Question & AnswerQ&A (PRC Resolution NO. 20)
The Board of Mechanical Engineering is empowered by Sec. 3, Art. I of Commonwealth Act No. 294, as amended, "The Mechanical Engineering Law," and Sec. 6 (a) of P.D. No. 223, as amended.
The Board resolved to fully computerize the Mechanical Engineering Licensure Examination starting with the October 1993 schedule.
1) It ensures confidentiality, integrity, credibility, and quality of the exam. 2) It allows immediate release of examination results for successful examinees to practice. 3) It gives the Board more time for supervision, regulation, and control of the profession.
55% of the examination questions shall be objective-type and must be selected and corrected through the computer.
The test bank must start with at least 500 questions per subject, increasing by a minimum of 300 questions every examination, aiming for an optimum of 3,000 questions or more.
Each question must be appraised for objectivity, validity, materiality, reliability, and efficaciousness, ensuring it is unambiguous and has only one definite correct answer, not the "best" answer.
Questions are classified by degree of comprehensibility (easy, average/moderate, difficult), level of knowledge and proficiency, and by nature (easy, problem-solving, objective multiple choice).
Security measures include multiple passwords and designation of three responsible key officials to ensure the computer programs and files are tamper-free.
The exam questions are extracted and randomized to produce at least two sets (e.g., "A" and "B") with the same number of questions but different chronological arrangements for printing and distribution.
Correction and rating of test papers, as well as other stages involved in the release of examination results, are computerized.