Test Center Certification: Recertification

Congratulations on your decision to recertify your test center!  Maintaining NCTA Test Center Certification shows your continued commitment to testing integrity and the highest standards of quality and performance in the field of collegiate test administration. Embarking on this process involves a commitment on your part, as well as from your staff and supervisor. In addition to completing the recertification application you will also need to provide evidence, in the form of Appendices, which document your test center’s policies and processes. Crafting, reviewing, editing and finalizing these Appendices takes time, which is why it is important for you to have the support of your staff and supervisor before taking on this project.

The Recertification Process

NCTA Test Center Certification expires after five years. The Test Center Certification Committee’s Vice-Chair for Recertification will contact your site six months prior to your site’s certification expiration date to begin the Recertification process. The TCC committee examines and requires continuous enhancement to your center’s materials, services, and procedures through observing testing trends since your last certification. This process requires you to perform another self-evaluation of your current processes and update required areas to meet the NCTA Professional Standards and Guidelines and the specific appendices as presented on the Recertification Checklist and Selected Standards for Certification.

Recertification Steps

  1. Read the  Recertification Checklist (see Resources page).
  2. Each contact person listed on the application must be a current member of NCTA.
  3. Recertification Vice Chair will contact site nine months prior to certification expiration.
  4. Site will send an email to [email protected] indicating readiness to submit files for certification.
  5. Pay the non-refundable $100 recertification fee to NCTA.
  6. The Recertifications Vice Chair will contact site with instructions on uploading completed file/documents.
  7. Site will upload completed files to their designated NCTA Dropbox.  All documents must be submitted in English and in PDF format.
  8. If paperwork is complete, the Recertifications Vice Chair will assign an Advisor. If materials are not complete, site will be notified for revision and resubmission.
  9. Work with Advisor to review and edit the application and appendices, as needed.
  10. Your Advisor will notify the Recertifications Vice Chair that site files are ready for evaluation.
  11. Recertifications Vice Chair will assign two Evaluators.
  12. Evaluators will independently review files and send comments to Recertifications Vice Chair.
  13. Recertifications Vice Chair will notify Advisor if there are revisions requested and Advisor will work with site on improvements.  Steps 12 and 13 are repeated until the site is ready to move on to Step 14.
  14. Recertifications Vice Chair advances site to site visit stage, notifies Site Visit and Certification Coordinator.
  15. Site will select two colleagues from the school for a site visit and colleagues will submit their report and findings to the Site Visit and Certification Coordinator.
  16. Once the site visit is completed, and the Site Visit and Certification Coordinator approves site certification, the site will be NCTA Test Center Certified for another 5 years!

 

IMPORTANT:

The time it takes to become recertified varies from school to school. However, the application and appendices must ALL be submitted at once. Failure to do so will result in the withdrawal of your application. The whole recertification process should not take longer than six months.

Reasons Why Applications/Materials May Be Rejected

  1. The application was not complete
  2. All appendices were not submitted

Sample Appendices are available for your review on the Resources Page

NCTA Test Center Recertification is valid for five (5) years.

Recertified test centers are announced on the NCTA listserv. In addition, recertifying test centers receive a date plaque indicating the recertification date to affix to their original large wall plaque, the right to continue use of the NCTA-certified center logo on your website and other promotional materials, and a sample press release to announce this accomplishment. The Test Center Certification Committee’s Recertification Vice-Chair will initiate the next recertification process nine months prior to the expiration of your recertification date.

When Test Center Certification Expires

If your test center does not complete the recertification process before your current certification expires your test center will be removed from NCTA’s List of Certified Test Centers. And you will be required to:

  • Discontinue use of NCTA’s Certified Center logo in all publications and official communications
  • Remove language that denotes/implies being a certified test center from all publications and official communications
  • Reapply as a new certification and pay required fees

If you have any questions about certification, please contact [email protected]  

Join our Certification Team

Our dynamic, engaging, and innovative committee is always seeking new perspectives and ideas to redefine test center certification standards and keeping up with new testing center trends and best practices. We welcome dedicated and professional colleagues to assist in our mission. 

We need volunteers to work on processing applications, to serve on the committee, to discuss test center methodologies, and serve on key projects within the Test Center Certification Committee. Contact [email protected].