Certification News

 

YOU SAY, “WHY CERTIFICATION?”

 IAAP SAYS, “WHY NOT”?

WE SAY – GO FOR IT!!!

Read on……..

 

General Information

Take this important step now for you and for your career...

Earn the Certified Professional Secretary^®(CPS^®) rating or
Certified Administrative Professional^® (CAP^®) rating through IAAP

Professional certification shows employers, clients and associates that you are committed as a professional.

Certification is a mark of excellence that you carry with you everywhere you go.

Certification provides opportunities to enhance your career success through:

 

      JOB ADVANCEMENT – certification gives you a competitive edge for promotion and hiring.

      PROFESSIONAL SKILLS – You will learn more about office operations and build skills by studying for and taking the CPS or CAP exam.

      SALARY – A recent IAAP membership profile study shows that CPS holders earn an average of $2,228 more per year than those who do not have certification.

      ESTEEM – Attaining certification demonstrates to your employer and yourself that you are committed as a professional.

      COLLEGE CREDIT – Many colleges and universities offer course credit for studying for and passing the CPS and CAP exams.

      CERTIFICATION CONFERENCE - Receive the benefit of annual state-of-the-art  education and networking opportunities with other professionals in the administrative field.

 

 IAAP WEB SITE

There is a section of the main IAAP web site (www.iaap-hq.org) devoted to the CPS and CAP exam process, under the tab titled Professional Certification.  If you have not already done so, please take a moment to familiarize yourselves with the information available to you.  There you will find general information on the certification programs, forms, the Certification Review Guide, and much more. 

Another resource available to you is the Certification Department at Headquarters.  You should always feel free to contact the Certification Department with any questions you may have.  The main phone number is 816.891.6600; email address certification@iaap-hq.org.  Personal contacts include: Kathy Schoneboom CPS/CAP, ext 2227 or kschone@iaap-hq.org;Jennifer Mikic CPS/CAP, ext 2225 or jmikic@iaap-hq.org; and Vicki Twombly, ext 2248 or vtwombly@iaap-hq.org.

Locally, feel free to contact Chapter member Pauline Judge,  at  www.iaap-hq.org.    Certification materials and study guides are available at no cost to Cape Cod Chapter members who have registered for the exam.  Non-members will be charged a nominal $25 fee for the certification study materials.  Stay tuned for an announcement of when the next study group will begin.

 

CERTIFICATION BROCHURES

There are two brochures available that are used in promoting IAAP certification programs: 

Professional Certification… The Career Advantage is one of the brochures that I would be happy to share with you.  Just call or send me an email to request a copy. 

Certification Application Packet is the brochure that includes complete details and application forms.  If you have a definite interest in taking the exam, I would be happy to provide you with a packet. This brochure and the forms can be downloaded from our web site

www.iaap-hq.org/Cert/CertAppPacket.pdf.

For those recertifying, there is a Recertification Application/Information brochure that explains all requirements of the mandatory CPS and CAP recertification process.  This brochure is available on the web site at www.iaap-hq.org/Cert/recertification.pdf.

 

EXAMINATION FACTS & FIGURES

Two Certification Programs:  The programs consist of a 3-part CPS Exam and a 4-part CAP Exam 

Examination Parts:

            Part 1:  Office Systems & Technology (CPS and CAP exams)         

            Part 2:  Office Administration (CPS and CAP exams) 

            Part 3:  Management (CPS and CAP exams)                                          

            Part 4:  Advanced Organizational Management (CAP exam only)

It is recommended that the Certification Review Guide be used to direct any course of study. The Certification Review Guide is available on the Web site at www.iaap-hq.org/Cert/examrevw.pdf. 

Examination Dates:  The exams are given the first full weekends of May and November. Parts 1-3 of the CPS and CAP exams are administered all day Saturday.  Part 4 of the CAP Exam is administered Friday afternoon.

 Future exam dates and deadlines can also be found on the Web at www.iaap-hq.org/cert/dates.htm.

EXAMINATION FEES:                           CPS EXAM                 CAP EXAM

  Members:

     Processing Fee                                         $ 50                             $  50

     Registration Fee - all parts*                       $160                            $210

     Registration Fee – retakes                        $ 60 per part                $  60 per part

 

  Non-members:

     Processing Fee                                        $ 75                             $  75

     Registration Fee – all parts*                      $210                            $260

     Registration Fee – retakes                        $ 85 per part                $  85 per part

 

*New candidates apply to take either the three-part CPS exam or the four-part CAP exam and must take all parts on their first attempt; CPS exam candidates will take three parts – CAP exam candidates will take four parts.  CAP candidates do not receive the CPS rating upon passing Parts 1-3 of the CAP exam. 

Special Fees:  CPS holders applying for the CAP rating are required to take only Part 4 of the CAP Exam; they are exempt from Parts 1-3 of the CAP exam.  The fee is $120 member/$145 nonmember; processing fee is waived. 

 

RECERTIFICATION

CPS and CAP holders are required to recertify every five years.  Those who do not remain current through recertification have their rating marked inactive on the IAAP database and are no longer afforded the privileges of certification.  To regain the rating once marked inactive, the individual must reapply and retest.

To assist members and guests in attaining these needed points, have your program chairman request recertification points for your chapter and division educational programs.  The educational programs itself (business meetings are not eligible for recertification points) must be at least one-hour in length and must cover topics relevant to the exam outline. 

Details on requesting recertification points for chapter and division educational programs can be found at www.iaap-hq.org/Cert/recertification_prog_app_dir.htm, or requested from the Certification Department at certification@iaap-hq.org.  Please submit the request at least two weeks prior to the program.  Programs cannot be approved after the fact.

For individuals, the Recertification Brochure found at www.iaap-hq.org/Cert/recertification.pdf includes the application for recertification and the categories to use in earning recertification points.  The Certification Department also makes available a helpful spreadsheet to use in recording points earned.  The spreadsheet is found at www.iaap-hq.org/Cert/Recertification_Spreadsheet.xls.