Evaluating the Reliability of Oral Examinations for Licensure of Clinical Social Workers in Virginia

Abstract

The oral examination used in licensing clinical social workers in Virginia was revised by the Board of Social Work in 1991. This article describes the process used to evaluate the oral examination and reviews research on testing and clinical judgment as background to the discussion of the validity and reliability of the revised oral examination. The article reports statistical analyses of interrater reliability for two administrations of the exam. Using kappa (a stringent test of interrater reliability), moderate interjudge ratings were obtained. The oral exam was eliminated as a method of testing in 1993. Recommendations for evaluating licensure tests in general are discussed