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CSLB explains five-year exam cycle, SME use and outreach to trade associations
Summary
Staff described how the Exam Development Unit updates trade exams every five years using subject matter experts and surveys; staff requested help from trade associations and volunteers to improve item banks.
At a May 15 meeting the Contractors State License Board Licensing Committee received a detailed briefing on how the agency assesses and updates licensure exams to reflect industry standards.
Carol Gagnon, licensing chief, said the Exam Development Unit (EDU) updates each exam on a five-year cycle and works with subject matter experts (SMEs) and statistical exam specialists at every stage. "We analyze the survey, the item statistics, the bank statistics, and the merchant statistics all to make decisions about the exam itself," Gagnon said.
The process described by staff includes job audit interviews with active licensed contractors and relevant government agencies, an occupational analysis survey (sent to either the entire trade or a sample of up to 3,000 licensees where applicable), development of an exam plan showing topic-weighting, SME workshops to review and write items, and setting cut scores. Staff said EDU uses statistical analyses to remove or rework items that are too difficult after pretesting and that SMEs have assisted with exam development for 25 years.
Why it matters: Exam content determines which knowledge and tasks are tested for licensure. Changes to item banks and references affect candidates, training programs and the contractors who rely on exam results for credentialing.
Details and outreach
Staff said EDU currently has 48 different exams and six exam specialists; the five-year rotation is designed so each exam is reviewed regularly without overconcentrating resources. Response rates to occupational analysis surveys vary by trade — staff reported some trades with response rates as low as 8% (but from large populations) and others as high as 38%. Staff said that survey response rates of 10% or higher, with at least 150 responses, generally yield statistically robust results.
Committee members asked about using trade associations and training programs as additional sources for references and subject-matter input; staff said they want to strengthen those relationships to better identify emerging technologies and references used in training programs.
Volunteer recruitment and next steps
Staff encouraged active contractors to volunteer as SMEs and said EDU will send surveys and outreach materials for trades scheduled for review in 2026. No formal action was taken during the committee's remote meeting.
Ending
Staff invited committee members and trade associations to provide contacts and to promote participation in upcoming surveys and SME workshops.
