Assessment | News

Pearson VUE Acquires Testing Software Developer Exam Design

• By Kevin Hudson
• 03/11/13

Pearson VUE, the assessment services wing of Pearson, has acquired examination software development company Exam Design.

The purchase includes ownership of Exam Design's ExamDeveloper, a Web-based suite of tools that helps users develop assessments for credentialing purposes, while reducing reliance on face-to-face meetings.

Features of ExamDeveloper include:

• Web-based job or task analysis;
• Item banking functionality to support very large question pools or many exam programs;
• Support for different question types including multiple choice, true-false, hot-spot, drag-and-drop, case-based sets, and R-type questions;
• Automatic assembly and maintenance of exam forms;
• Web-based standard setting to establish valid passing point;
• Statistical analysis of exams, questions, and candidates;
• Total project control, including time-based tracking and reporting;
• Tools to import and export questions, exams, and candidate data; and
• Tutorial library covering the technical and psychometric aspects of developing high-stakes exams.

Pearson VUE has an existing relationship with Exam Design, having worked with the company for more than a year publishing exams created through ExamDeveloper for its clients. This relationship ensures the acquisition is a good fit from both a technological and cultural perspective, according to a Pearson VUE release.

The acquisition is intended to be as seamless as possible, according to the release, with Exam Design offices and employees remaining open and in their current locations.

"By formally integrating our exam development technology with Pearson VUE's comprehensive suite of testing services, together we can offer credentialing organizations an unparalleled solution that supports every facet of high-stakes testing," said Scott Bublitz , founder of Exam Design, in the release. "Clients will enjoy a more streamlined and efficient process, from item authoring through exam delivery."

Exam Design is headquartered in North Carolina with offices in Florida and Iowa. The company creates software that organizations can use to develop, maintain, and analyze high-stakes examinations.