Opinion ID: 2167002
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: The Single Sitting Requirement

Text: Dr. Tinner also contends that the Federation did not endorse a single sitting requirement; rather, it only recommended a minimum passing grade of 75. To support this argument, Dr. Tinner notes that nineteen (19) jurisdictions, including those with the largest physician populations, do not have a single sitting requirement. We agree that the Federation recommended a minimum passing grade of 75. [8] We cannot agree, however, with Dr. Tinner's assertion that the Federation did not endorse a single sitting requirement. While the FLEX Handbook did not say in so many words that the Federation was recommending a single sitting requirement, it provided discussion which compellingly indicated that the Federation endorsed such a requirement. Specifically, as indicated above, the Federation recommended a passing Flex weighted average (FWA) of 75. Further, the Federation stated that it would calculate an FWA only on the basis of an examinee's scores achieved in all three days of the same examination, whether it is the initial examination or a subsequent reexamination. In addition, the Federation expressed its strong recommendation against picking and choosing across multiple examinations, using only the highest scores, because such scores may not be endorsible in other jurisdictions. The fact that the Federation recommended a minimum passing FWA score of 75, computed the FWA based on a single sitting, and recommended against scrambling was tantamount to its endorsement of a single sitting requirement for the pre-1985 FLEX. Finally on this point, we cannot agree that the fact that nineteen (19) jurisdictions, including some with the largest physician populations, do not have a single sitting requirement substantially advances Dr. Tinner's opposition to this requirement. If anything, this aspect of the case actually weakens Dr. Tinner's position since a majority of jurisdictions, thirty-one, do have the single sitting requirement for applicants who seek licensure based on the pre-1985 FLEX. It is reasonable to conclude that the majority of jurisdictions read the FLEX Handbook the way the District did, and administered the FLEX accordingly. In 17 DCMR § 4605.2 the District of Columbia adopted the single sitting requirement for applications based on a pre-1985 FLEX exam in order to implement the underlying statute, D.C.Code § 2-3305 (1994). We are not persuaded that the Board's corresponding interpretation and application of the statute are unreasonable.