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Certificate of Competence in Occupational Testing (CCOT) – Level A
Certificate of Competence in Test Administration
Certificate of Competence in Occupational Testing (CCOT) – Level A
Who
is this course designed for?
This course is intended for anyone who wants to use tests of ability or aptitude in organisational settings. Level A (CCOT) is the ‘industry standard’ course in occupational assessment, and is widely used by people in areas such as HR, consultancy, training, career guidance and people management – anywhere where understanding people’s ability and potential is important.
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What qualifications or experience do I need before I
join this course?
You do not need any particular qualifications before joining this course. People who do this course come from a wide range of backgrounds and bring to the course very varied work and life experiences. This course does involve some mathematics. You will learn how to use a calculator to calculate averages and complete some statistical analysis. Therefore some experience of working with numbers will be useful, though all calculations are fully explained during the course. Finally you will be asked to write some reports. We will provide some example reports but your reports will need to be in your own words. Therefore you will be expected to be able to use a word processor to produce well presented short pieces of writing.
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What will I need to do the online course?
If you are doing the course online you will also need access to the internet. Broadband is not a requirement but it will enable you to load pages much more quickly. The course contents are provided in a high quality printed course manual so you will only need to access the internet at certain points during your study, though we encourage you to use the internet to share the learning process with your fellow delegates.
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How long will it take me to complete this course?
That depends on how you choose to do it. If you opt for the online version we expect most people to complete the whole course in around 6 to 9 months assuming they can devote the equivalent of about 3 hours a week to it. The intensive route is shorter because it is focused around the 3-day face-to-face delivery period, though there is some pre-course work and delegates will be required to complete two reports after the face-to-face part of the course. Most people take about 3 months via this route.
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What is the difference between the online course and the intensive course?
The basic differences between them are the style of teaching/learning and the time they take. The online course is as you would expect done via the internet. It uses our sophisticated virtual learning environment to support your learning of the competencies required for Level A (CCOT). It provides you with a mechanism to access resources, communicate with tutors and peers and to assess your understanding as you go along. The online version requires you to attend for only 1 day so that your practical skills can be assessed.
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How am I assessed?
Whether you do the course online or via the intensive route your competence is assessed throughout. Each of the course Units have key competence tasks associated with them which have to be completed to a satisfactory standard. The nature of the assessment depends on the content of the Unit, but includes multiple-choice and short answer questions, written reports and case studies. All course delegates also have to demonstrate competence in test administration, scoring and feedback through practical activities that will be observed by course tutors. This practical work is embedded in the 3-day programme for those who opt to do the intensive course and is the focus of the practical day for those on the online course.
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What tests will I have access to after completing the course?
After successfully completing the course you will have access to over 150 tests of ability and aptitude from the UK’s leading publishers. You will also have access to many questionnaires assessing vocational interests, as access to these is also covered by the Level A (CCOT) course. Access arrangement do however vary between publishers, so if you are interested in using a specific test please contact the publishers to check their requirements for accessing the test.
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Can I access tests of personality after completing the course?
Level A (CCOT) does not specifically focus on personality assessment, though it does cover the psychometric principles that underpin personality tests. The Level B (CCOT) qualifications cover personality assessments. Most publishers require that delegates complete specific training in personality questionnaires in order to access these, and the BPS sees Level A as giving delegates the foundation knowledge of psychometrics necessary to study for the Level B qualifications. If you are interested in accessing a specific personality assessment, we recommend that you contact the publishers to check their access requirements.
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How do I register with the British Psychological Society?
On successful completion of the course you will be sent a form completed by Real Training that you can send to the British Psychological Society if you want to obtain the Society’s Level A CCOT certificate and be entered on their Register of Competence in Psychological Testing. Entry on the register has a number of benefits including regular updates on testing and assessment through the journal Assessment and Development Matters and free access to all online test reviews. In order to ensure that people going on to the Register of Competence in Psychological Testing are currently competent, the Society requires that you register with them within one year from the date that you complete the course. A fee is payable for the certificate and entry on the register (in addition to the course fee).
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Do I have to register with the British Psychological Society?
Registering with the British Psychological Society is optional, though we do encourage delegates to do this as through the Society you will have access to the test reviews and other information that will support your ongoing development as a professional test user.
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I have a disability and need some adaptation of the materials. Can you help?
Please contact us with your requirements. We will do what we can in order to make our materials accessible to you.
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Certificate of Competence in Test Administration
Who is this course designed for?
This course is intended for anyone who wants to administer and score psychometric tests in organisational settings. It covers all types of psychometric test including tests of ability, aptitude and personality, and is particularly useful for those working in organisations who conduct large volumes of testing. Test Administrators work under the guidance of Level A or Level B qualified colleagues, as the Test Administration course does not qualify delegates to select appropriate tests or interpret test results.
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What qualifications or experience do I need before I join this course?
You do not need any particular qualifications before joining this course. People who do this course come from a wide range of backgrounds and bring to the course very varied work and life experiences. This course covers some background to psychometrics (though no mathematics is involved!) but is mainly focussed on practical skills around planning and conducting test administration and test scoring.
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Why is the Test Administration course not available online?
The Test Administration course is highly practical and for a significant part of the 1-day course you will be involved in preparing for and conducting test administration and scoring tests. For these reasons the course requires face-to-face contact with the course tutor and for you to work with fellow delegates.
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How long will it take me to complete this course?
All of the elements necessary for the Test Administration course are covered in the day, so providing you have demonstrated sufficient competence during the day no further work is required.
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How am I assessed?
Assessment for the Certificate of Competence in Test Administration takes place throughout the day. The majority of the competencies for this course are assessed through observation of your practical work by the course tutor, though there is also a short written assessment that covers your understanding of the knowledge-based aspects of the course.
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Will I have access to tests after completing the course?
The Test Administration course does not allow delegates to purchase test materials as this needs to be done by people with the Level A or Level B qualifications.
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How do I register with the British Psychological Society?
On successful completion of the course you will be sent a form completed by Real Training that you can send to the British Psychological Society if you want to obtain the Society’s Test Administration certificate and be entered on their Register of Competence in Psychological Testing. Entry on the register has a number of benefits including regular updates on testing and assessment through the journal Assessment and Development Matters and free access to all online test reviews. In order to ensure that people going on to the Register of Competence in Psychological Testing are currently competent, the Society requires that you register with them within one year from the date that you complete the course. A fee is payable for the certificate and entry on the register (in addition to the course fee).
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Do I have to register with the British Psychological Society?
Registering with the British Psychological Society is optional, though we do encourage delegates to do this as through the Society you will have access to the test reviews and other information that will support your ongoing development as a professional test user.
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I have a disability and need some adaptation of the materials. Can you help?
Please contact us with your requirements. We will do what we can in order to make our materials accessible to you.
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