Test Accommodations

The ABA complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and is committed to providing necessary testing accommodations for examinees with documented disabilities, consistent with the requirements of the law.

Accommodations may also be approved for examinees with documented qualifying medical conditions that may be temporary or are not otherwise covered by the ADA, such as pregnancy or a temporary impairment following surgery, including conditions that require the use of medical devices or medication during the examination.

The ABA will also provide testing accommodations for candidates testing in other jurisdictions, to the extent required by applicable laws in those jurisdictions.

An individual is not considered to have a disability requiring accommodation if the limitations arising from the individual’s impairment do not significantly restrict the individual’s major life activities when compared with the abilities of the average person. Non-specific diagnoses such as individual learning styles, learning differences, academic problems, computer phobias, slow reading, and test difficulty or anxiety in and of themselves do not constitute a disability or impairment.

The decision as to whether a medical condition that is not covered by the ADA is a “qualifying medical condition” for purposes of a PASC exam accommodation is at the sole discretion of the ABA.

Accommodations are provided on an individual basis and depend on the nature of the disability or medical condition and documentation provided. The ABA will make reasonable efforts to provide the requested accommodations to examinees provided the functional impairment has been demonstrated through adequate documentation, and the accommodations do not fundamentally alter the measurement of the skills or knowledge the examination is intended to test, do not jeopardize examination integrity and security, are compatible with the nature and purpose of the examination or assessment program, and do not result in an undue burden to the ABA. Accommodations cannot be made to the actual content of the examination. A range of available accommodations are considered to assist examinees with disabilities or qualifying medical conditions.

Applying for Test Accommodations

PASC Examination applicants may request test accommodations for the examination by completing Forms 5a and 5b and submitting them with any required supporting documentation either:

As part of the initial application, or
At least 30 days prior to exam registration.

Test accommodations requested after an exam has been scheduled are NOT guaranteed. Examinees cannot schedule their PASC examination, nor can the examination be administered until the process described above has been completed. The ABA requires at least 30 days to review fully documented requests for test accommodation.

All requests for test accommodations are strictly confidential, and documentation submitted in support of the request is used solely for the purpose of evaluating the request. Failure to provide the ABA with adequate supporting documentation in a timely manner will cause a delay in the review process and the applicant’s ability to schedule and take the examination.

You may request more than one accommodation; however, supporting documentation is required for each requested accommodation.

Common Test Accommodations

The ABA will base the accommodations on the requests and required documentation received. Common accommodations include extended time for testing (1.5 time or double time), frequent or additional breaks, access to auxiliary items (food, medication, or medical devices), or provision of a reader and/or scribe. Candidates will not be charged any additional fees for approved accommodations.

Supporting Documentation Requirements

Adequate supporting documentation from a qualified medical professional certifying the applicant’s disability or qualifying medical condition, with specific identification of the requested accommodation and the medical basis for the request, must be submitted to the ABA, either directly from the medical professional or by the applicant. The ABA will verify the authenticity of any submissions sent by the applicant. A qualified professional is someone with the credentials, training, and expertise to diagnose the reported disability or qualifying medical condition. The primary relationship of the attesting professional to the individual must be that of a treating medical professional to a patient; there must be no familial, intimate, supervisory or other close relationship between the qualified professional and the individual requesting the accommodation(s).

The documentation must:

Be on letterhead, typed in English, dated and signed and include the name, title, and professional credentials of the qualified medical professional.
Contain contact information including address, telephone number, and/or e-mail address of each professional providing documentation.
Include the date of assessment upon which each professional's report is based.
Include a detailed description of the medical, psychological, educational, and/or cognitive functioning tests that were conducted, the results of those tests and a comprehensive interpretation of the results.
The name of the specific disability or medical condition and a description of the specific impact on daily life activities and day-to-day functional limitations to major life activities, including a history of the impact of the disability on academic functioning if the condition is a learning disability or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADD or ADHD).
The specific examination accommodations that are recommended and how each will compensate for those limitations and reduce the impact of identified limitations.

The ABA reserves the right to request further verification, if necessary, of the evaluating professional’s credentials and expertise relevant to the diagnosis, to verify the authenticity of the supporting documentation, and to seek clarification of the information provided by the evaluating professional. In addition to the referenced required supporting documentation above, if the applicant has received prior examination accommodations in an educational setting or for other standardized examinations, documentation of these should be submitted to the ABA.

Review of Requests for Test Accommodations

The ABA will consider requests for examination accommodations following receipt of an examination application and all required documentation in support of the request. While documentation of prior approved accommodation(s) in an educational or academic institution or other testing organizations will be considered, an applicant’s prior receipt of academic or testing accommodations does not in and of itself guarantee approval of the requested accommodation(s). The applicant will be sent a notification of the ABA’s decision regarding the requested accommodation(s).

If accommodations have been approved, the notification will be in the form of a Testing Accommodations Agreement indicating the accommodation(s) that has/have been approved. The applicant must sign the Agreement and return it to the ABA by the date indicated within the Agreement. The application for an applicant requesting examination accommodations will not be complete until the signed agreement is received by the ABA.

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