McLean, Virginia – April 2, 2010 –The Board of Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT) announced the Registered Polysomnographic Technologist (RPSGT) and Certified Polysomnographic Technician (CPSGT) exam applications will be available on April 16 at www.brpt.org. Applications for the RPSGT and CPSGT exams may be submitted at any point after that date. Approved candidates may schedule to test on any date after June 17 – the launch date for on-demand testing.
The BRPT has also announced a $100 increase in the fee for the RPSGT exam, the first increase in RPSGT exam fees in five years. When the application process re-opens on April 16 the RPSGT exam fee will be $450. Said BRPT President Janice East, RPSGT, R. EEG T., “A price increase is always difficult news, and we have worked to hold the RPSGT exam fee steady for a long time. The price increase comes, however, as we move to an on-demand testing model, providing our candidates with a great deal of flexibility in exam scheduling. Most significantly, this model will provide our candidates with immediate – real time – delivery of their exam results.”
Adds Becky Appenzeller, RPSGT, R. EEG T., CNIM, BRPT Immediate Past President and Chair of BRPT’s Exam Development Committee, “The BRPT has made a significant investment over the past two years in building our item bank and strengthening our exam development and delivery processes to a point which would allow us to move away from testing in fixed testing windows and into delivery of our exams on-demand. The lengthy process of exam scoring and results delivery has been a source of frustration for our candidates. We’re pleased to be able to offer increased flexibility in scheduling and immediate results delivery beginning after June 17.”
The exam fee for CPSGT candidates remains at $240. The CPSGT exam will also be offered on-demand.
Once authorized to take the RPSGT or CPSGT exam, candidates will be able to test on a date of their choosing. Approvals are valid until the CPR card submitted to establish eligibility expires, or up to a maximum of one year from the date of their approval. Candidates who are unsuccessful on one exam attempt will be able to re-apply immediately and will be able to re-test after a limited waiting period.
Adds BRPT Executive Director John Ganoe, CAE, “From the perspective of the BPRT Executive Office, the move to on-demand testing is really about candidate / customer service. What our candidates have asked for most often is more opportunities to test and – even more frequently – quick delivery of results. On-demand addresses both those candidate concerns. And, fixed testing windows have concentrated candidate activity in compressed periods of time, hindering the ability of our small staff to deliver quality customer service. We believe the flexibility of on-demand testing will enable us to be more responsive to individual candidates and, overall, raise our level of direct candidate service.”
In the on-demand testing model, once a candidate completes the computer-based exam, a pass/fail notification will immediately appear on the computer screen. The candidate will then ask the test center administrator to print out a detailed results report that the candidate will be able to take with them when they leave the Pearson VUE testing center. The BRPT will then be notified of final candidate results and will send a pass/fail kit within 15 days of the test date.
BRPT is an independent, non-profit certification board that cultivates the highest professional and ethical standards for polysomnographic technologists. For more information, visit www.brpt.org.