Provides for disclosure of licensing examination questions and sets procedures for re-scoring upon request

Bill number

S3565

Title of bill

An act to amend the education law, the insurance law, the real property law and the executive law, in relation to disclosing examination questions

Purpose

Applies the principle of disclosure in the Truth-in-Testing Law to certain professional and occupational licensing and certifying exams.

Summary of provisions

This bill adds a new section sixty-five hundred seven-a to the education law; two thousand one hundred thirty-seven to the insurance law; four hundred forty-c to the real property law; and ninety-a to the executive law requiring that testing agencies or relevant state agencies:

1) Disclose test questions according to a schedule of the number of test subjects annually for the professions and occupations governed by these sections; and

2) Provide test takers with certain information, including how to obtain copies of test forms disclosed under this section.

Justification

Many occupational and professional licensing and certifying exams are currently not available to test takers EVEN IF THEY FAIL These tests should be available for scrutiny by test takers and researchers. The same principles underlying the Truth-in-Testing Law for college undergraduate and graduate school admissions tests apply with equal force to occupational and professional exams. Future test takers should be able to study and learn from the subject area included in past tests, and concerned researchers should be able to review the test for validity and fairness.

Legislative history

S.3461 1995-96; S.1171 1997-98; S.3368, 1999-00; S.1374/A.2036(2001-02); S.343-A/A.5742 (2003-04), S.1394, 2005-06, S.2601, 2007-08

Fiscal implications

None.

Effective date

This act shall take effect on the 1st of July next succeeding the date on which it shall have become law.