PILOT TESTING HAS BEEN COMPLETED

NRPP has completed the pilot testing for the new RMP and RMFT exams.

Please follow this link to register for the new NRPP Exams

---

PILOT TESTING BEGINS NOVEMBER 3rd and ENDS DECEMBER 29th

NRPP will begin pilot testing the new RMP and RMFT exams on November 3rd.

Please read the information below first, before registering, to understand what a pilot test is.

• The pilot RMP exam is $150
• The pilot RMFT exam is $100

We’ve developed the new exams and are ready to start delivering them. Please understand that these are pilot exams and if you opt to take a pilot exam your score will not be available immediately. Please read the information below thoroughly before scheduling your exam so that you fully understand what pilot testing is and what it means for you as a candidate. Then, if you are interested in taking the pilot test, click one of the buttons below to register for the exam.

What is pilot testing? A pilot test is an exam that contains newly-written, unscored questions. Because these are entirely new tests with questions that have never been administered before, we need to test them out before we can score them. We don’t know if these questions are fair to use toward or against your score so we pilot test them to be able to make that call. If any of the questions are unfair, too difficult, or shouldn’t be on the exam we remove them so that they don’t affect your score.

NRPP does this as a condition of our accreditation. It allows us to evaluate the quality of the exam and make sure the questions are fair and valid indicators of your knowledge as a radon measurement professional. Once we have collected enough data for reliable statistics we can make these decisions, score the exams, and give you your score. The pilot testing process will occur until at least 50 people have taken the exam, and we estimate this taking 4-6 weeks. The more people who take the test the quicker we can be done with the pilot, issue scores, and release the “live” exam. If you take the pilot exam you will not be able to apply for certification until we have issued official scores.

What do I need to do?

If you are interested in taking the pilot test please click one of the button below register for the exam. You will receive an email from NRPP explaining how to schedule your exam through Certiverse, our new remote-proctoring vendor.

You do not have to take the pilot test. Your other option is to wait until the live/scored exam is available. We are planning to end the pilot testing process on December 15 and issue scores from the pilot exams before the end of the year, or as soon as 50 people have taken the test.

---

---

EXAM SECURITY BREACH – UPDATED AUGUST 19, 2023

In July NRPP experienced a breach of the RMP and RMFT exam content. Accreditation to ISO/IEC 17024 requires us to maintain the security of the exam.  In cases of suspected (or confirmed) exam content breaches we implement our exam security incident response plan which requires us to do two things: 1. immediately suspend testing and 2. launch an investigation to determine the scope of the breach and establish the extent to which the content has been exposed.

This update explains our implementation of NRPP’s security incident response plan and the findings of our investigation.

EXAM SUSPENSION UPDATE

Here’s what we did:

During the week of July 10 AARST leadership prepared to stop RMP/RMFT testing. We developed our plan and created communication pieces for our various stakeholders, including the AARST Board of Directors, NRPP Certification Council, the EPA, state radon programs, ANAB, AARST staff, and the public. The plan was reviewed and approved by the Certification Management Committee and we then suspended testing.

When an exam content breach is suspected or confirmed the certifying body’s response is to stop testing with the exposed exam form, and immediately create and release a back-up form. This would allow testing to proceed with no disruptions. Unfortunately, the NRPP did not have additional items (test questions) beyond those that are on the exposed exam so we were unable to create a back-up form to replace the breached one. In response we scheduled an emergency item development meeting with the goal of creating a new bank of items to (1) develop a replacement form so we can begin testing again, (2) allow us to create new forms in the future, and (3) respond immediately should another breach occur.

What is the status of the new test?

The RMP/RMFT item development meeting is scheduled for August 18 -20. A representative panel of individuals representing radon service providers and state radon programs is convening for three days to write, review, and approve new test items. At the conclusion of this meeting, we aim to have a bank of over 250 questions from which we can pull items to create new RMFT and RMP exams.

Following this meeting, and once the new items have been reviewed in our database, we will create the new exam forms and be ready to begin pilot testing them.

What is pilot testing?

Pilot testing allows us to “test” the items before using them as scored items on exams. We collect and analyze pilot item data to identify items that do not perform well (are too hard or do not discriminate between high and low ability candidates). Items that do perform well will then be used as scored items on the new, or future, examinations. Following this process helps to ensure that the exams are fair and that the scores are valid indicators of the candidate’s ability.

We will update this site once we have more information on when pilot testing will begin.

INVESTIGATION UPDATE

Here’s what we did:

The goal of our investigation was to identify if the breach was real, the person(s) involved, and how the content was obtained, including who had access to the exam content and to what extent that content was shared. Specifically, we sought to determine whether exam content was shared within a particular group of individuals, within a particular course, within a particular training provider, within the entire training network, or with the public at large (posted online).

We did this through a variety of activities, and are pleased to report that, should the trainer-in-question truly have a copy of the exam, its distribution was limited and did not prove to be advantageous to candidates. Although the whole situation is unfortunate, the last thing NRPP wanted to do was revoke the credentials of any certified professionals.

What is the status of the investigation?

We were unable to confirm that the trainer-in-question has the exam or was attempting to distribute it.

We cannot determine whether the exam was shared during a course and do not know which students were involved.

We did not find evidence that any exam content was leaked to the internet

We have concluded that the incident was not an organized, widespread incident

• Exposure doesn’t appear to extend beyond the trainer-in-question
• The incident is unrelated to, and not supported by, the specific training provider
• The breach does not appear to involve NRPP’s entire trainer network
• Seeing exam content prior to the exam did not prove to be advantageous to that subset of examinees

A number of positives came out of this incident:

• We received overwhelming support from our candidates, certified professionals, trainers, and other stakeholders.
• NRPP’s Certification Management Committee and Certification Council, and the AARST Board of Directors have been supportive of rapid and decisive action
• The willingness of the professional community to drop everything and come to our support was unexpected. You should be proud to be a part of a profession that truly cares about the radon industry and values the NRPP credentials.
• The additional feedback we received about the certification process was what we needed to hear. We heard you – and thank you for being so honest about your experiences.
• Because of the comments we received, we have contracted with a new remote proctoring vendor and will begin testing with them when we launch the new exams.

What are you doing to make sure this doesn’t happen again?

Many of you have asked what we are doing to ensure this doesn’t happen again. We can’t guarantee it won’t, but we are taking steps to lessen the likelihood of it happening and taking measures to make sure we can respond quickly if it does:

• Our new remote proctoring procedures will discourage cheating and exam theft 
• Having a bank of questions will allow us to create a back-up exam form immediately, in the event there is another breach
• Item development will focus on assessing the essential knowledge required of measurement professionals
• We will be providing education on the certification process, how to best prepare, and how trainers can best support their students
• We will be tracking exam statistics more closely and looking for anomalies so that we can investigate and respond to any issues before having to take extreme action.

INITIAL SECURITY BREACH NOTIFICATION – JULY 17, 2023

NRPP was recently made aware of a breach in the security of the RMP (Radon Measurement Professional) and RMFT (Radon Measurement Field Technician) exams. It has been brought to our attention that a training instructor improperly obtained and shared the contents of the measurement exams.

The security of NRPP examinations is an essential component of the program’s integrity and notably its ability to ensure impartiality and fairness in the determination of candidates’ eligibility for certification. NRPP has taken swift and immediate action to prevent use of the stolen test by immediately stopping offering the RMP and RMFT exams. Testing for measurement certifications will remain suspended until new exam materials can be developed to replace those that were breached. Persons already in the certification or exam process affected by a NRPP deadline will be provided with a grace period if warranted.

We realize the impact on the industry, and especially its newest members, is great and far-reaching but we cannot, with confidence, continue using these tests as measures of individuals’ competency. We are diligently working on creating new exams and plan to begin measurement certification testing again in October 2023. We will provide updates here as we move through the process. Please see below for a list of Frequently Asked Questions.

Should you have any information about anyone improperly sharing the exam, please call our tip hotline at 828-348-0185 ext 413.

If you have additional questions, please send an email to exam-security@nrpp.info. We expect a high volume of inquiries and it may take up to 72 hours to receive a response. Thank you in advance for your patience.

We appreciate your continued support of NRPP.

---

What happened?

The RMP (Radon Measurement Professional) and RMFT (Radon Measurement Field Technician) exams have been compromised. At least one training instructor has a copy of the measurement exams and has attempted to distribute it to other people. Upon receipt of a credible report that exam security has been breached, NRPP must consider the exam content as exposed, investigate, and immediately suspend testing.

Why does it matter if the exam has been shared?

The RMFT and RMP exams are high-stakes, accredited certification exams. They assess the candidate’s knowledge of proficient radon measurement. A passing score indicates that the candidate is competent in radon measurement and able to protect public health. Certification exams, unlike academic exams, must be kept secure and examinees are not allowed to know the content of the exam in advance. When an exam is compromised, or when examinees have prior knowledge of test content, we cannot assume that the test is doing what it’s supposed to do and we are required to stop testing immediately.

Can I get a refund?

If you have already paid, your exam registration is still valid and you will be able to take the new exam when they are posted.
At that time we will send detailed instructions on how to reschedule your exam session.

Our current timeline is to have these exams available in October 2023

Please note: The exam is no longer accessible. If you have enrolled through NRPP or scheduled an exam through Examity, you will receive a separate communication.

When will the new measurement exams be ready?

NRPP is working diligently on creating new exam forms and will update our website once we have an estimated date that testing will begin. Please visit https://nrpp.info/exam-security-update/.

*** NRPP is planning to begin pilot testing the new measurement exams in October 2023.

Why can’t you tell me exactly when I can take the measurement exam?

Certification exam development follows a process to ensure the validity of test scores. Items (exam questions) are written and reviewed by a panel of experts and then used to construct an exam form. Once the form is developed it must then be pilot (or beta) tested so that NRPP can ensure only well-written and technically correct items are on the test. Items that do not perform well statistically are revised or removed so that when you take an NRPP exam you are being tested on only the essential knowledge relevant to measuring radon.

When will I be able to reschedule my measurement exam?

Once NRPP has the draft exam forms constructed we will be ready to pilot test the new forms. We will open registration at that time. Please note however, that during the pilot testing process exams scores are held until an adequate number of tests have been administered so that reliable statistics can be calculated to assess item performance. Please visit https://nrpp.info/exam-security-update/ for the most updated information.

How do I reschedule my exam once the new measurement exam is ready?

The same way you would now – by visiting https://nrpp.info/ and selecting your exam from the dropdown under the Exams tab.

How does this affect my current measurement certification application?

Right now it doesn’t. If you’ve recently passed the RMP or RMFT exam and are pursuing certification you can proceed with the certification process.

I already passed the measurement exam — do I have to take it again?

You do not. NRPP is not revoking exam scores at this time.

What does this mean for my measurement certification?

If you are currently certified this will not affect you. You must submit your CE requirements within the two-year certification period and meet the other renewal requirements. Please visit https://nrpp.info/certification/how-to-recertify/ for information on how to renew your certification. If you are seeking certification but have not passed the exam, and your course completion is due to expire before the new exam is available, NRPP will extend the expiration date so that the course remains valid for two months after we have started testing again.

Does this affect mitigation and mitigation compliance inspector exams?

No. Only the Radon Measurement Professional and the Radon Measurement Technician exams are affected.

I am in the process of obtaining my state license for measurement and am required to take an exam from NRPP or NRSB. What does this mean for me?

You can wait until the new NRPP measurement exam is available in October or test through NRSB. Either test is approved for licensing purposes, however NRPP does not recognize NRSB exam scores for NRPP certification.

What if I have information about others sharing the exam?

Please call our tip hotline with information about any misconduct at 828-348-0185 extension 413
You do not need to leave your name, but we are willing to offer those who come forward protection under NRPP’s Whistleblower Policy. Your name and any information you provide will be held under the strictest confidentiality.

As a reminder, prior to taking the test you agreed to the NRPP Exam Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Agreement which set forth the terms and conditions of your access to and disclosure of the Exam Content. Per this agreement you are prohibited from providing or accepting improper assistance.

The agreement further states that If you violate any testing rule, exam policy or term within this agreement, or engage in misconduct that diminishes the security and integrity of NRPP Certification Program in any way, you may be permanently prohibited from taking any future exams. In addition, you may be decertified from the NRPP including removal from the Certification registers and test scores and certifications may be revoked.

What if I have more questions?

We will provide updates as we move through the process; please visit https://nrpp.info/exam-security-update/ for the latest information.
If you have additional questions, please send an email to exam-security@nrpp.info. We expect a high volume of inquiries and it may take up to 72 hours to receive a response. Thank you in advance for your patience.

SECURITY BREACH – UPDATED December 30, 2023