As a Construction Management program leader at a college or university, you face a unique challenge: how do you know if your students are truly prepared to thrive in the construction industry?

Coursework, projects, and instructor evaluations all provide valuable insights, but without a standardized measure, such as a construction management exam, it’s difficult to see the whole picture.

While not always the most popular topic among faculty or students, exams are one of the most reliable tools for evaluating knowledge retention and readiness for professional development. The big question for many higher education institutions is two-fold:

• Should we invest time in building our own exam?
• Or, should we leverage a standardized option designed to deliver consistency, fairness, and meaningful benchmarking for career advancement?

Join us as we explore the options available for your school.

The Benefits and Pitfalls of Building Your Own Exams

Are you wondering if your students retain the work you’re doing in the classroom? The only way to really know is to measure their knowledge. But many faculty members have questions about the relevance of exams as a tool to test knowledge:

• Is an exam a necessary evil or a valuable measurement tool?
• Is it worth it to pay an external entity to create and administer an exam that allows you to compare your students’ knowledge to that of students learning the same material at other universities and those who are learning on the job?

We get it. Creating an exam for measuring instructional retention is often viewed as a time suck. As an instructor, you want to pass on your knowledge to your students. You want to increase interest in the field of study that fascinates you. You want high course passing rates. You want high ratings on the instructional surveys from your students. You want your students to be successful in the industry.

Because of your investment in the coursework, building an exam seems like an easy task. After all, you’ve given lectures on the material. You know all about Bloom’s Taxonomy. But do you really have the time to build a fair assessment of the material? 

There are other considerations involved to ensure a fair assessment of each student:

• Do you ever consider the reading load of the questions?
• Are you measuring a person’s ability to read or their knowledge of the material taught across their coursework?
• Are you curious how your students compare to others who are graduating and entering the industry?

These factors are critical to ensure a fair assessment of a student’s readiness to graduate and enter the workforce. The solution is a rigorous, independent exam administered by an organization such as the American Institute of Constructors (AIC).

The Answer: A Standardized Construction Management Exam

At first glance, outsourcing the exam may seem challenging. Yes, there is an expense tied to taking a standardized exam. This fee covers development, administration, scoring, and reporting. But the benefits are extensive:

• Frees up instructors’ time: Your instructors don’t have to spend countless hours building and grading exams. Instead, they can focus on teaching, mentoring, and preparing the next generation of construction management professionals. 
• Uniformity and fairness: A standardized exam ensures consistency across classes, years, and even universities. This creates a stronger benchmark for evaluating student performance and program outcomes in construction management and project management. 
• Accreditation alignment: No matter your school’s accreditation, you will need to measure student outcomes. A standardized exam – such as our CAC Level I exam – gives you a reliable, direct measure to support accreditation goals and align with certification programs. 
• Validity and reliability: High-stakes exams must be defensible, fair, and accurate. Standardized assessments undergo psychometric review to ensure validity and reliability – something that’s rarely practical when exams are developed in-house.

While building your own exam may seem like the simpler route, the reality is that standardized exams provide a stronger foundation for measurement. You can readily measure knowledge, compare outcomes, and advance your students’ education and career paths toward construction manager certification.

Partner With AIC for Student and Program Success

The construction management exam process doesn’t just evaluate students – it strengthens your entire program. By using a standardized exam, you gain data-driven insights that improve teaching, support accreditation, and prepare students for professional development and career advancement in the construction industry.

If your department is considering how to grow or refine its exam process, now is the time to explore the benefits of a standardized assessment offered by AIC.

We recommend connecting with Geno Hogan, the chair of our University Relations Committee, to discuss the value of incorporating our exam into your program. Email us at [email protected] to speak with Geno.

Learn how to develop an exam strategy that drives results and positions your students for long-term success.