The ISA Certified Automation Professional (CAP®) examination program is designed to assess competence in the automation professional. Passing scores on the examination indicate that the Certified Automation Professional has achieved a level of ability consistent with requirements for competence on the job.

The development of a quality credentialing or licensing examination must follow certain logically sound and well-researched procedures. The guidelines hold that it is necessary to determine the knowledge and skills needed to be a competent practitioner in the field in order to develop a practice-related examination. The process for identifying these competency areas includes a job analysis study, which serves as a blueprint for examination development. A job analysis also helps to determine the type of examination to be developed in order to assess essential competence in the most appropriate manner.

The job analysis study is an integral part of ensuring that the examination is content-valid—that the aspects of automation covered on the examination reflect the tasks performed in the range of practice settings throughout the United States and Canada. For both broad content areas and tasks, the study validates importance and criticality to practice. These ratings play an important role in determining the content of the examination.

The ISA Certified Automation Professional practice job analysis study consisted of the following three phases, which are the focus of this report:

Initial Development and Validation - A panel of experts met to define the essential elements of the profession of automation. The panel identified the domains, tasks, knowledge, and skills consistent with this purpose.

Validation Study - A representative sample of 1,500 practicing automation professionals was asked to review and validate the work of the job analysis panel.

Development of Test Specifications - Based on the ratings gathered from the representative sample of automation professionals, the test specifications for the examination were developed.