As
a faculty member, how will I go about purchasing and using the
academic version of Online Advantage with my students?
A faculty member begins the process by purchasing a given number
of access codes to utilize Online Advantage based on the number
of students in their program. The cost per access code is $30.
The purchase must be made directly online using a credit card
or purchase order through our web site www.scorebuilders.com.
A credit card purchase allows instant access, while a purchase
order allows access once a hard copy of the purchase order has
been received by our office. The purchase order can be faxed to
(207) 883-8377. After the order is confirmed an email will be
sent to the designated administrator of the account. The email
will provide the administrator with an ID and Password for their
individual account and prompt them to enter the names of their
students. Online Advantage assigns an ID and Password to each
of the students entered into the account and allows the information
to be printed. The administrator is able to disseminate the IDs
and Passwords to the students at a time of their choosing. In
some instances an academic program may elect to offer the comprehensive
examination in a controlled setting such as the computer room,
while in other cases it may be necessary to allow students to
take the examination from a remote location.
Formal testing occurs at a time of convenience by visiting our
web site and clicking on the Online Advantage icon found at the
bottom of our homepage. Students will press the login button and
will be prompted to enter their assigned ID and Password. After
completing the examination students will have immediate access
to their performance analysis summary, which allows them to directly
compare their individual score to the mean score generated from
all students exposed to the same examination. The analysis will
summarize performance in eight clinical practice areas and three
content outline areas. The administrator will have immediate access
to all of the described information, however, in addition they
will be able to generate specific class data. Students will not
have access to the class data nor will they be able to examine
the individual performance of any of their classmates. [back]
How were the questions
developed in the academic version of Online Advantage?
Over 20 item writers generated the questions used in Online Advantage.
The item writers were invited participants who were selected based
on their clinical expertise. The diverse group of item writers
includes a mix of academic faculty and full time clinicians with
a variety of advanced degrees and clinical specialization. Great
care was taken to make sure there was adequate representation
in each of the systems (musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, cardiopulmonary,
integumentary) and non-systems areas (patient care skills, physical
agents, education, administration).
Item writers were given explicit instructions including a training
manual to ensure that submitted questions were consistent with
the style and format of the questions utilized on the National
Physical Therapist Assistant Examination. Once created each examination
was subjected to a minimum of three months of beta testing by
physical therapist assistant students from academic programs throughout
the United States. [back]
Is Online Advantage
designed to be consistent with the recent changes in the National
Physical Therapist Assistant Examination?
Online Advantage is designed to be consistent with recent examination
changes including the transition to sections of 50 questions,
the addition of graphically enhanced items, and a scheduled break
between sections two and three. Our goal is to provide students
with the most realistic testing experience possible in order to
better prepare students for the National Physical Therapist Assistant
Examination. [back]
Is there a sample
account that I can access that allows me to experience Online
Advantage prior to actually purchasing the product?
We have had numerous requests for additional information on the
type of data generated by the academic version of Online Advantage.
In response, we have created a sample account that you or other
designated faculty members can explore. The sample account will
allow you to view data collected from a mock class of 15 students
and explore the entire performance analysis section of Online
Advantage including actual sample examination items. Please contact
us by email info@scorebuilders.com
or phone (866) PTEXAMS to request an ID and Password
that will allow access to the sample account. Access to the sample
account is reserved only for academic faculty. We are confident
that a quick tour of the sample account will provide you with
a thorough understanding of the potential of this innovative product.
Our web site also offers a Flash presentation that includes additional
product information. [back]
How many students
have utilized the academic version of Online Advantage?
To date over 2,400 students have utilized the academic version of
Online Advantage. This is important since the established mean
score in each of the clinical practice and content outline areas
is based on an extremely diverse group of students from academic
programs throughout the United States. Online Advantage was introduced
in 2005 and has quickly been adopted by many physical therapist
assistant programs. [back]
Is there a recommended
passing score for the examination?
There is not an established uniform “passing score”
for the examination since the circumstances in which students
are required to take the examination are very different. For example,
some programs have students take the examination up to nine months
prior to graduation, while others bring the students back to campus
after their final clinical experience and may administer the examination
within a few days of graduation. The most relevant factor to consider
when deciding on a passing score is the mean examination score
for all candidates. This number, which is constantly updated based
on student performance, reflects the relative difficulty of the
established examination. Ideally, a score of greater than or equal
to the mean represents a strong score. Students’ scores
typically range from 75-120 or 50-80%.
The majority of academic programs who establish a minimum score
require students to achieve a score no more than 5 or on occasion
10 questions below the mean score for all candidates. Academic
programs offering more than one examination often have a more
lenient minimum score requirement on the initial examination and
then adopt a more stringent requirement on the final examination.
Students who fail to achieve the established minimum score usually
have a remediation period and then are required to retake a different
examination with the same scoring requirement. Some academic programs
require students to retake the same examination, however, it is
important to note that a second attempt on the same examination
is typically a poor indicator of mastery.
The academic version of Online Advantage consists of a single
examination, however, students failing to achieve the minimum
score may be required to access one or more of the examinations
within the student version of Online Advantage. Regardless of
the established minimum score, students should be encouraged to
prepare in advance for the examination and use the generated performance
analysis summary to gain insight toward their test taking tendencies
and current examination performance. [back]
What percentages
of students using Online Advantage pass the National Physical
Therapist Assistant Examination on the first attempt?
Many academic programs anecdotally report a moderate to strong
positive relationship between Online Advantage scores and National
Physical Therapist Assistant Examination scores. It is important
to note, however, that students should avoid determining their
readiness for the actual examination based on a single practice
examination. [back]
Will students
be able to view the same information in the performance analysis
section as the administrator?
Students will be able to view a complete summary of their individual
data and compare their personal results to a broader external
audience, however, they will be unable to view the results of
their classmates or the overall class’ performance. [back]
How long will
the administrator have access to the class data?
Administrators will have access to class data for approximately
12 months and can print summary data at any point during this
period. [back]
Can the administrator
perform an individual item analysis specific to their class?
The present version of Online Advantage does not allow administrators
to perform an individual item analysis for the class. Administrators
will, however, have access to individual student and aggregate
class data, which provides a summary of the relative strengths
and weaknesses of the students within the class and offers a direct
comparison of the class to a broader external audience. [back]
Once students
take the examination, how long will it be until the administrator
can access the students’ results?
The administrator will have immediate access to the students’
results by logging on to the established administrator’s
account and utilizing the performance analysis summary. [back]
When does the
30-day period begin for students to use the examination?
The 30-day period begins based on the date the student actually
initiates the examination. The date of purchase is not associated
with the initiation of the 30-day period. [back]
How long will
students have access to their individual data?
Students will have access to their individual data for 30-days
once they initiate taking the examination for the first time.
They can print their performance analysis summary at any point
during the period and review both their first and second attempts
throughout the course of the 30-days. [back]
If the 30-day period inadvertently
expires, is there any way to gain additional access to the examination?
Online Advantage allows students to purchase an additional 15-day
access period if necessary. [back]
Is the summary data from “all
candidates” based solely on the students’ first attempt
or does it also include data from the second attempt?
Performance data for “all candidates” is based solely
on data obtained from the students’ first attempt. If students
retake the same examination it is important to recognize that
their ability to recall specific items from the examination will
artificially inflate their actual score. As a result, the data
from the second attempt is not utilized when determining summary
data for “all candidates.” [back]
Do students need to take the examination
in a single sitting?
Students are encouraged to take the examination in a single sitting
since this most closely resembles the format utilized on the actual
National Physical Therapist Assistant Examination. It is possible,
however, to exit the examination if necessary. When exiting Online
Advantage all question data will be automatically preserved. [back]
Can students print out the examination
questions?
Online Advantage is designed to be an interactive web-based study
tool and therefore does not permit students to print out the examination.
The program allows students to print their performance analysis
summary and have full online access to the examination questions
and explanations an unlimited number of times within the 30-day
period. [back]
Can students take an examination
more than once?
Online Advantage permits students to take each examination a maximum
of two times. Students should recognize that the second attempt
is typically a poor measure of mastery since students have already
been exposed to the questions. It is critical, however, for students
to utilize the performance analysis section of Online Advantage
multiple times in order to review correct and incorrect questions
and to determine individual strengths and weaknesses. [back]
Can students purchase the academic
version of Online Advantage?
Students are not permitted to purchase the academic version of
Online Advantage. This restriction substantially reduces the potential
of students being exposed to examination items in advance and
increases the meaningfulness of obtained examination scores. [back]
I would like
to have students take an initial examination prior to administering
a final comprehensive examination before graduation. Do you have
any suggestions?
Many academic programs provide their students with several opportunities
to experience a formal comprehensive examination during their
academic training. The rationale is that the first examination
serves as a pre-test to establish a baseline and identify areas
requiring remediation. The second examination then serves as a
post-test to determine the amount of progress and the relative
degree of preparedness for the actual National Physical Therapist
Assistant Examination. In these cases, it is common for academic
programs to use one of the examinations in the student version
of Online Advantage for the initial testing and to use the academic
version for the final testing. [back]
Are the questions utilized in the
academic version of Online Advantage the same as the questions
utilized in the student version?
The academic and student versions of Online Advantage are completely
distinctive products that utilize independent examination questions.
The academic version consists of one examination and is designed
solely for the use of academic programs choosing to offer a comprehensive
examination to their graduating students. The student version
of Online Advantage consists of two examinations (each sold separately)
and is designed to assist students with their preparation for
a comprehensive examination or the actual National Physical Therapist
Assistant Examination. [back]
Are the questions
utilized in your review books or review courses the same as the
questions utilized in the academic version of Online Advantage?
Each of our products utilizes independent examination questions. [back]
Do the questions utilized in Online
Advantage change each year?
An item analysis is performed annually on each of the examinations.
As part of the process selected items are removed and new questions
are added. Items are also removed and added to make sure the questions
remain consistent with changes in the examination content outline.
On average 10-30 questions will be replaced annually in each of
the examinations. [back]
Do the examinations
consist of 150 or 200 questions?
The National Physical Therapist Assistant Examination consists
of 200 questions, offered in four sections of 50 questions. 150
of the examination questions are scored items, while 50 of the
questions are pre-test items used for possible inclusion as a
scored item in a future examination. Since a student’s maximum
attainable score on the actual examination is 150, all Online
Advantage examinations consist of 150 questions offered in three
sections of 50 questions. [back]
Do you have a
suggested method of how students can assume some or all of the
expense of Online Advantage in the event funding is not available
through the department budget?
Many academic programs require students to pay some or all of
the expense associated with Online Advantage. Although the academic
program must purchase the program using a credit card or purchase
order, programs often require students to pay a predetermined
fee back to the program prior to being issued their assigned ID
and Password. [back]
Is Online Advantage designed to
serve as a web-based review course?
Online Advantage is a web-based comprehensive testing program
and is not designed to serve as a review course. Our two-day review
course, PTAEXAM: On-Campus Review Course, is a comprehensive workshop
that allows students to examine all elements of preparing for
the National Physical Therapist Assistant Examination. In 2006,
Scorebuilders offered a record 78 review courses at many of the
finest physical therapy programs in the United States. Additional
information on our review courses is available in the Courses
section of our web site. [back]
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