Glossary of Terms

RMA - Remote Maintenance Agent

Epad - Signature pad

Administrator exam - Proctor certification exam
 

3T - The Technology Team consisting of Configuration Management, Development, and Software Quality Assurance

AACCA - American Association of Clinical Coders and Auditors

AAID - American Academy of Implant Dentistry

ABA- American Board of Anesthesiology

ABAI - American Board of Allergy and Immunology

ABCTE -American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence

ABE - American Board of Endodontics

ABEM - American Board of Emergency Medicine

ABFAS - American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgury (Formerly ABPS)

ABFM - American Board of Family Medicine

ABII - American Board of Imaging Informatics

ABIM - American Board of Internal Medicine

ABNM - American Board of Nuclear Medicine

ABO - American Board of Orthodontics

ABOG - American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology

ABOHN - American Board for Occupational Health Nurses

ABOMS - American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

ABP - American Board of Periodontology

ABPh - American Board of Phlebology

ABPM - American Board of Preventive Medicine

ABPMR -American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

ABPN - American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

ABR - American Board of Radiology

ABS - American Board of Surgery

ABTS - American Board of Thoracic Surgery

ABU - American board of Urology

ABVM - American Board of Vascular Medicine

ACH - Automated Clearing House (finance term)

ACSM - American College of Sports Medicine

ACT - American College Testing

ADI - Advanced Driving Instructor (DSA/DVA term)

ADP Automatic Data Processing

AFP - Association for Financial Professionals

AHT - Average Handling Time (Pearson Contract Centre term)

AICD - Australian Institute of Company Directors

AMT - American Medical Technologists

AOBIM - American Osteophatic Board of Internal Medicine

APA - American Payroll Association

APAC - Asia Pacific office (Pearson term)

APICS - The Association for Operations Management

APBM - Association of Professionals in Business Management

AQB - Appraiser Qualifications Board (client)

ARDMS - American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography

ARRT - American Register of Radiologic Technologists

ASCP - American Society for Clinical Pathology

ASCP-BOR -American Society of Clinical Pathology - Board of Registry

ASHI - American Society of Home Inspectors

ASI - Assessment, Section, & Item

ASR - Additional Score Report (requested by the candidate after the exam via mba.com)

ATC - Authorized/Authorised Test Center/Centre

ATS - Application Technology Support

AXA - Not a true acronym, AXA is short for AXA Sun Life Services, Ltd.

BACB - Behavior Analyst Certification Board

BCSP - Board of Certified Safety Professionals

BDR - Border Router (e.g. Cisco 3660)

BGTMN - United States Bloomington

BI - Business Intelligence (Pearson VUE-built reporting solution)

BIQ - Background Information Questionnaire

BMS - Barclays Merchant Services / UK-based payment processing agency (used only by DSA and DVA clients)

BO - Business Objects

BRPT - Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists

BSL - British Sign Language

CAC - Certified Alzheimer's Caregiver; also CERTS Application Consultant

CAEd - Certified Alzheimer's Educator

CAIA - Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association

CAPVA - Shorthand for Create a Pearson VUE Account (Pearson term)

CAT - Computer adaptive testing

CBT - Computer-based testing; also (perhaps more typically) computer-based training

CCB - Change Control Board (or VUE-CCB to indicate the Pearson VUE board)

CCC - Client Contract Currency. The currency defined in the contract with the client. (Pearson VUE Finance Term)

CCI - Cardiovascular Credentialing International

CCID - Client Candidate ID

CDC - Candidate Demographic Confirmation

CDD - Client demographic data file; a timestamped file supplied by a client to Pearson VUE and containing information needed to create individual records for eligible candidates, such as the candidate's name, IDs, address, and other information

CDSF - Client Data Store Factory (Pearson term)

CERTS - Pearson VUE's tool for test development, results analysis, and certification program management. Not an acronym, but it is a registered trademark

CF - ColdFusion, a development tool. Often seen as "CF Apps"

CIS - Corporate Information Systems

CLH - Community License Holder (DSA/DVA term)

CM - Configuration Management Department (Pearson VUE) or Citrix software, Client Manager

CMMI - Capability Maturity Model Integration (Development industry process model). For an introduction, see www.sei.cmu.edu/cmmi/general/index.html

COB - Close of business

CPG - Client Policy Group

CQ - ClearQuest defect tracking software used by Development

CRD - Central Registration Depository Number identifying a candidate's record, which is created for each candidate by NASD's CRD system

CRF - Canonical Results File

CSA - Customer Service Agents

CSS - Load balancer

CSW - Central, Southern, and Western examining boards for dentistry and dental hygiene

CTP - Convergence Technologies Professional

CTT - Client Testing and Training (environment)created for the purpose of enabling clients to take their exams in a test center like method (Registration, RMA, delivery) for the purpose of pre-production testing.

CWNP - Certified Wireless Network Professional (client)

DANB - Dental Assisting National Board

DANTES - Depart of Defense location

DAO - Data Access Objects (Business Intelligence term)

.DAT - File extension associated with compilation of all exam files (includes- itempool, spec, displays, QAReview, etc.)

DBA - Database Administrator

dba - Doing Business As

DF - Data Forensics (Pearson product)

DLL - Dynamic-link library

DOD - Department of Defense

DRS - Disaster Recovery System (environment)

DSA - Driving Standards Agency

DSF - Data Source Factory (applies client policies)

DTD - Document Type Definition (Pearson VUE publishing file)

DVA - Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) (previously DVTA)

DVLA - Driver Vehicle Licensing Authority (DSA/DTA term)

DVLNI - Driver Vehicle Licensing Authority (Northern Ireland)

EAC - Exam Authorization Confirmation--a confirmation file sent to a client to indicate that a candidate's exam authorization was granted by an EAD file

EAD - Exam Appointment Data--an import file used to grant candidates' authorizations to test for a client

EAS - Exam Appointment Service

EBPHI - Exam Board of Professional Home Inspectors

EC - Excelsior College

ECMFP - Excelsior College Military Funded Program

EMC - Shortened form of a Pearson VUE client's name--EMC Corporation

EMEA - Europe, Middle East, and Africa office (Pearson term)

EMR - Event Message Router

EPR - Electronic Performance Report

ERI - Educational Resources Inc.

ESLang - Enhanced Structured Language, Assessment division's proprietary reporting language

ETL - Extract, Transform, and Load (Business Intelligence term for data acquisition)

ETS - Educational Testing Service

EXIM - EXport/IMport process / handles various export/import processes

FINRA - Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (previously NASD)

FQS - File Queue Service

FRW - Firewall Restricted Cisco PIX 525

FSMTB - Federation of State Message Therapy Boards

FTE - Full-time employee or full-time equivalent

FTEL - Finance

FWS - Firewall Site Cisco 501

GARP - Global Association of Risk Professionals

GER - Group Exam Registration

GMAC - Graduate Management Admission Council

GMASS - Graduate Management Admission Search Service

GMAT - Graduate Management Admission Test

GTST - Global Testing Services and Technology

HCDS - Hosted Client Data Store - the database where we usually import data from clients/ authorization files. It is usually client-owned data; and candidates in it are not yet Pearson VUE candidates.

HPT - Hazard Perception Test (DSA/DVA term)

IBF - Institute of Business and Finance

IBT - Internet Based Testing

IC - Iowa City

ICAEW - The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales

ICC - International Code Council

ICFSEB - International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards

ICRM - Institute of Certified Records Managers

IFS - Institute of Financial Services

IHTTC - In House Theory Test Centres (DSA/DVA term): Testing centers not owned by Pearson delivering the DSA theory exams. Most are located on British military bases throughout the world (also referred to as IMOD - IHTTC Ministry of Defense). Other types of IHTTCs are mobile centers which are testing centers that are actually installed on buses that travel to remote locations in Scotland and elsewhere. Still others are testing centers that are located at bus companies, fire departments, and police departments throughout the UK

IIA - Institute of Internal Auditors

IIE - Innovative Item Editor - a tool by which external items are created.

IIMC - Institute of Investment Management Consultants

IMCA - Investment Management Consultants Association (an NASD client)

IOWAC - United States Iowa City

IPV - Intelligence Pearson VUE (For notes, see bgtmnsrvfp\shared\P4Share\docs\BusinessObjects\Release\604)

IRF - Items Reference File

IRT - Item Response Theory (psychometric term for the methods, theories, and models for testing)

ISM - Institute for Supply Management

ISR - Initial Score Report (requested by the candidate during the exam)

KPI - Key Performance Indicator (Pearson Contact Centre term)

LEHA - Lead and Environmental Hazard Association

LGV - Large Goods Vehicle (DSA/DVA term)

LNAT - National Admission Test Law

LOFT - (Linear on the Fly Tests)

LPI - Linux Professional Institute

MB - Member Board

MFIB - Exam item type, manual fill in the blank

MLE - Maximum Likelihood Estimate (QTI term)

MYOB - Mind Your Own Business (MYOB Limited is an Accounting software company and more can be found at www.myob.com/ )

NABP - National Association of Boards of Pharmacy

NAS - Network Attached Storage

NASD - National Association of Securities Dealers (now FINRA)

NBCE - National Board of Chiropractic Examiners

NBEO - National Board of Examiners in Optometry

NBPTS - National Board for Professional Teaching Standards

NCBAC - National Certification Board for Alzheimer's Care

NCBTMB - National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork

NCCAOM - National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

NCCPA - National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants

NCLEX - National Council Licensure Examination

NCRA - National Court Reports Association

NCS - National Computer Systems

NCSBN - National Council of State Boards of Nursing

NCSP - National Society of Compliance Professionals

NDA - Nondisclosure agreement

NEEA - National Education Examinations Authority

NES - National Evaluation Systems

NGTD - Next Generation Test Driver (Pearson outdated term)

NI - National Instruments

NOC - Network Operations Center

NPE - Null pointer exception; an error created when an application uses a null value when an actual value is required

NREMT - National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians

OMG - Object Management Group

ONCC - Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation

OPP - Online Payment Processing service / handles request to payment processing agencies (Barclay Merchant Services and Paymentech)

OSSP - Operational Set of Standard Processes (Pearson VUE term)

OUM - Oceania University of medicine

PAL - Process Asset Library (Pearson VUE term): The PAL is located at

teams.inside.ncspearson.com/func/gtst/pal/.

PAVE - Pearson VUE Appreciates and Values Employees (a reward program similar to RAVE)

PBS - Performance-based Selection

PCV - Passenger Carrying Vehicle (DSA/DVA term)

PDD - Product Design Document

PEDC - Pearson Education Data Center

PES - Professional Examination Services

PIF - Publication Information File. See definition.

PLA - Pearson Language Assessments, now known at PLT / Pearson Language Tests

PLT - Pearson Language Tests

PPC - Pearson Professional Center/Centre

PPCUK - Pearson Professional Centre United Kingdom

PSTC - Pearson State Testing Center (Pearson VUE Promissor-owned centers separate from PPCs because they do not include biometrics; some may only support one state/client)

PTCB - Pharmacy Technicians Certification Board

PVPG - Pearson VUE Process Group

PVTC - Pearson VUE Testing Center/Centre: PVTC Select indicates a category of high-end centers with biometric devices and security (cameras, etc)

PVUE - Pearson VUE

QA - Test Publishing's internal quality assurance process

QTI - Question & Test Interoperability - the IMS Global XML-based standard for data interchange between test development, test delivery tools, and result management tools

RAVE! - Respect And Value Each other ( RAVE! is a Pearson VUE reward program)

RCB - Release Content Baseline - A preview of what is planned to be included in an outage/release (Pearson VUE term)

RDFI - Receiving Depository Financial Institution /The routing number for the customer's bank. (Finance term)

RIO- Reconcile It Over (Pearson VUE Finance term)

RLGV - Register of Large Goods Vehicles (DSA/DVA term)

RMA - Remote Maintenance Agent/what testing centers run to download newest exams. For details, see clearspace.pv.local:8880/clearspace/docs/DOC-1184

RTF - Type of Word doc that allows special formatting

RTR - Internal Router Cisco 1841, 1700

SAM - Sponsor Activity Manager. See definition below

SCAN - Shared Check Authorization Network (Pearson VUE partner - Paymentech term)

SCM - Software Configuration Management

SDPP - Software Development Project Plan

SLA- Service Level Agreement (Pearson Contact Centre term)

SLT - Senior Leadership Team (Pearson term)

SQA - Software Quality Assurance

ST1 / TST1 - System Test 1 (environment)

ST2 / TST2 - System Test 2 (environment)

STR - Steps to Reproduce (technology term used in identifying how to reproduce a defect)

TA - Test Administrator

TAF - Transfer Agent Factory - the Hub Service which transfers files from the Hub to RMA

TCE - Transaction Conversion Engine (Pearson VUE Finance term)

TCM - Test Center Manager

TCSM - Thin Client Site Manager (web-based Site Manager)

TDA - Test Driver Application

TDFT - Test Driver Functionality Test

TDL - Test Definition Language/exam programming language for Legacy test driver

TDS - Test Development Services

TIA - Telecommunication Industry Association

TW - Technical Writer

UAT - User Acceptance Testing

UCAS - Universities and Colleges Admissions Service

UKCAT - UK Clinical Aptitude Test

UKEDG - United Kingdom Edinburgh Gates

UKMSL - United Kingdom Manchester

UKSIP - United Kingdom Society of Investment Professionals

UKSTR - United Kingdom Strand

UNC - Universal Naming Convention

USD - United States Dollars

USR - Unofficial Score Report

VAT - Value Added Tax

VDB - VUE database

VPC - VPN Concentrator (Cisco 3020)

VPH - VPN Hardware Client Cicso

VPN - Virtual Private Network may also refer to a VPN Router (e.g. Cisco 3725)

VSS - VUE Support Services/work with test center incidents, exam issues in centers, hardware/software updates, test driver deploy support, etc.

VTS - VUE Testing System/release versions for track updates, PPC, PVTC, etc.

VUE - Today, not an acronym. Previously stood for Virtual University Enterprise

WLOE - World Language Other than English

WSM - Website School Management

XAPT - Exam Appointment Services

XML - Stands for extensible markup language, a markup language similar to HTML but that uses custom tags indicating the logical structure of coded data as well as its display specifications

XML Spy - xml editor

Terms

 

Accommodations - Changes to the test driver or exam due to candidates special needs.

Adaptive - Exams that are tailored as the exam is being taken via an algorithm that analyzes each answer and, based on the difficulty of the question and the accuracy of the answer, chooses the next question for the candidate.

Admin - The administrative console at the Pearson Professional Centers.

Admin App - part of Citrix suite, used for pricing

Admin Web - The NCLEX Administration's web site. Pearsonvue.com/ncsbn

Application Wrapper - A software program that is run at the test centers which controls when RMA runs.

Assemblers - Converts hold files to client results feeds.

Assets - Workstations or other items used by a center to deliver exams.

Athena - Originally the code name for the new test driver, Athena was at one time the production name for the new generation Pearson VUE test driver now called simply the Test Driver. Refers to QTI tests.

Auto Update - An RMA triggered update to Test Delivery software. This occurs when the software is too far out of date and is no longer an acceptable version.

AVI codec - attribute of video file

Bugs - Defects in the system. Two categories - those found in QA and those found in production.

Candidate - Student or test taker.

Centers - Test delivery locations

Channel - (1) A collection of testing centers sharing common criteria. For example, the PPC channel consists of sites that are owned by Pearson VUE and that meet minimum criteria such as availability of biometric devices and building standards. (2) A results stream--the Results Processing team configures a ClientChannel to format and send data to an external recipient, such as an exam sponsor or ACT, or to an internal recipient, such as CERTS for DSA or GMAC.

Citrix - An environment hosted in Iowa City that provides access for internal users to the Call Center applications in different environments.

Client/Sponsor - The owner or sponsor of a testing program.

Client Manager - part of Citrix suite, used to publish exams

Compile and VUE - software used to compile an Athena QTI exam (TDL equivalent is Quicklaunch)

.DAT - File extension associated with compilation of all exam files (includes- itempool, spec, displays, QAReview, etc.)

Decvar - Declaration Variable defined in test creation / publishing.

Delivery Script - java script that enables accommodations such as double time, etc.

Displays - when taking a test often a(n): intro screen, tutorial, copyright, survey, etc.

Double-Byte - languages such as Japanese, Chinese, Korean

Entry Monitoring - The process a candidate must go through to gain entry to the exam workstations.

External Items - Third-party plug-ins to the test delivery software/displays and captures a response outside of the test driver. (hot spots, IIE (Innovative Item Editor))

Experimental Content - Items and related test content that can be compiled and published independently for administration to candidates to collect data for such purposes as calibrating future item pools.

Flash - program that runs interactive items on web, installs w. 5.8, GGI uses it

Flow graph - outlines how information / data flows through an application. SQA often uses a flow graph to help document the requirements with regards to decisions that the application must make. The flow is then turned into test cases, which cover every possible way through the functionality under test.

Formatters - Programs that generate a result feed for a client.

Foxe - xml editor

FTP - file transfer protocol, used to exchange exam source files

Gatekeeper - The proxy server by which RMA connects the test centers to the hub

Groovy Scripts - Groovy is an object-oriented programming language for the Java Platform as an alternative to the Java programming language. Groovy scripts are incorporated into the QTI when there is something too complex for QTI to accommodate, such as conditional branching, etc.

Guid - unique ID assigned by CERTS

Hot Area - an external item where the correct answer is defined by an area on a graphic. (you could have a graphic of a face and the question could be /Click on the nose in this picture/ and the correct answer would be an area outlining the nose.

Hot-key selection - The ability to select or deselect a response option by pressing a key that corresponds to the response abel.

Hub - The main server in the VUE system. It is primarily used as a file system and as the location of the Hub Services.

Hub Services - Provides the business logic than can be leveraged by different applications within the VUE system.

Item Pool - file that contains client content/questions

Internal Suite - our internal version of Quicklaunch, used by Test Publisher's only

Legacy Test Driver - Software that delivers the exam. This driver is being replaced by the Athena driver. It is VUE's original driver and it is written in Visual Basic. It delivers exams created from complied TDL.

Library - area where we save various files that are used repeatedly for client. For example: an intro screen used for every exam a client publishes is stored here

Macro - mini-program written in Word that makes numerous changes at once

Masking - 1. masking a response input on a free-form item (correct answer must be in the format of x.xx 2. masking the presentation of an item after the exam is published without recompiling.

Objectives - used to identify learning goals in specific areas. For example: Math, Trig, Calc, etc.

Outage - At least a monthly occurrence whereby new VTS code is delivered to the production environment.

Parent name - found at bottom of spec and used in Client Manager when publishing

Perforce (P4) - software that keeps source files (source control), similar to library

PIF - (publication information file) for importing exam information into the exam database. Generated from Compile and View (compressed (ZIP) file with an automatically generated name) consists of the repository file name followed by .pif.zip (for example, \mypath\myrepository.pif.zip). The ZIP file contains two files: the exam definition file (examdef.dat) and the attributes.inf file.

PowerBuilder - Language that CERTS is written in.

Private key - client exports to other computers on their site that are being used in their exam review process

Proctor - The computer console that controls admissions into the test area. Also the person who monitors the candidates during their exams.

Psychometrician - An expert in the theory and practice of measuring mental characteristics through statistical analysis of responses on exams or other tools designed to enable reliable inferences about those characteristics to be made; a statistical analyst who develops and analyzes adaptive algorithms used in adaptive exams.

Public key - clients export on their machine and send to us

Publication announcement - email that goes out to client, program manager and new exam list serve to confirm exam is published in field

Reconcile It Over (RIO) - The goal of RIO is "to automatically identify and re-reconcile all records affected by service fee changes. Since this was a manual process before, it was possible to perform manual overrides on these fees for certain circumstances. This feature must be supported with the automatic process as well. This will be approached by creating a new type of transaction for this fee override. Once a transaction has been overridden, it will never be re-reconciled again. The transaction, however, may be overridden multiple times." For more information, see the Reconcile It Over design document, DCS 452 - RIO - Reconcile It Over.doc.

Quicklaunch - set of software applications that compile, encrypt, view and show results of TDL exams (QTI equivalent is Compile and View)

Reg Man - Our exam registration system

Reporting sections - often used to report results in specific categories on score reports

Rescore - typically used to score Beta exams

Resource Container - script that overrides text on user interface. For example: change a default button option to say proceed rather than next, etc.

Results Processing - team that works with candidate test results

Rubric - A system of scoring designed to promote standardization; a scoring rubric may consist of a set of criteria to be used in evaluating test takers' responses to an exam question.

Sandbox - area that simulates real environment, used to play around with various testing w/o risk

Scenario 1 - Testing center configuration. Scenario 1 is a standalone machine (not allowed). There is scenario 2 (workgroup) and scenario 3 (server).

Site Database - The Microsoft Access database located at each test center. This is updated by RMA during the replication phase.

Snag-it - Program that can capture images or make score reports appear on screen instead of through printer, similar to PDF

Spec - file that instructs content in itempool, displays, etc., how to present and behave

Sponsor Activity Manager - A JAVA application that creates and edits custom client questions. The tool supports Program Managers in defining and maintaining client questions and question rules. For further information, see these internal documents: REQ 299 Question Editor.doc, DCS 701 Questions Editor UI Mockups.vsd, DCS 705 Question Editor (Design Direction).doc. There's also the online help with explained the major tasks and the fields involved.

System Test - testing area that simulates client mgr

Test Case - a document that describes a specific series of steps to take to test an application or part there of. Usually tied to one (or more) requirement(s).

Test Data - data used in the testing of an application.

Test Development - team that works with client to ensure psychometrically sound questions

Test driver - platform in which the exams are run, currently we have Legacy (has 4 versions 5.6, 5.7, etc.) and Athena (706, 708, 711) test drivers.

TestList - database that stores various facts about exams

Test Plan - a documented plan of attack - states what will be tested and, perhaps more importantly, what won't be tested.

Test Scenario - Most often referred to as a Use Case - documents the "happy path" through an application.

Test Script - an automated test case.

Test Step - one small part of a test case.

Track - A combination of VTS Software and TDA software that is run by a test center. It is possible to have multiple tracks in the field.

vbscripting - dynamically produces information on score report, nda, etc. It allows generic events to be produced rather than unique score reports/displays to be produced for each series.

Wingdings - infection that happens to rtf files where re-saving rtf as doc and then rtf again is necessary

Wrapper Monitor - The application within which the Hub services are run. Provides information on service health and restarts hung services (e.g., DSF, TAF, and FQS)

X-bank - External repositories are compiled libraries of information you reference within an assessment using the tag. You must compile each object bank individually before referencing it; however, you cannot view object banks individually because they are not intended to be stand-alone exams. In the GMAT, all four exam sections are individual external repositories. In the Excelsior College exams, the Non-Disclosure Agreement is an external repository.