The Mobius Institute Certification process

Quick facts

The Mobius Institute follows a methodical process to ensure the security of the exams and the quality of the results.  We ensure there can be no conflict of interest between the instructor or training company and the certification process.  In short, the instructor has no idea what is on the exam, and cannot influence the results in any way.  This process complies with the ISO 18436-1 standard.

Detailed description

When a person indicates that they will take a Mobius Institute exam, the following process takes place:

• An entry is made in our Training Management System for the applicant.
• The applicant is assigned an ID number and an e-mail is sent to the applicant requesting that they log on to our Web-based system to register their details.
• The applicant must then complete the registration before the exam can be taken.  During the registration process they must provide full contact details, enter their name as it should appear on the certificate (should they pass), provide complete details of their previous education and training, and provide complete details of their work experience.  They must also upload an up-to-date image of themselves for the photo-ID card.
• Each exam that is generated is issued a unique ID number.  This ID number is attached via a coded label to every exam document, the envelope holding the contents, and the envelope that will be used to hold the final written exam.
• The applicant is assigned one of the exams, and the ID is recorded against his or her name.
• When the applicant takes the exam they must sign a declaration that states that all of the information provided is accurate and true.  They are also declaring that the exam was sealed when it was given to them.
• The applicant is then allowed to begin the exam - under supervised conditions.  The "invigilator" (the person observing the applicant(s) during the exam) will ensure that the applicant completes the exam within the time allowed (to ensure that no external assistance or reference material is used).
• At the end of the exam, all exam documents are inserted into the envelope, it is sealed, and the applicant signs across the seal.
• The envelope is then sent back to Mobius Institute headquarters where the answers provided are compared to the answers for that exam.  The answers given to each question are recorded so that we can check for "outlier" questions: questions that are consistently answered correctly (too easy) or answered incorrectly (too hard or confusing).  The exam results and all documents used by the applicant are permanently filed.
• The exam results are then reviewed by another, independent person, and then entered into our database.
• A report is generated to show which questions are answered correctly and incorrectly.  Note: The questions and answers are not given to the applicant.  Instead the exam questions are divided into topic areas so that the applicant knows which areas they may need to study further.
• The exam results, and the report just described are e-mailed to the applicant.  In most cases this occurs within 10 days of the exam.  The results are also made available on our Web site via the list of certified analysts (the score is not shown on the Web site).
• The certificate is then prepared and signed by Jason Tranter.  It is then sent to the applicant directly, or the training company where they are then distributed to the applicant.
• If the applicant passes the exam, but they do not have the required experience, they are issued a certificate which states that they passed but do not meet the requirements.  When the applicant does have the required training or experience they can apply to have the certification activated.
• If the applicant fails, he or she may take the exam again after 30 days, unless they can demonstrate that additional training has been undertaken.

This process follows the ISO standard 17024 and 18436-1.  It has now been successfully used in exams conducted in 30 countries.  Please contact us if you have any questions.