Subchapter F. PREPARATION AND ADMINISTRATION OF CERTIFICATION EXAMINATIONS
Sec.
302.601. General provisions.
302.602. Approved examination providers.
302.603. Examination eligibility.
302.604. Examination administration.
302.605. Use of materials and electronic devices by the applicant during examination.§ 302.601. General provisions.
(a) The Department will prepare and the Board will administer valid certification examinations using industry recognized psychometric principles and standards to measure the applicant’s knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to make process control decisions that meet permit requirements, maintain system reliability and ensure the protection of the environment, public health and safety.
(b) Certification and recertification examinations will consist of a two part examination. Part I of the examination will measure the applicant’s knowledge, skills and abilities common to all water or wastewater systems regardless of size. Part II of the examination will measure the applicant’s knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to operate specific treatment technologies or system components.
(c) There will be separate stand-alone examinations for wastewater collection systems, either satellite or single entity; water distribution or consecutive systems without treatment and Dc systems.
(d) There will be a Part II examination for laboratory supervisor for a water system and a Part II examination for laboratory supervisor for a wastewater system.
(e) There will be a master examination for either water or wastewater systems for operators wanting a master certificate to operate all available treatment technologies and system components.
(f) The Department will annually review examinations for relevancy. The Department may use third party contractors, members of the Board or the Certification Program Advisory Committee, Department staff or any other qualified individuals as subject matter experts for the content and validation of the examinations.
(g) The Board may use third-party examination proctors for administration of examinations, provided the proctors have completed the necessary training defined by Board guidelines.
(h) Paper and test materials remain the property of the Board.
(i) The Board, Board Secretary or the Department will not disclose individual examination scores to the public.
Cross References This section cited in 25 Pa. Code § 302.303 (relating to issuance of upgraded certificate).
§ 302.602. Approved examination providers.
(a) The Board may use consultants, nonprofit water and wastewater industry associations and organizations, the Department or educational institutions to assist in the administration of the examinations for certification. The Board Secretary will approve all examination providers in accordance with Board guidelines.
(b) Approved examination providers may charge a fee to an applicant to cover the cost of personnel, facility rental and other incurred costs related to the registration and administration of the examination.
(c) Approved examination providers will not at any time be in possession of any Department-developed examination materials or examination content.
(d) Approved examination providers will administer examinations in accordance with Board guidelines.
Cross References This section cited in 25 Pa. Code § 302.202 (relating to operator certification program fees).
§ 302.603. Examination eligibility.
(a) An applicant for examination shall submit a request for examination using approved Board forms to one of the approved examination providers. The applicant shall also pay any fees defined by the approved examination provider for processing this request.
(b) An individual is not required to meet experience requirements of the act, regulations or guidelines as a condition for examination.
(c) An individual is not required to successfully attain any training as a condition for examination.
(d) An individual that attends five or more examination sessions without applying for certification shall pay the examination session fees as defined in § 302.202 (relating to operator certification program fees) before being allowed to attend additional examination sessions.
(e) A certified operator is not required to retake an examination already successfully passed unless either one of the following conditions occurs:
(1) The individual fails to renew his certification within 2 years from the expiration date of the certification.
(2) The individual fails to complete the required amount of continuing education within the 3-year renewal cycle.
§ 302.604. Examination administration.
(a) The proctors and Department staff will follow all procedures for the administration of an examination as defined in Board guidelines.
(b) The examination proctor will provide a written report to the Board regarding any applicant violating this section or Board guidelines.
(c) The Board may make exceptions to a written examination or other examination requirements when an applicant or representative makes a ‘‘reasonable accommodation’’ request under the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C.A. § § 12101—12213) in written form to the Board, the request documents the reason for the accommodation and the request is submitted to the Board Secretary in writing. The Board Secretary will notify the applicant within 14 days after Board action on the request.
(d) The Board may make exceptions to the scheduled date and location of an examination upon written request by an applicant based on religious preference, jury duty or other compelling reasons.
§ 302.605. Use of materials and electronic devices by the applicant during examination.
(a) The use of nonprogrammable calculators by applicants during the examination is permitted.
(b) The use of hand held computers or other devices that can store technical information, electronic communication devices, personal music players or other memory storage devices or printed materials other than the materials provided by the examination proctor during the examination is not permitted during the examination.
(c) An applicant may use special electronic devices, if the applicant has submitted a written request to the Board Secretary for approval and has received written approval from the Board.
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