Update on the ISTM Certificate of Knowledge Exam

The Certificate of Knowledge Examination was held on May 7, prior to the opening of the CISTM8, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. It was an extremely successful undertaking, with 423 people from 28 countries taking the exam. More than 300 of the examinees were ISTM members. About 80% of examinees remained for the conference.

In June, the passing score will be decided followed by the scanning of the examination answer sheets by Knapp & Associates International, Inc. (KA&I).  The passing score will be determined after reviewing each examination question, evaluating the difficulty of each question and judging how a professional with basic competence would perform on the question. These judgments will be analyzed statistically to determine the passing score. Questions that appear to be flawed will be discussed by a group from the Examination Committee to determine if they should be deleted from scoring entirely or if credit should be given for more than one answer.

Examination results will be mailed out approximately six to eight weeks after the administration of the exam. The examination is designed only to distinguish those who have the basic level of professional knowledge from those who do not. Therefore, those who pass the examination will be informed only that they have successfully completed the Certificate of Knowledge process. They will not be notified of the actual score.

Those who fail the examination will be notified of their score and the minimum score required for passing. They will also receive a diagnostic report showing their performance in each content area so that they may review any weak areas and retake the exam if they wish at a later date. There is no "curve" to the grading of the exam; in other words, once a passing score is set it could be that everyone who took the exam passed.

Candidates who pass the examination will receive a Certificate in Travel Health^TM (CTH) suitable for framing, and will be allowed to represent that they have received such a certificate and can use the CTH designation.

I’d like to thank all of the examinees for their participation and hope it was a positive experience for all. I would also like to thank the Examination Committee and the Executive Board for their continued support and dedication to the cause.

Phyllis Kozarsky, MD for the Examination Committee