(1) Any candidate who takes and does not pass the osteopathic practices and principles examination, may request review of the results of the examination by the Washington state board of osteopathic medicine and surgery.

(a) The board will not modify examination results unless the candidate presents clear and convincing evidence of error in the examination content or procedure, or bias, prejudice, or discrimination in the examination process.

(b) The board will not consider any challenges to examination scores unless the total of the potentially revised score would result in issuance of a license.

(2) The procedure for requesting an informal review of examination results is as follows:

(a) The request must be in writing and must be received by the department within thirty days of the date on the letter of notification of examination results sent to the candidate.

(b) The following procedures apply to an appeal of the results of the written examination.

(i) In addition to the written request required in (a) of this subsection, the candidate must appear personally in the department office in Olympia for an examination review session. The candidate must contact the department to make an appointment for the examination review session.

(ii) The candidate's incorrect answers will be available during the review session. The candidate will be given a form to complete in defense of the examination answers. The candidate must specifically identify the challenged questions on the examination and must state the specific reason(s) why the candidate believes the results should be modified.

(iii) The candidate may not bring in any resource material for use while completing the informal review form.

(iv) The candidate will not be allowed to remove any notes or materials from the office upon completing the review session.

(c) The board will schedule a closed session meeting to review the examinations, score sheets, and forms completed by the candidate. The candidate will be notified in writing of the board's decision.

(i) The candidate will be identified only by candidate number for the purpose of this review.

(ii) Letters of referral or requests for special consideration will not be read or considered by the board.

(d) Any candidate not satisfied with the results of the informal examination review may request a formal hearing before the board to challenge the examination results.

(3) The procedures for requesting a formal hearing are as follows:

(a) The candidate must complete the informal review process before requesting a formal hearing.

(b) The request for formal hearing must be received by the department within twenty days of the date on the notice of the results of the board's informal review.

(c) The written request must specifically identify the challenged portion(s) of the examination and must state the specific reason(s) why the candidate believes the examination results should be modified.

(d) Candidates will receive at last twenty days notice of the time and place of the formal hearing.

(e) The hearing will be restricted to the specific portion(s) of the examination the candidate had identified in the request for formal hearing.

(f) The formal hearing will be conducted pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act, chapter 34.05 RCW.