For candidates, waiting for exam results can be an anxious experience. For clients, ensuring that results are accurate, secure, and timely is critical to building trust in their certification program. At Kryterion, we’ve designed our score reporting process to balance immediacy with integrity, giving both candidates and clients clarity on outcomes.
In this article, we’ll walk through how our score reporting process works, what timelines you can expect, and how quickly clients can access data to deliver results back to their candidates.
How the Score Reporting Process Works
At the core of score reporting is the passing standard. In Webassessor, clients can set this standard in several ways.
- Raw Scores: Directly represent the number of test questions the candidate got correct (assuming each test question is worth one point). If test forms vary in difficulty level, raw scores on the two test forms are not directly comparable.
- Percentages: Calculated as points earned divided by the total points. While familiar and intuitive, percentages vary across test forms of differing difficulty, which means comparisons between candidates may not be apples-to-apples.
- Scaled Scores: Provide stability across test forms and administrations by adjusting for exam difficulty. Scaled scores are mapped back to raw scores, offering comparability over time, though they may require additional explanation to candidates.
Clients have flexibility in deciding what information candidates see: pass/fail only, overall score, and/or topic-level feedback (aligned to the domains in exam blueprint). Domain-level reporting can be particularly valuable for candidates who do not pass, since it highlights areas of strength and weakness to guide future preparation.
What Candidates and Clients Can Expect in Terms of Timelines
In most cases, candidates see their results immediately after submitting their exam. Results are displayed on-screen at the end of the session and are also emailed to the candidate. This real-time feedback ensures test-takers walk away with clarity and confidence.
However, there are a few exceptions:
- Beta Exams: For newly developed or redesigned exams, results are held until the exam is statistically validated and cut scores are set.
- Testing Windows: Some programs choose to release results only after the testing window closes. In these cases, candidates may wait two to six weeks to receive results.
For most programs, however, immediacy is the norm.
Monitoring for Exam Security Breaches
Clients can run reports to help them monitor exam security breaches as an important safeguard in maintaining exam integrity and fairness. While Kryterion provides standard reporting tools within Webassessor, most monitoring activities are managed by clients themselves. For example, clients may monitor unusual testing behaviors such as:
- Completing a long exam in an unusually short time with a passing result.
- A sudden increase in passing rate.
These patterns could suggest pre-knowledge of the test, proxy test taking, a compromised test form, or other irregularities.
How Quickly Clients Can Access Data
Webassessor makes candidate results accessible in near real-time. As soon as an exam is completed, clients can pull reports showing pass/fail outcomes, raw scores, percentage scores, and topic-level performance. This enables programs to:
- Provide timely feedback to candidates.
- Monitor overall exam performance trends.
- Identify anomalies that may warrant further review.
This immediacy supports not just candidate satisfaction but also program agility, helping clients make data-driven decisions quickly.
Final Thoughts
Kryterion’s score reporting process is designed with transparency, flexibility, and integrity in mind. By offering immediate results in most cases, customizable reporting options, and accessible data, we help certification programs build credibility and maintain candidate trust.
Whether you’re launching a new exam or managing an established program, our goal is to ensure that results are delivered fairly, securely, and on time, so you can focus on growing your program with confidence.
About Kryterion
Kryterion Inc. is a global leader in innovative testing and credentialing solutions, helping organizations across various sectors develop and manage their assessments with our advanced test development platform and multi-modal delivery solutions. Established in 2001, Kryterion offers secure, integrated services and extensive support, empowering candidates to demonstrate skills and achieve success in world-class careers.