What is the COA’s rationale for including testers who pass the National Certification Examination on their second attempts, provided they retake the exam within 60 days of program completion (i.e., Method 3 in the policy section of calculating pass rates)?

At its October 2018 meeting, the COA reviewed data provided by the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA). The data provided by the NBCRNA included a program-by-program listing of all successful NCE takers and identified the number of attempts required for each graduate to pass. Using this information, the COA determined that 96% of test-takers who were successful on their first or second attempts were able to pass within 60 days of program completion. Following careful consideration of these findings and a review of the impact of implementing Method 3 on programs, the COA determined that the timeframe for including second-time successful testers should be established at 60 days from the date of their programs’ completion.