We hope this page will provide you with easy access to the questions people most often ask us about the Academy. Of course, you are always welcome to contact us directly with any questions, comments, or suggestions you may have for the Academy of Certified Archivists.

STEP 2: Make sure every member of your group checks the "Pick Your Site" box on the application form, writes the name of the city where they request the ACA to hold the exam, and postmarks their application by

• May 15

STEP 3: There is no step three. That's all there is to it! The simplicity of the "Pick Your Site" program makes it an excellent opportunity for student groups and archival organizations to sponsor the test in their areas. It's also a way for non-US archivists to reduce or eliminate travel costs by hosting the exam in their country.

If you have any questions about qualifying for the examination, please do not hesitate to contact our Regent for Examination Administration.

Section 4 of the ACA Handbook is the study guide and starting point for preparing for the examination. It is composed of three parts including a discussion of examination development and content; general hints on taking multiple-choice exams; and sample questions and commentaries.

Section 5 of the ACA Handbook is a list of selected readings. The publications most frequently reflected in the test are checked. In addition, candidates should be familiar with the current professional literature.

You can read how one new member prepared for the examination in the article "Encouragement from a New Member" in the March/April 1999 News Highlights.

The test is scored by a professional testing expert (a psychometrician associated with a major United States university) and is reported approximately eight weeks after you take the examination. While this may seem like an unusually long time for a computer graded exam, the ACA's members need to be assured that the test has not only been graded for individual performance but also that the test itself has been graded. This complicated process ensures fairness, test worthiness and credibility of the examination.

In addition to the information found in the ACA Handbook, the process of developing and evaluating the examination is described further by ACA’s psychometrician in the article How the Exam is Developed and Evaluated in the July 1999 News Highlights.

The Academy never releases the names of persons who did not pass the examination. Your privacy is very important to us.

Even if you do not pass the test, having the self-confidence to take it shows that you are someone to take seriously. Personal initiative is one of the traits employers seek most. Therefore, you may want to mention in job interviews that you took the exam, didn't pass, plan to take it again, and why you think it is important to take it again. What employer could fail to be impressed by the career planning, professional commitment, self-confidence, and personal initiative that expresses?

A member who took the examination three times describes why she thought it important to keep trying and how she studied each time in the article "Certification by Examination" in the December 1998 News Highlights.

Certification maintenance rewards archivists for keeping current with developments in their field. Using the honor system, members list on a form (called a "petition") their professional development and continuing education activities during the previous five years. Recertification by petition is one of the more important benefits of becoming a Certified Archivist, because it is the archival profession's only system for recognizing the continuing education and professional development activities in which archivists routinely participate, such as attending professional meetings, serving on committees, giving papers, and attending workshops.

However, members who prefer may recertify by simply taking the archival certification examination again. Many archivists prefer to recertify by examination because:

• circumstances may make it difficult for them to participate in professional development activities;
• taking the test is faster and simpler than filling out the certification maintenance petition;
• or they wish to take advantage of the very important self-evaluation benefits of taking the test.

Whether you choose to maintain your certification by petition or exam, there is never a recertification fee.

A roll call of the newest class is called at the Academy’s annual meeting. This is held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Society of American Archivists. New members are encouraged to attend this meeting so they may stand and be recognized for their achievement.

The Academy's annual meeting is also an excellent opportunity to meet our officers, the other members of your class, and other Certified Archivists. We hope you will be able to attend and look forward to seeing you there.

Persons who pass the examination and demonstrate the necessary qualifying experience then pay a certification fee of US$150. Under the "provisional membership" program, applicants have three years in which to obtain one year of full-time professional qualifying experience, and the certification fee is not due until after applicants earn their qualifying experience. Once you pay the certification fee and become a Certified Archivist, annual dues of US$50 are payable starting June 1 of the following year.

Therefore, you do not have to pay professional fees and dues until you have had three years in which to find a professional position.