National Occupational Competence Testing Institute (NOCTI)  

What is NOCTI?

The National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI) is a nonprofit educational corporation institute that provides high quality occupational competency examinations to the vocational educational community, which includes teachers, students, and members of industry.

Currently, there is a consortium of forty-seven states and the District of Columbia in the program.  

What NOCTI can do for you

As a student in the Career and Technical Education Industrial Technology or Occupational Education program, you can take the entire NOCTI Job Ready Assessment (written and performance). This earns you “occupational experience” credit that can be used towards the occupational education program, or 30 hours of credit towards the Industrial Technology program.

You must have completed at least one Northern Arizona University class that is posted to a transcript prior to taking the NOCTI exam for 35 credits.

NOCTI and student teaching

Prior to student teaching, all students in secondary CTE certification programs (undergraduate or graduate) will be required to take and pass the written portion of an appropriate NOCTI Job Ready Assessment.  The exam is being used to verify appropriate content area knowledge in the subject area the student will be teaching.

What are "job ready" assessments?

NOCTI student assessments are categorized as “job ready" assessments. Job ready assessments measure the skills of an entry-level worker or an individual who has completed course work in a secondary or post-secondary career and technical program.

NOCTI assessments allow you to demonstrate your knowledge, skills, and talents within your chosen occupational program; NOCTI’s score reports provide valuable data for program improvement and accountability requirements.

Student (Job Ready) assessments are developed using business and industry standards and most include both multiple choice and performance components.

Multiple choice assessments can be administered in traditional paper/pencil format or through NOCTI’s online testing system.

Types of tests

The NOCTI Job Ready Assessment consists of two parts: written and performance.

Written

The written test consists of approximately two hundred multiple-choice items and requires three hours to complete. It covers factual knowledge, technical information, understanding of principles, and problem-solving abilities related to the occupation.

Performance

The performance test is administered in a laboratory, industrial, or clinical setting and consists of work assignments that require four to five hours to complete. It is designed to sample the manipulative skills required by an occupation.

Thus candidates are able to demonstrate that they possess the knowledge and skills that competent crafts people employ in their daily work.

Career test areas

Tests are available for occupations in 16 career cluster areas: 

  • Agriculture
  • Food and Natural Resources
  • Architecture and Construction
  • Arts
  • AV Tech and Communication
  • Business, Management, and Administration
  • Early Childhood Education
  • Finance
  • Health Science
  • Hospitality and Tourism
  • Cosmetology
  • Information Technology
  • Law, Public Safety, and Security
  • Manufacturing
  • Marketing, Sales, and Service
  • Electronics and Engineering
  • Automotives and Small Engine Repair

Outline of assessments

Assessment blueprints are available for all NOCTI job ready assessments.  The blueprints provide an outline of the assessment and include:

  • core competencies and tasks
  • sample questions and jobs
  • administration information (time, number of questions/jobs, etc.)

Check out an alphabetical list of available assessments which includes sample test questions.

Taking the test

Testing sites

Northern Arizona University is the Arizona designated testing site.  This does not mean that the exam must be taken in Flagstaff; it just means that the university will administer the exam. 

Cost

Cost of the NOCTI exam equal to the cost of three (3) university credits and fees for Fall or Spring semester.  Refer to Student and Departmental Account Services for the exact cost.

Read more

The fee for the NOCTI exam includes the exam, the administration of the exam, and the awarding of credit on your Northern Arizona University transcript and travel for Dr. Roberts to administer the examination.

Secondary Education CTE students who are taking the written portion of the exam only will not be charged for first attempt (the cost is being paid for with course fees).  If a student needs to retake the exam, a $100 fee will be required.

Scoring tests

Separate scores for the written and the performance examinations are reported along with subscores for each test. These scores can be used diagnostically to determine specific candidate weaknesses. Local (Northern Arizona University), state, and national norms are given for each test and subscore. 

Questions?

If you have any question about the NOCTI exams or the occupational experience credit, please contact Dr. Michael Roberts at 928-523-9408 or Mike.Roberts@nau.edu.

To schedule an exam

Contact Dr. Michael Roberts at 928-523-9408 or Mike.Roberts@nau.edu to arrange for testing.

After receipt of the tuition and fees, the exam location and date/time will be coordinated. 

Typically the NOCTI exam is given during the academic calendar and during the ACTEAZ Conference (Friday before conference start) in July.