In the dynamic landscape of assessment and accreditation, the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS) successfully fortified the security of their health certification exams in a collaboration with the industry’s premier exam security provider, Caveon®.
The strategic initiative not only aimed to bridge existing gaps in test security, but also aspired to set a new standard of excellence in the field. The end result: SCFHS was awarded the prestigious Seal of Excellence, a testament to the successful work with Caveon and a significant milestone in bolstering SCFHS’s reputation as a leader in secure assessment practices.
This case study delves into the journey undertaken by SCFHS and Caveon, showcasing the efforts that resulted in a notable enhancement of the commission’s assessment security practices.
SCFHS’s commitment to fostering a healthy society through qualified health practitioners has been a cornerstone of their mission since their establishment in 1992. As an independent scientific professional body, SCFHS’s vast scope covers a multitude of specialties, with a staggering client base that includes over 650,000 registered health practitioners, delivering approximately 629,270 exams in 280 specialties.
The impetus for their work with Caveon arose from SCFHS’s desire to improve their test security awareness and practices, and in doing so, enhance the integrity and validity of their exams. SCFHS recognized the need to elevate their approach to test security, marking the first time such a project had been undertaken. SCFHS turned to Caveon after being impressed by their established reputation, as well as the expertise demonstrated by Caveon professionals in previous interactions at conferences and industry events.
In early 2021, SCFHS put out an RFP detailing a set of exam security improvements that propelled them to collaborate with experts. Chief among these challenges was the recurrent issue of leaked items, a concern shared by virtually all high-stakes test programs. In addition to this, the team wanted a robust and standardized framework and standardized set of procedures for handling security incidents to proactively shore up any vulnerabilities in their assessment systems.
The decisive factor in SCFHS’s selection of Caveon as their strategic partner was Caveon’s unparalleled reputation as the leader in exam security and track record of successfully conducting security audits for some of the world’s most prestigious testing programs. SCFHS found that Caveon’s credentials, offerings, and processes aligned seamlessly with their aspirations for elevating the security and integrity of SCFHS’s assessments.
The work with SCFHS included a Caveon Security Audit℠ as well as the provision of a custom Test Security Handbook and Test Security Incident Response Plan.
The Security Audit provides an independent, impartial review of a test program’s security policies and procedures and evaluates them against Caveon’s 300 best practice standards, highlighting security strengths, identifying risks, and offering actionable recommendations to address any vulnerabilities. The final report details test security findings and recommendations in each of the following areas:
The Security Handbook integrates all security-related material for an organization into one resource, including a Security Incident Response Plan, processes and procedures, roles and responsibilities, forms and templates, agreements, and more.
The Security Incident Response Plan collated all the steps and processes necessary for SCFHS to respond to a variety of test-related security incidents into a single, comprehensive plan. This plan provides a unified source for SCFHS staff to refer to in the event of a security incident.
