Section: Student News
Student earns top test score in country; second highest in history
Jun 11, 2008

Spring 2008 Metro State graduate Chad Kropf had the highest test score in the country on the Information Systems Analyst (ISA) exam, and the second-highest score in the exam’s history.

Students taking the test can earn two different levels of ISA certification depending on the percentage of correct answers. Passing at 50 percent or higher, students receive the title of ISA practitioner. At 70 percent or higher, they earn the title of ISA master.

Kropf scored 79.457 percent on the exam, given in April of this year.

Students have three hours to complete the test, answering nearly 300 hundred questions regarding every aspect of the computer systems industry.

Kropf said that because the exam was so long, it was more of an endurance test, trying to keep focus in answering all 278 questions.

“I was confident in my knowledge of the (material) but I was surprised to see my score compared to the other students,” Kropf said.

Abel Moreno, chair of the Computer Information Systems Department, says that the nationally accredited test means students receive an unbiased evaluation of their knowledge.

“The test can also tell [our department] how to make sure that our students are getting the right knowledge from our curriculum,” Moreno said. “The test is a win-win for the students, staff and faculty.”

The average ISA score for Metro State students is higher then the national average, Moreno added.