Who Writes the Test Questions?
CFRE International uses a multiple-choice question format which is the "gold standard" of the certification industry and the most objective and reliable indicator for measuring the mastery of professional subject matter. CFRE certificants who volunteer from the countries where each version of the exam is offered draft individual questions. Each question must test something found within the comprehensive job analysis and be referenced to two published texts.
CFRE certificants who draft test questions are called Subject Matter Experts or SMEs. SMEs are current fundraising professionals who work in a variety of fundraising organisations of varying size and complexity. SMEs receive special training on how to write test questions and then volunteer their time to develop test questions. About 40% of draft test questions finally become questions found on the CFRE exam.
Multiple-choice questions have three parts: 1) a stem; 2) a correct answer and 3) distractors. Some exam items have stems which are short introductory statements, while others have longer stems that provide a great deal of information or present a situation. Some exam items are complete questions, ending with a question mark. Others are incomplete sentences ending with a colon (:), with the four options being possible completions of the sentence.
There is, in fact, only one best correct answer for each test question. Some candidates look for information not contained in the stem and think, "Well, the answer depends on this or that." This is not the case. All information need to answer the question is presented to candidates. There are no "trick" questions. CFRE test questions are based on best practices and are supported by professional literature. There is only one most correct answer.
The incorrect answers are known as distractors. Although these answers are not designed to fool the candidate, these options act as plausible but incorrect information that must be distinguished from the correct information in the key (correct answer).
These draft questions are then checked and revised by a second group of CFRE certificant reviewers before being validated and ultimately added to the live question bank for pre-testing. The additional 25 questions that candidates answer on each exam are being pre-tested for future certification use. Each year approximately 25-30% of the exam's content is changed. New exam versions are issued every two years.
2007 Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
De Ann Acosta CFRE, Denver Rescue Mission, Denver, CO
Nowshad Ali CFRE, On Purpose Leadership, Saskatoon SK
Cynthia Armour CFRE, Elderstone Resource Development, Cavan ON
Robert Basham CFRE, A.T. Still University of Health Sciences, Kirksville MO
James Brozo CFRE, Grossmont Hospital Foundation, La Mesa CA
Kathleen Butler CFRE, Kelowna BC
Norma Cameron CFRE, University of Victoria, Victoria BC
Danielle Collins CFRE, Sierra Adoption Services, Sacramento CA
Mary Cox CFRE, St. Joseph’s College, West Hartford CT
Dawna Crawford CFRE, Calgary AB
Hugo De La Rosa CFRE, St. Elizabeth Medical Center, Boston MA
Susan Delaney CFRE, Calgary AB
Anita Durel CFRE, Durel Consulting Partners, Baltimore MD
Mickie Faris CFRE, USC Andrus Gerontology Center, Los Angeles CA
Jerry Hamill CFRE, Muir Medical Center Foundation, Walnut Creek, CA
Linda Hauser CFRE, Broken Arrow OK
Laura Jason CFRE, Menlo Park CA
Donna Johnson CFRE, DBJ & CO, Cardiff-by-the-Sea CA
Andrea Joseph CFRE, Smithfield RI
Paulanne Jushkevich CFRE, St. Mary's Hospital Foundation, Montreal QC
Diana Kelker CFRE, Carmichael CA
Gayle Kimball CFRE, Gift Planning Counsel, LLC, Contoocook NH
Jennifer King CFRE, The Masonic Charity Foundation of Connecticut, Inc., Wallingford CT
Elliot Klein CFRE, San Francisco CA
Rob Lavery CFRE, Toronto ON
Barbara Lea-Kruger CFRE, Center for Greater Philadelphia, Philadelphia PA
Cynthia Loveman CFRE, Vancouver BC
LuAnn Lovlin CFRE, The Winnipeg Foundation, Winnipeg MB
Melanie McKenzie CFRE, Greater Victoria Hospitals Foundation, Victoria BC
Audrey Levin McLaughlin CFRE, Marlborough College, Marlborough VT
Susan Ulrich McLaughlin CFRE, Huntingdon PA
Honey Meir-Levi CFRE, Ronald McDonald House at Stanford, Palo Alto CA
Patricia Moline CFRE, Iowa State University Foundation, Ames IA
J. Tony Myers CFRE, University of Calgary, Calgary AB
John Phin CFRE, Providence Children's Centre, Calgary AB
Lisa Pottie CFRE, RBR Development Associates, Halifax NS
Amanda Preston CFRE, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge MA
Belinda Pyle CFRE, Pyle Group, Inc, St. Lazare QC
Diane Reid CFRE, Habitat for Humanity- Calgary, Calgary AB
K. Craig Rogers CFRE, Bon Secours Richmond Health Care Foundation, Richmond VA
Patricia Schwartz CFRE, Patricia B. Schwartz & Associates, Fairfield PA
Brenda Scott CFRE, Adept Diva Consulting, Portland OR
Angela Seaworth CFRE, Houston TX
Barbara Spaulding CFRE, St. Augustine FL
Jennifer Svihus CFRE, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz CA
Sonya Swiridjuk CFRE, Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, Toronto ON
Linda Syrota-Sullivan CFRE, Canadian Red Cross, Toronto ON
Dree Thomson-Diamond CFRE, Edmonton AB
Teresa Vasilopoulos CFRE, Toronto East General Hospital Foundation, Toronto ON
Raymond Watts CFRE, University of Redlands, Redlands CA
Ann Weddleton CFRE, New Hampshire Community Technical College System, Concord NH Glenn Welch CFRE, Winchester Hospital Foundation, Winchester MA
Scott Wolterink CFRE, Hope College, Holland MI
