Tips on passing the CIP exam
Tips on passing the CIP exam
The Certified IRB Professional (CIP) credential has gained considerable respect in its 10 years of existence, especially among research institutions seeking employees who have passed the CIP exam or who are willing to take the test as soon as they qualify.
"It adds a level of professionalism and is a wonderful opportunity for people to take a look at their own institution's policies and procedures," says Corinne Rogers, MS, CIP, administrator of the institutional review board at New York State Psychiatric Institute in New York City.
"An important part of preparing for the exam, and which helps individuals and institutions as a whole, is you have to learn about things you don't necessarily do on a daily basis," Rogers says.
Rogers has spoken at national conferences about how to prepare for the CIP exam. Here are some of her suggestions:
Assess your knowledge strengths and weaknesses: "You need to find out what you don't know," Rogers says.
One way to do this is by reading books about human subjects research protection, including the 2006 study guide for IRB management by E. Bankert and R. Amdur, called Institutional Review Board: Management and Function, she suggests.
"This is the bible for IRBs in terms of management and function," she says. "It has a study guide with all of these practice tests that follow each chapter in the book."
Rogers took the test before reading the chapters to see what her baseline knowledge was and where her strengths and weaknesses were.
"That showed me where I was deficient and where I needed to focus," Rogers says.
Another book that can be useful in preparing for the exam is Protecting Study Volunteers in Research (Third Edition) published in 2004 and co-authored by Cynthia McGuire Dunn, MD, and Gary L. Chadwick, PharmD, MPH, CIP.
"There are always things to learn," Rogers notes. "It's not the kind of test where you can wait until the week before and say you'll take a look at things."
Develop a plan of action: Using your knowledge of IRB information deficits and attributes, develop a plan of action, Rogers suggests.
Rogers focused on some regulations and procedures that she had identified as her personal weaknesses, and she focused on gaining more knowledge about these.
"You can use other resources and focus on what you don't do on a regular basis," Rogers says.
The plan of action could include taking a practice test.
The Professional Testing Corp. of New York City sells an electronic 75-question practice test that takes about two hours to complete. It is designed for PC users and provides an example of content in the Certification Examination for IRB Professionals.
"The PTC practice test gives you some idea of how the questions are formed on the exam," Rogers says. "Just knowing how the questions are constructed is really helpful."
Reach out to people who have taken the exam: "There are ways you can reach out to people who have taken the CIP exam and ask for mentoring," she says.
For example, Facebook has a page for the Public Responsibility In Medicine & Research (PRIM&R) in which CIP-credentialed people can communicate, she notes.
Also, IRB professionals could find mentors at conferences where CIP workshops or discussions are offered.
Don't give up: "If you fail the test, you can take it again," Rogers says. "It's a long test, and it took me four hours to complete it, and I used every minute of those four hours."
The test has been carefully constructed and doesn't rely on trick questions or "all of the above" type of answers, she says.
"It's pretty straightforward," she adds. "You just need to make sure you know the difference between local policies and IRB regulations in general."
The Certified IRB Professional (CIP) credential has gained considerable respect in its 10 years of existence, especially among research institutions seeking employees who have passed the CIP exam or who are willing to take the test as soon as they qualify.Subscribe Now for Access
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