FACT SHEET: EPA's National Certification Exams for Lead-Based Paint Abatement Professionals

What are the National Exams?

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) has developed 100-question, multiple-choice examinations for each of the three training disciplines for lead-based paint abatement professionals requiring certification under its final TSCA section 402/404 regulation (40 CFR Part 745). These professionally-developed exams, which must be administered by a third-party (i.e., other than the accredited training entity or the students themselves), are aimed at testing for and measuring competency among persons seeking certification to perform lead-based paint activities in Target Housing and Child-Occupied Facilities. The regulations stipulate that all inspectors, supervisors, and risk assessors must pass a third-party exam as a prerequisite for obtaining certification.

The U.S. EPA is also making the national exams available to States and Indian tribes, at no cost, for their use in administering and obtaining an authorized lead certification program. Each exam is available in several standardized versions, and all are derived from an integrated computer-based item bank containing more than 1,000 validated test questions.

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Why were they developed?

The U.S. EPA developed the national lead exams to serve three purposes; (1) to define a consistent standard of training, competence and knowledge for lead-based paint abatement professionals, (2) to provide a third-party examination system for use as part of EPA's lead-based paint certification program, and (3) to establish a basis and opportunity for reciprocal arrangements among State and Tribal programs.

Why should my State/Tribe consider using the National Exams?

In exchange for a simple pledge to cooperate in maintaining the security of the national exams, any State or Tribe may acquire them from the U.S. EPA at no cost. Once acquired, the State or Tribe is free to administer the exams through a delivery mechanism of their own choosing. The U.S. EPA has deliberately designed this program to provide the States and Tribes with a premium quality product and maximum administrative flexibility. The exams have two tiers of validation, first at the examination level, and second, at the individual item or question level. Consequently, any States or Tribes wishing to use the national standardized "core" tests may do so (several versions will be available for each discipline), while those States or Tribes wishing to substitute their own examination blueprint can also be accommodated.

The State or Tribe can either administer its certification exams entirely in-house using its own staff, or alternatively, it might choose to hire a contractor to perform some or all of these related tasks. The exams can be paper and pencil, or they can be administered by means of computer. EPA has designed the exams to operate within an IBM compatible PC environment using commercially-available, off-the-shelf software. Because the 1,000+ test question item bank is publicly-owned, the State or Tribe can customize its program services consistent with its own needs and constraints. Furthermore, the development of the national exams was directly linked to the "learning objectives" of the EPA's model training curricula for the lead inspector, supervisor and risk assessor courses. This linkage assures that the exams are a valid measure of actual learning acquired through classroom training. The exams are accompanied by a "Training and Study Guide" intended for distribution to both training entities and students who will be required to take and pass a certification exam. The Study Guide clearly outlines those topical areas from the training curricula that will be tested for on the exams.

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Can my State/Tribe add questions about its own regulations to the exams?

Individual States and Tribes may supplement the national exams with additional questions relating to State or Tribal requirements. For example, if a State's or Tribes's regulations cover subjects that are not otherwise a part of the EPA model training course curricula for the three certified disciplines, that State or Tribe might require a student to take a supplemental State or Tribal exam of perhaps 10-25 multiple-choice questions covering those particular topics in addition to taking the 100-question national certification exam.
Authorized States and Tribes will also have the option to substitute their own examination blueprints for EPA's standardized blueprints is they wish to provide "signature exams" by emphasizing topical areas of instruction different from EPA's. While this blueprint substitution could reduce the overall validity of the exams, some validity can be sustained if the State continued to draw its exams from EPA's itembank without changing the wording of the individual questions contained within the itembank.

What about exam security?

EPA is committed to the principle that the security of the national exams is essential to preserving both the quality of training for the lead abatement professions and the integrity of certification processes established by either the U.S. EPA or authorized State or Tribal Programs pursuant to TSCA Title IV. Consistent with this policy, EPA will seek to protect the exams and their underlying item bank of questions from any public disclosure that might compromise the aforementioned principle or the ability of the Agency or the exams themselves to accomplish their essential purposes, including interference that might harm or reduce the ability to ensure the compliance of both persons and firms with the certification standards promulgated under TSCA section 402/404. With this goal in view, EPA has carefully managed the development of the national exams in such a way as to ensure that adequate security has been maintained. Consistent with this goal, EPA plans to share the national exams with States and Tribes in a spirit of partnership and mutual trust. In exchange for unrestricted access to and use of the exams, EPA will expect interested States and Tribes to do everything reasonable, within the limits of their respective State and Tribal laws, to uphold and comply with that principle and goal. The realization and maintenance of that goal, however, will ultimately depend upon the continued vigilance and full cooperation of participating States and Tribes, each acting in its own self-interest, in working toward this common objective.

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