What is OCEB, and what's on the OCEB tests?Read the
home page for the OCEB program to find out
about the program. Follow that link or this one to the
examination description page and the coverage
maps. Top
What's a Beta test, and why are we giving them?
Certification programs beta-test their examinations
to validate that each question actually does test what
it was written to test - that is, test-takers who know
the material will usually answer that question correctly, while
those who don't are more likely to get it wrong - and to
set a cutoff score that passes and certifies that
portion of the population deemed deserving while failing
the rest. Because even the best-written and
best-reviewed set of questions will contain a few
"clunkers" (too easy, too hard,
unintentionally misleading, or whatever), beta tests
always include extra items so there are enough left in
the pool after discarding the ones that test poorly and
so don't make it into the final forms (that is,
versions) of the examination. And speaking of final
forms, most examinations (including ours) are
constructed in several equivalent forms - that is,
different sets of questions that test to the same score
- so that candidates who fail and re-take the exam don't
see the exact same set of questions the second time
around. Bottom line: a beta test contains more questions
than a regular test - as much as twice as many, or more
- and every question is important even though some (and
no one knows which ones when you take the exam) won't
count towards your final score.
All of these decisions are made on the basis of
statistics run on the beta results. We'll accept a
representative group of candidates into the beta
program, and administer an experience questionnaire to
each one before he/she takes the exam. (It's more
detailed than the questionnaire on the application form,
but only about fifteen questions altogether.) By
correlating test results with questionnaire answers, we
can check if the more experienced or knowledgeable folks
really did get a particular question right more than the
newbies; if not, we throw it out. If everyone (or almost
everyone), regardless of experience level, gets a
question right, then it doesn't help us separate the
certifiable from the rest so we throw it out; if almost
everyone gets it wrong, same conclusion and same
consequence for the opposite reason.
The beta tests are given at the same Pearson VUE
testing centers that will give the standard exams when
they're ready, using the same presentation and grading
software. There are basically three differences between
the beta version and the final form: On the beta, you
start by answering an experience questionnaire; there
are more than twice as many questions; and you don't get
your grade or pass/fail result right away. (You'll get
it after everyone has taken the beta exam and we've run
and analyzed the statistics.) Top
What's Free, How much can
I save, and What are the conditions?
NOTE: THE OCEB
BETA PROGRAM HAS FILLED, AND IS NO LONGER
AVAILABLE.
THE
INFORMATION BELOW IS PROVIDED FOR REFERENCE ONLY, FOR
PARTICIPANTS ALREADY ADMITTED TO THE PROGRAM
OMG will select and accept a limited number of
applicants into the OCEB Free Beta Inducement Program.
(In addition, a larger number of applicants may be
accepted into an OCEB Half-price Beta Inducement
Program. Every applicant is automatically considered for
both programs.)
Each applicant accepted into the OCEB Free Beta
Inducement Program will receive a voucher entitling
him/her to take the beta OCEB Fundamental Examination
for free at a Pearson VUE testing center during the
following 30 days (but see the notes in the Schedule
section, just below). Those who take the Fundamental
examination will then receive (regardless of score on
the Fundamental exam) vouchers entitling them to take
both the Business and Technical track beta OCEB
Intermediate examinations during 30-day periods based
around those tests' availability dates. Those who take either or
both OCEB Intermediate examinations will then receive
(regardless of score on the Intermediate exam or exams)
vouchers entitling them to take both the Business and
Technical track beta OCEB Advanced examinations during
30-day periods based around those tests' availability dates.
There's more information on test availability dates and
scheduling in the answer to the next question on this
page.
You can save
US$1,000! When the OCEB program begins officially, during the
third quarter of 2008, the price to take each
examination in the United States and other
English-speaking countries will be $200 or about the
equivalent in local currency; in non-English-speaking
countries, candidates will get a little longer but pay a
bit more. This means that, if you qualify for the Free
Beta Program and take all five examinations, you will
save US$1,000 or more! And, in the Beta program, just
taking one of the examinations (or both, of course) at a
lower level qualifies you for vouchers at the next
higher level - you don't have to pass. (This doesn't
change the requirements for certification, of
course - you still need to pass all of the lower-level
exams to qualify for your certificate.)
We need results from, and will accept into the Beta
Inducement Program, a group of business-side and
technical-side BPM practitioners that mirrors the
knowledge and experience levels of the population
working on BPM projects today, including some who might
not be expected to pass. If you're working on a BPM
project, you're in this group and so just as likely as
anyone else to be accepted so please apply by following
the link at the bottom of this page and filling
out the application form. (You need to read and
understand all of the program information before you
apply!) To maximize the
likelihood that you'll be accepted into the Beta
Inducement program, answer the experience questions on
the application form truthfully and accurately!
This is not a contest, and the free examinations are
not prizes. We are conducting a statistical study of the
five OCEB examinations and are subsidizing the
examination fees for a group of candidates whose results
will give us the data we need, so our decisions on whom
to accept are final. The Beta Inducement Program
represents a considerable investment for OCEB, since we
have to pay an fee to Pearson VUE every time a program
participant takes a "free" examination. Please
study and prepare just as you would if you were paying
the full $200 fee to take each examination yourself. We
appreciate every candidates' study and preparation, and
your efforts to do well at testing time.
When beta testing for an OCEB level is complete, we
will conduct our statistical analysis and construct
final forms of the examinations for that level from the
larger set of questions on the beta test, and assign the
cutoff (passing) score. We will then calculate a score
and pass/fail result for each beta applicant based on
how well he/she did on the questions that were selected
for the final form of the examination, and notify
candidates of their result. Candidates who qualify for
OCEB certification on the basis of their performance on
beta examinations will receive certificates bearing low
certificate numbers reserved for this group. Top
What's
the Schedule for the Beta Exams?
We've placed the OCEB
Beta Schedule on a page of its own, here, so you can
bookmark it and come back as we progress.
Do
I get OCEB Certified by taking the Beta exams?
If you pass the required combination of exams, of
course you do! As part of our statistical analysis, we
will calculate every beta tester's score on the final
form of each exam that they take, and compare it to the
cutoff score (once we determine what it is). If your
score is equal to or greater than the cutoff, you
qualify and get certified, according to these
established OCEB requirements:
- If you pass the Fundamental exam, you're OCEB
Certified at the Fundamental Level.
- If you pass either Intermediate exam, and the
Fundamental exam, you're OCEB Certified on that side
(Business or Technical) at the Intermediate
level.
- If you pass both Intermediate exams plus the
Fundamental, you're certified at Intermediate on
both sides.
- If you pass an Advanced exam on one side, and the
Intermediate exam on that same side, and the
Fundamental exam, you're OCEB certified on that side
at the Advanced level, and get our sincere
congratulations!
- If you pass both Intermediate and Advanced on both
sides, and Fundamental, you're OCEB certified at the
Advanced level on both sides, and get our double
congratulations!
If you pass a higher-level exam but don't pass the
lower-level exams required for certification at its
level (hey- it happens!), you're still ahead: When OMG
makes the standard-form exams available at the Pearson
VUE testing centers around the end of 2008, study up and
take the lower-level exam that you need to complete your
certification. (You'll have to pay the standard fee, of
course.) We'll have on record that you passed the
higher-level exam, which does not expire, so we'll put
your two (or three!) accomplishments together and award
you the highest level certification that you qualify
for.
If
I Didn't Start at the Fundamental Level, Can I Start
Later, with Intermediate or Advanced?
Not for free. We have accepted enough candidates
at the Fundamental level that the number taking the
Intermediate and Advanced exams should give us the
statistical data we require. If you don't want to wait for the standard form exams to
come out late this year, you can still register with
Pearson VUE and take the Intermediate and Advanced Beta
exams by paying full price. You will find out if you
passed these exams or not, but can't actually be
certified at Intermediate or Advanced level until you
also pass the Fundamental exam after it debuts on the
Pearson VUE system late in 2008.
Where do I sign up?
Admission to the OCEB Beta Program has closed, and we
have withdrawn the sign-up page. Top
Can I sign up my entire crew/Department for free
certification?
NOTE: THE OCEB
BETA PROGRAM HAS FILLED, AND IS NO LONGER
AVAILABLE. If you're a group leader and want to take advantage
of our Beta Inducement Program to try to certify your
entire crew for free, we'd be pleased to work with you
since a pre-existing workgroup is likely to reflect the
distribution of knowledge and experience that we need
for good statistics. If you run group study sessions,
and your crew competes to do well, you'll give us a
sample with demonstrated motivation so that will help us
out even more. Your group will have to fit comfortably
inside our number limit with room for us to round
out whatever rough edges we find in the distribution, so
all of the details including each group member's
acceptance remains our decision. Email us at
oceb@omg.org. Top
Any questions?
There's
a FAQ page for OCEB here. If your
question wasn't on it, you can send us an email at
oceb@omg.org. Top
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