are not. The expectations for per-

formance, therefore, need to be

clearly stated and agreed to by all of

the participants in the cut score study.

Once that list of characteristics is

developed, the subject matter experts

use it as a guide to help them rate

each question on the test in terms of

what proportion of 100 such border-

line candidates will get the answer

right. For example, the judges may

agree that borderline candidates will

know a particular topic in the BOK

very well when asked a definition

question, and therefore they may esti-

mate that 85% to 90% will get it right.

But the same candidates will be much

more challenged in that topic when

required to apply a specific formula to

get the correct answer (resulting in

estimates of 35% to 45% correct).

Although the judges dont actually

have to take the test, they are asked to

record their individual scores on the

items without having access to the

answer key. These first scores, which

are an estimate in percent of how

many borderline candidates will get

the right answer to a question, are

then summarized and presented to the

full panel, which reviews them item by

item this time with the answer key.

If any judges score is significantly

different from that of the rest of the

group, the outlier is asked to defend

that position, and the other judges are

invited to respond. All of the judges are

asked to reconsider their score on the

basis of the discussion, whether they

that certification.Once an item has been written, it is reviewed by the

four or five other members of the team, reworked asneeded and then submitted to the workshop facilitator

and chair who check the item for completeness, accura-cy of BOK link, consistency of style and other concerns.

After the questions have been created and reviewedat the item writing meeting, they are entered into adatabase designed expressly for the test developmentprocesses. At this point in their development, thequestions are classified in the system as raw.

The next stage in the exam development process isto convene another panel of 12 subject matter expertswho meet for two days to review those raw questions,verify the reference and the BOK classification, and,most important, agree that there is one, and only one,correct answer.

This additional, intensive process of review, revi-sion and rework is designed to ensure that alllanguage ambiguities have been eliminated and that

questions have been phrased and presented as clearlyas possible without teaching or unintentionally clue-ing the correct answer through word matching orother cues. The items are also reviewed to ensure that

they arent biased in favor of any one industry.Questions that survive this phase of review are

revised in the exam bank and their status is changedfrom raw to approved. An item can be selectedfor use in a test only if it has survived these two initialphases of development.

Testing the test

The next phase in the process is the exam reviewmeeting at which another 12 volunteers are asked toparticipate. Prior to the meeting, a draft test is assem-bled and sent to the volunteers to take the test andprovide feedback, not only on individual questionsbut on how the exam looks as a whole in terms of cov-ering the appropriate BOK, the types of questionspresented and the order in which they appear.

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were within range or were outliers.

The results of this two-day cut

score study are then presented to the

Certification Board. The report

includes the written performance

standard that was developed along

with the judges estimate of the diffi-

culty of the exam. This estimate is

derived from the mean score of all of

the judges for each item on the exam.

This figure is presented as the rec-

ommended cut point for the exam. For

example, on one test, the mean of the

judges expectations might be 67%; on

another test, that mean might be 74%.

In both instances, the figure reflects

the collective opinion of the cut score

panel, taking into account the expect-

ed performance of the borderline

candidates and the relative difficulty of

the exam. Once that cut point is estab-

lished by board approval, it becomes

the minimum raw score necessary to

earn certification in that BOK.

Although this raw score is a specific

number of questions correct for the

first exam under a BOK, it is converted

to a scaled score on the score report,

to allow adjustments for exam difficul-

ty on subsequent forms of the test.

This scaled score of 550 always repre-

sents the minimum standard of

performance for all ASQ certification

exams.

The goal of ensuring that two ver-

sions of the same exam have the

equivalent degree of difficulty is

achieved through a process known as

common item equating. Here ASQ

selects a set of questions from the

previous exam and embeds them in

the next exam. This set of questions,

called equaters, is a kind of miniexam

in that the questions are representa-

tive of the previous exams difficulty

level (some easy, some hard, some in

the middle) and cover areas of the

BOK proportionately. ASQ then devel-

ops the rest of the test with different

questions, some new and some previ-

ously used. This way ASQ can admin-

ister almost entirely new tests and still

measure key differences between

them and older versions.

For example, on Test 1, the mean

score of the candidates is 111; on Test

2, their mean score is 108. Before

making any adjustments to the cut

point based on differences in exam

difficulty, more information is needed

about the two candidate groups. To

gather that information, comparisons

are made between the performance of

the two groups on the common items

(equaters) in the two tests. If the two

groups perform equally well on the

equaters, then it is safe to conclude

that Test 2 is in fact harder than Test 1.

Only then is the cut point adjusted to

offset the effects of that more difficult

exam. Through this method, both

tests will fairly assess the candidates

abilities while maintaining a consis-

tent scaled score of 550 to pass.

Candidates shouldnt worry about

whether they will get a hard test or an

easy test. If they get a hard test, they

wont have to get as many questions

right to meet the standard. If they get

an easy test, they will have to get

more of those easy questions right in

order to meet the standard.

C e r t i f i e d Q u a l i t y M a n a g e r

The certified quality manager is a professional who understands quality

standards and concepts, can implement organizational assessments, and can

maintain customer satisfaction and focus. The certified quality manager should

manage projects supporting strategic objectives and motivate human

resources in the support of organizational goals.

Body of knowledge

The following is an outline of the topics that constitute the body of knowl-edge for quality managers:

Quality standards.

Organizations and their functions.

Quality needs and overall strategic plans.

Customer satisfaction and focus.

Project management.

Continuous improvement.

Human resources management.

Training and education.

C

ertif

ied



October 21 August 25


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38I


A P R I L 2 0 0 0

The challenging part of becoming certified should be

in the preparation and learning stage. The test itself will

only measure how effective ones preparation has been.

And when the time comes to try for an ASQ certifica-

tion, there is no shortage of ways to get ready: study

groups, exam preparation manuals, refresher courses. In

addition, certification candidates may want to consider

two additional steps: talking to people who have passed a

cert exam and reviewing some of the basic strategies for

taking standardized tests.

Quality Progressasked for advice from the 19 ASQ

members who maintain all seven certifications. They pro-

vided the following tips.

It is helpful to study with others so you can draw from

the knowledge and experience of the group. Others mayprovide insight you may not have on a given problem or sit-

uation, says Phil Sands, a member of the technical staff at

Lucent Technologies in Naperville, IL.

A section-sponsored refresher course is certain to be

the best bet, even if you have to go to a nearby section

because your own doesnt offer one, adds Philip Stein,

principal consultant at P. G. Stein Consultants, in

Pennington, NJ.

I try to work five or more problems for every one that

will be on the test. For a 200 problem test, I work at least

1,000 problems, advises Steven A. Arndt, acting chief of

the control instrumentation and human factors branch in

the research office of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission

in Washington.

If you are interested in obtaining two or more certifi-

cations, be aware that some exam subjects are harder

than others. Start with the easier exam and work your

way up, adds William C. Meyer, quality manager for

Mercury Marine in El Paso, TX.

Although there are some limitations, certification can-

didates are allowed to bring reference materials to the

exam. Tab your references very clearly and profusely,

says Bill Klodt, a quality engineer for Sonopress LLC in

Weaverville, NC. The quicker you can find a subject that

you need, the quicker you can get on with the rest of the

questions.

Interview several people who took the exam and

check with your local ASQ section for exam refresher

courses, suggests John W. Jennings III, a reliability

engineer at Marconi Communications in Irving, TX.

John H. Bille, president and chief operating officer for

Quality Services International in Richardson, TX, is cau-

tious in his approach. Dont plan on passing your first

time, he warns. Go to learn the environment and how

the questions are asked. Then, plan on passing every test

Tips for Taking the Exams

ASQ CertificationBy the Numbers

Total number of active certifications: 85,857

Top 10 countries by total certifications:

United States.........78,782

Canada.....................3,321

Brazil...........................902

Israel...........................472

Singapore...................281

Spain...........................278

Trinidad and Tobago..275

Hong Kong.................189

Malaysia.....................182

Mexico........................151

Certifications ranked by number of active holders:

Certified quality engineer................29,143

Certified quality auditor...................20,345

Certified quality technician..............14,363

Certified quality manager..................... 9,123

Certified mechanical inspector.........7,970

Certified reliability engineer..............3,118

Certified software quality engineer......1,795

Top three states ranked by total certifications:

Michigan............7,355

California...........6,026

Texas..................5,078

Top three sections ranked by total certifications

Greater Detroit.......3,036

Minnesota..............1,958

Chicago..................1,588



11/13

Marilyn Schmid, an ASQ certification staff member, assists

exam proctor Ronald T. Moore (left) of ASQs Indianapolis

Section 903 and an exam candidate during certification exams

at last years Annual Quality Congress in Anaheim, CA.


A P R I L 2 0 0 0I

39

after that the first time.

John A. Conte, senior principal consultant at Keane

Inc., which is also in Irving, makes a similar point. No

matter how you feel about your preparation, take the

exam. It will serve as a great benchmark.

Test takers are also advised to keep in mind these gen-

eral pointers about standardized exams:

Read all of the questions on the first page of the test soyou realize that you do know the material. In other

words, relax.

Read each question thoroughly. Dont assume youknow whats being asked.

Eliminate implausible answers and move quickly pastthe obviously wrong choices.

Keep in mind that an answer may be a correct state-ment in itself but may not answer the question. Two

answers may say exactly the opposite or be very simi-

lar. Read them again to decide what makes one correct

and the other wrong.

Answer every question. There is no penalty for guess-ing, and you have a 25% chance of getting it right.

Go through and answer the questions you know. Thengo through and read the ones youre unsure of. Mark

those you are still not uncomfortable with. You will nar-

row the field down to just a few questions you will

need to spend more time on. These are the questions

you might want to use your reference books for.

Be aware of the time available for the exam and theremaining time as you work through the exam.

C e r t i f i e d M e c h a n i c a l I n s p e c t o r

The certified mechanical inspector (CMI) is a paraprofessional whoin sup-

port of and under the direction of quality engineers, supervisors or

technicianscan use in a responsible manner the proven techniques included in

the body of knowledge. Under professional direction, the mechanical inspector

evaluates hardware documentation, performs laboratory procedures, inspects

products, measures process performance, records data and prepares formal

reports.

Body of knowledge


for mechanical inspectors:

Technical mathematics.

Inspection and test.

Measurement tools.

Statistical techniques.

Quality improvement.



October 21 August 25Certified


12/13

By the time an exam makes it through this process,each question on the test has been reviewed andapproved by dozens of qualified professionals. Andyet, despite the best efforts of all of these individuals,

there are questions on the test that do not performwellquestions that, at least in the eyes of the candi-dates, are not clearly stated.

These problem items are identified through statisti-cal analysis that is conducted after each administrationof a test. Each item in the exam is reviewed to seewhether it discriminates well between candidates whoscored high on the test and those who scored low.When a question does not show a positive correlationin this measure, it is reviewed again by the chair of theexam committee and the ASQ test development staff todetermine whether it is sufficiently problematic to

warrant giving everyone credit for the question.

The grading process

Just as great care is taken in developing an exam,ASQ goes to significant lengths to ensure that thegrading provides an accurate assessment of a candi-dates proficiency. ASQ uses procedures that aremodeled on the Standards for Educational andPsychological Testing, which were developed jointlyby the American Educational Research Association,the American Psychological Association and theNational Council on Measurement in Education (seeASQ Uses Cut Score Process, p. 36).

To ensure that ASQ certification retains its status asa hallmark of excellence, the Certification Board isengaged in a process of continuous improvement. Allthe existing certifications are regularly re-examined toensure their relevancy. In addition, the board is devel-

oping new kinds of certifications to reflect changes in

40I

C e r t i f i e d R e l i a b i l i t y E n g i n e e r

The certified reliability engineer (CRE) is a professional who understands the

principles of performance evaluation and prediction to improve product/systems

safety, reliability and maintainability. This body of knowledge and applied tech-

nologies include design review and control; prediction, estimation and

apportionment methodology; failure mode effects and analysis; the planning,

operation and analysis of reliability testing and field failures, including mathe-matical modeling; understanding human factors in reliability; and the ability to

develop and administer reliability information systems for failure analysis, design

and performance improvement; and reliability program management over the

entire product life cycle.

Body of knowledge


for reliability engineers:

Reliability management.

Probability and statistical tools.

Modeling and prediction.

Data collection and analysis and corrective action. Reliability tools in design and development.

Maintainability and availability.

Reliability testing.

Product safety and liability.



October 21 August 25Cer

tified



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the use of quality tools in industry and society as awhole.

For example, the Certification Board recentlyapproved an add-on to the certified quality auditor

exam that covers the Hazard Analysis and CriticalControl Point standards used in the food processingand biomedical industries. The first of these examswill be offered this September. A separate add-on isbeing created for the biomedicalindustry, and other industry spe-cific add-ons are also underconsideration.

The board is also working on anew certification that covers thebasics of quality. This is beingdeveloped in response to the evo-

lution of total qualitymanagement, which has takenquality from being the soleresponsibility of a small group ofspecialists and made it a part ofevery employees job.

This new certification willposition ASQ as an importantresource for education, trainingand professional recognition innew areas of the workplace, espe-cially in the service sectors suchas health care and other nonman-

ufacturing arenas.In summary, the process used

to establish the BOK for an exam

JOHN W. MORAN is a director at

CareGroup Inc. in Boston. He is a certi-

fie d qu al ity ma na ge r an d an AS Q

Fellow. He serves as chair of the

Certification Board.

PATRICIA C. LA LONDE is senior man-

ager for corporate supplier quality atALARIS Medical Systems Inc. in San

Diego. She is a certified quality auditor,

certified quality engineer, certified quali-

ty manager, certified quality technician

and an ASQ Fellow. She serves as vice

chair of the Certification Board.

and the processes used to create the individualexams follow very deliberate procedures to ensurethe integrity of the exam and to reflect what indus-tries need from their quality professionals.

ASQ believes the integrity of the exams is a key fac-tor in why companies like ALARIS rely on them as afoundation for training and assessing their qualitystaff.

T3

QP

asq certification program gain wider recognition

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