International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners
IBLCE Exam Facts & Figures
The International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE) is an international certification board with over 37,000 certificants in 134 countries.
A governing body with representation from relevant stakeholders is charged with oversight of the IBCLC certification programme.
IBLCE established the IBCLC certification in 1985.
In 2017, the IBCLC certification examination was administered in 17 languages in 842 test centre locations across 72 countries and territories.
The IBCLC certification programme holds the prestigious National Commission of Certifying Agencies (NCCA) accreditation, which is a mark of quality for certification programmes.
To earn NCCA accreditation, a certification programme must meet defined and objective standards pertaining to numerous aspects of its programme, including with respect to its examination.
Following typical professional certification examination processes, the IBCLC examination is based on data from a practise analysis (sometimes referred to as a job analysis or role delineation study) which is a survey of professionals in the field.
Relying on the data from the practise analysis, a content outline or test blueprint was created. The IBCLC Detailed Content Outline has two dimensions: clinical presentation and skills topics and chronological periods.
The assessment process evaluates mastery of targeted knowledge.
The examination is administered in a secure, proctored environment.
Certification is recognition that an individual has met eligibility requirements and has passed a rigorous exam that assesses knowledge in breastfeeding management.
The assessment instruments are developed using accepted psychometric principles.
Cut scores (pass/fail criteria) are established using standard psychometric procedures that involve peer-based judgement about the level of performance expected of an IBCLC.
As a certification board, IBLCE is devoted to public health and safety and therefore there is a fundamental public interest in assuring that professional certification examination scores are valid and reliable, and that the integrity of the items is maintained. IBLCE strives to and has been recognised for over thirty years as maintaining the highest standards of testing and operates under standard policies, procedures, and guidelines to see that score results and examination outcomes accurately and correctly represent the competency of the examination candidate.IBLCE actively monitors for examination irregularities and potential sharing of examination content. Related to these activities, IBLCE reserves the right to cancel the examination scores of candidates if observed transmission of examination items and/or statistical analysis identifies any examination irregularities.During the application process, candidates expressly acknowledge and agree to have read and are subject to the IBLCE® Code of Professional Conduct for International Board Certified Lactation Consultants and the IBLCE Disciplinary Procedures. Applicants also agree to the following at the time of application:
“Expressly understand and agree that, without limitation, IBLCE may deny, revoke, suspend or otherwise take action with regard to your eligibility for certification or recertification in the case of: irregularity in connection with any IBCLC examination…”
