Oral Examinations

DOE-HDBK-1080-97

4. ORAL EXAMINATIONS

Oral examinations are used in many occupations, including the medical and dental fields,

civil service, emergency response organizations, union apprenticeship programs, and

commercial and DOE nuclear industries. If oral examinations are properly developed and

consistently administered, they are useful to test the level of learning and comprehension.

4.1 Types and Uses of Oral Examinations

Several types of oral examinations are used for the qualification or certification of DOE

nuclear facility personnel. The most common include the oral checkout, oral board,

performance demonstration, and operational evaluation. Regardless of the type of oral

examination used, questions are based on learning objectives derived from an analysis of

the job.

4.1.1

Oral Checkout

The oral checkout is an oral examination usually conducted one-on-one, examiner to

trainee. Oral checkouts ascertain an individual's fundamental knowledge of theoretical

concepts, equipment and system operation, normal and abnormal operating procedures,

and interrelated systems or components. Oral checkouts should use the learning objectives

or qualification standard as the basis for the questions.

There may be special cases in which a written examination is administered by using an oral

checkout. In these cases, a written exam is given to a trainee by reading the questions to

the trainee. The responses should be recorded for the trainee by the examination proctor

or verified against the correct answer. When the trainee is required to read and understand

facility procedures and warning signs to perform the job, oral administration of written

examinations in related areas should be prohibited.

4.1.2

Oral Board

The oral board is an oral examination wherein a panel is convened to determine if a trainee

has achieved the level of knowledge required for qualification as a facility operator,