Predicting professional examination outcomes: A case of the registered health information administration certification examination

PURPOSE: To determine whether differences existed among candidates for the Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) certification examination that may have characterized the likelihood of acquiring professional certification upon graduation. METHODS: Records of total of 197 former students were acquired from accredited health information administration education programs located across the United States. RESULTS: Final course grades in coding and introduction to health information administration and professional curriculum grade point average were strongly associated with the RHIA examination score. Subsequently, a 95% approximate prediction interval was computed. CONCLUSION: Certain academic and demographic variables can be used to predict which students may be at risk for unsuccessfully completing the certification examination. A regression model which can accurately predict the student's examination score was developed.