Hi All -- Here's a brief explanation of passing grades (I helped research and
design the original IBLCE exam 11 years ago):

The IBLCE exam passing grade is set according to a very sophisticated and
complicated procedure called the "Nedelsky" method. Every single distractor
(answer choice) in every item (question) gets a "degree of difficulty" rating
from the exam committee based in how far "off" the wrong answers are. The cut
score is established based on the average degree of difficulty of the entire
exam. Setting the "cut score" for any exam is a very sophisticated deal, and
the Nedelsky method is considered the most valid and legally sound method.
People get PhD's in exam design, and IBLCE's exam consultant is one of the
best with a world-wide reputation among other psychometricians.

The exam is also "criterion-referenced," not graded on a curve. Some
licensing exams are still curve-graded which can be manipulated to restrict
the number of people passing, which limits the availability of the service
and drives up costs to the consumer.

The Bottom Line? The IBLCE exam is very well-designed and the requirements
and procedures are legally valid. In fact, has been used as a model for other
professions who are now required to make their exams "international" and
offer them in other languages by the NAFTA and GATT agreements.  For the
record, I'm not on the IBLCE Board now, and haven't been for many years. But
I have a great deal of respect for how the exam is designed, having ttended
many workshops on exam design and seen it from the "inside" early on.  I took
it in 1991 along with other "grandmothers" of the original exam. Contact the
IBLCE office for more information.

Linda Smith, wearing my gray "Mothers' Milk - Something Wonderful to Grow On"
T-shirt today, from Diana Designs.  Dayton, OH