Computer Based Testing (CBT) is an attractive option for many people without a Paper & Pencil exam (P&P) in their area. CBT candidates will sit for the same Certificate for OASIS Specialist - Clinical (COS-C) test that is administered at P&P locations at one of over 300 testing centers found around the country (find the center nearest you). Each assessment center is a certified testing facility by PSI Services (PSI) adhering to the highest administration standards. If it's flexibility or convenience you are looking for, the CBT option is an easy choice!

Exam Overview

Established in 2004, the Certificate for OASIS Specialist-Clinical (COS-C) exam is the premier, nationally standardized, psychometrically validated test that evaluates a clinician's knowledge of CMS' OASIS guidelines.

The exam items are developed by the COS-C Exam Review Committee, a group of OASIS content experts who create these items to reflect the OASIS knowledge and skills identified as necessary for competent OASIS data collection. Once assembled, the test then undergoes a holistic review by a psychometrician and the COS-C Exam Review Committee, who examine the test for accuracy, significance, fairness, and conformity to test specifications. Exam items are then placed through a rigorous item-analysis adhering to psychometric industry standards to detect any questionable item performance. The results are reviewed so that item ambiguities are detected and the necessary adjustments made before scoring. COS-C Exam Non-Disclosure Statement - A confidentiality agreement applying to all candidates.


Psychometrics...What does this mean? Why does it matter?

The COS-C exam was originally developed and administered by the OASIS Certificate & Competency Board (OCCB). The COS-C exam is a voluntary certificate examination available to home care providers interested in demonstrating and establishing their expertise and commitment to OASIS data accuracy. Exam administrators go to great lengths to ensure that the COS-C exam is an accurate reflection of the most current CMS guidance, and that it is administered in a way to protect the integrity of the resulting COS-C designation. This requires vigilance in both exam analysis and proctoring efforts. The COS-C exam is reviewed and updated, including regular item-analysis to determine that all items are performing as originally intended. Ongoing analysis and stringent proctoring methods are critical to maintaining exam integrity and the resulting COS-C designation. The extensive psychometric process is necessary not only to verify each item as reliable and an appropriate representation of CMS' rules but also to determine that all questions are written in an accurate and fair manner. How a question is asked is as important as what the question is asking. Knowing that the COS-C exam meticulously covers CMS' OASIS guidance is not enough. Only when we statistically verify that each item is psychometrically and technically sound and ensure the test is administered in a conducive and protected environment, does the exam attain credibility; credibility that bestows value upon the resulting COS-C designation.