Applicants for the HIV Specialist – Candidate™ credential take the HIV Specialist™ Credentialing Exam.  This is the same evaluation as HIV Specialist™ applicants.  The content evaluated on the exam is organized by Domain and Task statements.  More details can be found in the HIV Specialist™ Credentialing Exam Content Outline.

Exam results are processed as a group in one scoring session, approximately 4 weeks after each exam completion deadline.  Examinees are notified of their result via email sent directly from the Academy. To ensure confidentiality, exam results will not be released via telephone or fax by either the Academy or the testing vendor.  Early submission of completed exam materials has no bearing on the result notification schedule.  Candidates who pass the exam receive a three-year Academy credential, valid starting January 1 of the year following testing activity.

HIV Specialist – Candidate™ credentialees receive:

• A digital certificate that can be downloaded and printed
• Authorization for use of AAHIVS – Candidate™ professional titling
• Authorization for use of the AAHIVS – Candidate™ logo, per Academy standards
• Credentialed status listing on the “Referral Link” care resource directory

The Academy allows for one complimentary retake of the HIV Credentialing Exam if there is another testing period available during the same calendar year.  Candidates who do not earn a passing score during the August/September testing period will be automatically re-registered, without charge, for the November/December testing period.

Candidates who only take the exam during the November/December testing period are not eligible for a complementary retake.

Note that there is never a public record of any unsuccessful attempt or non-passing result on any Academy Credentialing Exam, and there is no refund of fees for candidates who do not achieve a passing score.

The Academy’s Credentialing Exams are designed as pass/fail instruments.  Exams of this type are crafted to measure a minimum standard of knowledge, and are not designed to defensibly differentiate the meaning between varying passing scores that exceed the standard.  In compliance with certification examining practices, candidates who successfully complete the exam will only receive a “pass” status.  This allows for all examinees to be assessed on a level playing field when taking different forms of the exam.  This practice also emphasizes learning and prevents misuse of scores; for example, in the workplace, higher scores do not necessarily equate to better employee performance.  Candidates who do not pass the exam will be advised on the score report of the passing standard, and their actual numerical score.

In accordance with testing industry and published psychometric standards, the Academy employs a highly defensible passing score determination process for each testing cycle.  The passing standard is determined using a criterion-referenced method, which allows for the performance of each candidate taking the exam to be judged against a predetermined standard, rather than against other candidates.  The pass point varies for each examination cycle, based on a detailed statistical analysis of aggregated exam item performance data, and an “equating” process which corrects for slight variances in the statistical “difficulty” of periodically revised exam forms.  Statistically or anecdotally defective content is also identified at this step and removed from scoring.  The Academy’s contract psychometrician then provides a defensible cut score (passing standard) range for the exam, and the Credentialing Committee reviews the proceedings and determines an exact passing standard (or number of items needed correct for a passing result) from within the defensible range.  The passing standard of the exam in any given year does not actually represent a percentage of passing candidates, nor the passing percentage of the exam.  This is due in part to the fact that each exam form contains a number of non-scored “experimental” items which are gaining statistical field history for scored use on future exams.  These items neither add to nor detract from an examinee’s score.  This is typical practice for statistical validation of future certification exam content.  Experimental items (and how many there are) are not revealed to the examinee.  Official scoring commences for all submitted online or written exam materials once the pass point is set.

Scoring of all Academy Credential Exams is conducted electronically or via optical scanning in a highly secure environment by a third party testing vendor.  Scoring errors are extraordinarily rare.   If, however, a mechanical or administrative scoring error is suspected, examinees may request Hand Scoring Verification.  The cost for this service is not included in registration fee.

To request Hand Scoring Verification, please complete the form here.