Following the American Board of Genetic Counselors’ August announcement regarding the adoption of the AI-assisted item writing tool, Generate, we would like to share additional context as implementation efforts continue.
As artificial intelligence use continues to evolve across healthcare and education, ABGC is committed to exploring how technologies can strengthen and support our certification programs while maintaining the highest standards of quality and integrity. To support examination development, ABGC approved the use of an AI-assisted item writing tool, Generate, through our testing partner, Prometric. This secure platform is designed to help volunteer item writers create initial draft content, identify opportunities for refinement and improve the overall efficiency of exam development.
Importantly, Generate serves only as a tool to assist the item-writing process and does not replace the expertise or judgment of our volunteer subject matter experts. Item writers, Certification Exam Committee members and Prometric psychometricians ensure that all examination content continues to undergo rigorous review, editing, validation and approval before it can be considered for inclusion on the CGC exam. ABGC remains committed to ensuring that examination content reflects current standards of practice and upholds the validity, fairness, security and psychometric quality of the certification process.
The implementation of AI-assisted item writing is intended to support goals such as:
- Expanding the examination item bank
- Improving consistency
- Reducing the burden on volunteer contributors
Beyond its current applications, we anticipate that Generate will provide meaningful benefits to future candidates by supporting the expansion of exam preparation resources and offering more options for when and how candidates access testing opportunities. We look forward to identifying additional ways for this technology to support candidates in their journey to certification.
Items developed with the assistance of this tool will first appear as unscored pretest items beginning in August 2027 and will be subjected to the same performance evaluation steps that all other developed items undergo before being considered for scored use.
ABGC will continue to closely monitor the performance of AI-assisted items through established psychometric review processes and evaluate feedback from our volunteer item writers regarding the tool’s effectiveness and impact on the item-development process. These ongoing evaluations will help ensure that the use of AI continues to support, rather than compromise, the quality, fairness and integrity of the CGC examination.
The ABGC Board welcomes questions, comments and ongoing dialogue regarding this initiative. We encourage Diplomates to share their thoughts and feedback by contacting info@abgc.net as we continue to thoughtfully evaluate and implement emerging technologies in support of our certification program.
Read More About ABGC’s AI Use in this FAQ.