Certification Standards for Audiology Frequently Asked Questions: Summative Assessment

What mechanism is used for summative assessment?

The summative assessment used for ASHA certification is the Praxis series examination in audiology administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS).

Is the graduate program responsible for making sure students take the Praxis examination?

No, it is the student's responsibility to be sure that they have completed the examination. The Praxis examination is designed to be taken once all academic course work and clinical practicum required for certification have been completed, but in many situations students take the exam as they are beginning their final year in the graduate program.

When the exam is taken, the applicant must list ASHA as a score recipient so that the results will be sent to the National Office. Additionally, it is helpful if the applicant lists their graduate program as a score recipient so that the program can report aggregate performance data periodically to the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA) for the program's accreditation purposes.

What is the minimum passing Praxis score required for ASHA certification?

The current passing score in audiology is 162. In order for an applicant's score to be accepted for ASHA certification, it must be reported to ASHA by the Educational Testing Service (see above question). Score reports received directly from applicants are not acceptable for certification purposes.

I took the previous version of the audiology Praxis test and received a passing score (170), but the current passing score is now 162. Is my score still acceptable for purposes of ASHA certification?

ASHA will accept passing scores from the previous version of the audiology Praxis test as long as your score of 170 (or greater) was obtained no more than 5 years prior to your submission of an application for certification.

How long do scores remain valid?

Exam results submitted for certification in audiology must have been obtained no more than 5 years prior to the submission of the certification application. Scores older than 5 years will not be accepted for certification.