Exam Information

The next exam day is Monday 25th July 2011

Where is the exam held?
The exam is offered in a number of different countries, but specific sites are initially offered in capital and/or regional cities. The exam sites are finalised once the exam applications have been received and sites are determined on the most central for the majority of candidates. Regional exam sites can be organised for groups of exam candidates (initial candidates or IBCLCs recertifying by exam). Requests for additional exam sites will be considered from candidates who are a long distance from the nearest site. However, for administrative, financial and security reasons, there are restrictions on the number and location of additional exam sites.

What are the exam fees?
Exam fees vary according to country of residence, taking into account central and local administrative costs. The application fee is lowest for forms lodged by the end of February, higher if sent by the end of March and higher for late lodgment up to the final deadline. To see the deadline dates Click Here .

Fees are detailed in the Application Supplement specific to each country and can be downloaded from the exam application page. If you are interested in being a candidate for the next IBLCE exam, and believe you are likely to be eligible, you can download a Candidate Information Guide. You can download a Candidate Information Guide from the Download Centre or by Clicking Here.

What is the exam format?
From 2010 the exam is composed of 175 multiple choice questions. The degree of difficulty is set at university masters level. Since effective lactation consultation requires assessment and decision-making skills, the questions are primarily designed to test the application of knowledge, rather than the straight recall of facts. Application questions are more realistic and enhance the validity of the exam.

The exam is administered in two sessions of 75 & 100 questions each. Of the 175 questions, 75 are cognitive, based on word scenarios, and 100 are based on photos. They are all combined for classification into disciplines and chronological periods. The Exam Blueprint of skills and knowledge gives more information about the Disciplines and Chronological Periods which the exam covers.

The photo section has 100 questions based on colour photographs which illustrate various situations and clinical conditions relevant to Lactation Consultant practice. Typically, candidates are asked to evaluate whether or not a problem is present, the nature of the problem, or how it should be managed. Each candidate is provided with a booklet of colour pictures to use for this part of the exam.

Although the exam is administered in two sessions, the scores for the both sessions are added together to determine each candidate’s overall score and pass/fail designation. Candidates pass or fail the examination as a whole. A higher score in one area can compensate for a lower score in another area, so the candidate passes the overall exam.

How are the exam question referenced?
All examination questions are referenced to the technical/medical literature, usually to literature published within the last five years. Older scientific studies may be used if they are still quoted as reputable references in current texts. Each exam question is referenced to printed materials, not to statements made at conferences. Anecdotal material, authors’ opinions and areas where the major texts give conflicting information are avoided. References are current to the end of the calendar year prior to the exam.

Exam Confidentiality
Each year, the IBLCE uses a percentage of previously used questions on the current exam, for validity testing. For this reason, IBLCE does not release previous exams or previously used questions, nor is the exam available for review outside the examination hours. It is considered unethical for candidates to divulge any questions on the IBLCE exam or to request information from previous candidates.

How is the Exam is Scored?
The pass/fail cut-off score is determined according to the Nedelsky-Gross technique which measures the degree of difficulty of each question, based on the number of sophisticated responses which might distract candidates from the correct response. The level of difficulty of the overall exam is, therefore, based on averaging a myriad of individual analyses of each question. The more difficult the exam, the lower the pass/fail cut-off score, and vice-versa.

The Nedelsky-Gross technique ensures that there is no arbitrary number or percentage of candidates who pass the exam each year, and that candidates are not competing against each other. It also ensures that variations in the degree of difficulty of the exam from one year to another will not affect an individual candidate’s likelihood of passing or failing the exam. Over the years, the pass/fail cut-off has ranged between 62% and 68%.

Answer sheets are computer-scanned and scored by a Psychometrician. Each sheet is checked for stray marks and possible double counting where a response has been erased and replaced. Every year some answer sheets are hand scored to check accuracy.

There is only one correct answer to each question. Each item receives one point if correct, zero if incorrect. Points are not deducted for incorrect answers, so candidates should attempt all items.

After all answer sheets have been initially scored, each question is statistically analysed according to standard psychometric procedures. This identifies any questions which did not perform as expected or were ambiguous. These questions are reviewed along with items the candidates have objected to on their critique forms. Items determined to have been defective are deleted from scoring. All candidates’ scores are then recomputed. This quality control procedure enhances reliability, validity, and fairness. Each year, a number of previously used questions are included in the current exam, and the performance of the current candidates is compared with that of previous cohorts. This procedure enhances validity by providing a check on whether the competence level of the candidate body has changed.

The IBLCE exam has a low failure rate, yet the highest scores are typically in the high-80% range and the mean scores in the low to mid-70% range. This result demonstrates a well prepared, well screened candidate body and a challenging exam.