Withdrawn

NRC Regulatory Issue Summary 2005-19, “Preparation 

and Scheduling of Operator Licensing Examinations,” 

dated August 24, 2005, has been withdrawn.

 

ADAMS Accession Number: ML052080128

See Federal Register notice 81 FR 31969, dated 

May 20, 2016
OMB Clearance no.: 3150-0131

UNITED STATES

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001

August 24, 2005

NRC REGULATORY ISSUE SUMMARY 2005-19

PREPARATION AND SCHEDULING OF 

OPERATOR LICENSING EXAMINATIONS

ADDRESSEES

All holders of operating licenses for nuclear power reactors, except those who have

permanently ceased operations and have certified that fuel has been permanently removed

from the reactor vessel. 

INTENT

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing this regulatory issue summary (RIS)

to inform addressees of the NRC staff’s need for updated information on projected site-specific

operator licensing examination schedules and the estimated numbers of applicants planning to

take operator licensing examinations and the NRC’s generic fundamentals examinations

(GFEs). This information will help the NRC to more effectively utilize its resources. This RIS

requires no action or written response on the part of addressees. Addressee actions to collect

and transmit the information noted herein are strictly voluntary. 

BACKGROUND

On April 23, 1999, the NRC published a notice in the Federal Register (64 FR 19868) amending

10 CFR Part 55, “Operators’ Licenses,” to allow nuclear power facility licensees to prepare,

proctor, and grade the written examinations required by 10 CFR 55.41 and 55.43 provided that

certain conditions are satisfied. The amendment also allows facility licensees to prepare the

NRC-administered operating tests required by 10 CFR 55.45. Pursuant to 10 CFR 55.40(c),

facility licensees that choose not to prepare their own examinations and operating tests must

request in writing that the NRC prepare the examination and the operating tests.

Regulatory Information Summary (RIS) 2004-10, “Preparation and Scheduling of Operator

Licensing Examinations,” issued June 14, 2004, asked facility licensees to submit proposed

schedules of examinations that they intended to prepare and estimate the number of applicants

to be tested in site examinations and GFEs in calendar years (CYs) 2005 through 2008. This

RIS supercedes RIS 2004-10. The objective is to update examination schedules and applicant

estimates for CYs 2006 through 2008 and add an estimate for CY 2009.

ML052080128
RIS 2005-19

Page 2 of 4

SUMMARY OF ISSUE

The NRC uses about twice as many resources to prepare an examination as to review,

approve, administer, and document a facility-prepared examination. The number of

examinations administered by licensees fluctuates from year to year. Consequently, the NRC

has found it helpful to request an annual update of power reactor facility licensees’ initial

operator licensing examination needs. The update should include an estimate of the number of

applicants to be examined and whether the licensee or the NRC will prepare the exam. This

information will help the NRC budget its resources. The NRC regional offices will continue to

coordinate specific examination dates with the training managers of affected facility licensees.

The NRC is requesting that each licensee provide the following information on NRC Form 536,

“Operator Licensing Examination Data” (attached):

A. Proposed Examination Preparation Schedule 

Estimate the number of examinations you intend to prepare and the number of examinations

you will request the NRC to prepare during CYs 2006 through 2009. For examinations that are

prepared by facility licensees, the NRC will assume that each examination includes the required

outline, the written examination, and the operating test unless otherwise specified (joint

NRC/licensee examination development is permitted and should be coordinated with the NRC

regional office). 

B. Initial Operator License Examinations 

 

For each desired examination, estimate the number of applicants to be tested and enter the

proposed primary and alternate dates of examination. If you are requesting more than one

examination per calendar year, split the applicable column or use additional forms as necessary

to cover all the examinations through CY 2009. 

C. Proposed Generic Fundamentals Examination Schedule 

 

Estimate by examination month the number of applicants who plan to take the GFE in CYs

2006 and 2007. As requested by the industry, the GFE is now administered four times a year.

VOLUNTARY RESPONSE

Addressees that choose to submit the information requested in NRC Form 536 are asked to do

so within 30 days of receiving this RIS. NRC Form 536 is available on the NRC Web site at 

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/forms/. Your response should be directed to the

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, ATTN: Document Control Desk, Washington, DC 

20555-0001, and a copy of the response should be sent to the applicable regional office. RIS

responses may be submitted electronically.
RIS 2005-19

Page 3 of 4

BACKFIT DISCUSSION

This RIS requires no action or written response. Any action on the part of addressees to collect

and transmit operator licensing examination data in accordance with the guidance contained in

this RIS is strictly voluntary and, therefore, is not a backfit under 10 CFR 50.109. 

Consequently, the staff did not perform a backfit analysis.

 

FEDERAL REGISTER NOTIFICATION

A notice of opportunity for public comment on this RIS was not published in the Federal

Register because it pertains to an administrative aspect of the regulatory process that involves

the voluntary submission of information on the part of addressees.

SMALL BUSINESS REGULATORY ENFORCEMENT FAIRNESS ACT OF 1966

The NRC has determined that this action is not subject to the Small Business Regulatory

Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996.

PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT STATEMENT

This RIS concerns a voluntary information collection that is subject to the Paperwork Reduction

Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). This voluntary information collection is covered by Office

of Management and Budget (OMB) clearance no. 3150-0131, which expires on August 31,

2008. 

The public reporting burden for this voluntary information collection on NRC Form 536 is

estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions,

searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing

and reviewing the information collection. Send comments on any aspect of this information

collection, including suggestions for reducing the burden, to the Records and FOIA/Privacy

Services Branch (T-F52), U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001,

or by Internet electronic mail to infocollects@nrc.gov; and to the Desk Officer, Office of

Information and Regulatory Affairs, NEOB-10202 (3150-0131), Office of Management and

Budget, Washington, DC 20503.

Public Protection Notification

The NRC may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, an 

information collection unless the requesting document displays a currently valid OMB control

number. 
RIS 2005-19

Page 4 of 4

CONTACT

Please direct any questions about this matter to the technical contact(s) or the Lead Project

Manager listed below, or to the appropriate Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) project

manager. 

/RA/

Patrick L. Hiland, Chief

Reactor Operations Branch

Division of Inspection Program Management

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical Contacts: David C. Trimble, NRR Richard J. Conte, RI

 301-415-2942 610-337-5183

 E-mail: dct@nrc.gov E-mail: rjc@nrc.gov

 James H. Moorman, RII Hironori Peterson, RIII

 404-562-4647 630-829-9707

 E-mail: jhm2@nrc.gov E-mail: hxp1@nrc.gov

 Ryan E. Lantz, RIV

 817-860-8158

 E-mail: rel@nrc.gov

Attachment: NRC Form 536, “Operator Licensing Examination Data”

Note: NRC generic communications may be found on the NRC public website,

http://www.nrc.gov, under Electronic Reading Room/Document Collections.
RIS 2005-19

Page 4 of 4

CONTACT

Please direct any questions about this matter to the technical contact(s) or the Lead Project

Manager listed below, or to the appropriate Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) project

manager. 

/RA/

Patrick L. Hiland, Chief

Reactor Operations Branch

Division of Inspection Program Management

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical Contacts: David C. Trimble, NRR Richard J. Conte, RI

 301-415-2942 610-337-5183

 E-mail: dct@nrc.gov E-mail: rjc@nrc.gov

 James H. Moorman, RII Hironori Peterson, RIII

 404-562-4647 630-829-9707

 E-mail: jhm2@nrc.gov E-mail: hxp1@nrc.gov

 Ryan E. Lantz, RIV

 817-860-8158

 E-mail: rel@nrc.gov

Attachment: NRC Form 536, “Operator Licensing Examination Data”

Note: NRC generic communications may be found on the NRC public website,

http://www.nrc.gov, under Electronic Reading Room/Document Collections.

DISTRIBUTION:

RIS File

ADAMS ACCESSION NUMBER: ML052080128

OFFICE IROB:DIPM TECH EDITOR SC:IOHS:IROB:DIPM TSS:IROB:DIPM D:DLPM OE

NAME EEBarnhill PKleene DCTrimble THBoyce LMarsh CNolan

DATE 08/03/2005 07/30/2005 07/27/2005 07/28/2005 07/27/2005 07/28/2005

OFFICE OGC (NLO) OGC (SBREFA) PMAS OIS OES:IROB:DIPM OES:IROB:DIPM

NAME SUttal SCrocket DLMcCain (VET for) BStMary AWMarkley MJRoss-Lee

(IJung for)

DATE 08/02/2005 08/11/2005 08/03 /2005 08/18/2005 08/23/2005 08/23/2005

OFFICE C:IROB:DIPM

NAME PLHiland

DATE 08/24/2005

OFFICIAL RECORD COPY
Attachment 

RIS 2005-19

Page 1 of 1