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Exam Retention Policy

In May 2018, NCRA announced to members that an Exam Retention Policy was recommended by the Council of the Academy of Professional Reporters (CAPR). Under this policy, any person with an existing history of passed educational components or passed tests will have three years to complete the remaining components and earn their certifications.

The Exam Retention policy went into effect October 1, 2018. The policy included an exception for those with any passed test history earned prior to October 1, 2018, to have three years from the launch of the Exam Retention policy to use the past test history toward completion of a certification. The original deadline for those included in the exception was November 1, 2021, and was extended by the NCRA Board to December 15, 2021.

This policy applies to:

Certifications with Education Eligibility requirement
Certification Seminars and/or Workshops – Once an attendee has completed the CLVS Seminar, CRC Workshop, or other education as a mandatory component of a certification process, he or she has three years from the date of completion to successfully complete the other requirements to earn that certification. Should the three-year cycle lapse from the date of completing the education component without successfully passing the other requirements, the education will expire, and the candidate will be required to retake the education component in order to earn the certification.
Certifications with only Written Knowledge Test and Skills Test requirement
Written Knowledge Tests (WKTs) and Skills Tests (SKTs) – Once a candidate has successfully completed a Written Knowledge Test or Skills Test with a passing score, they have three years from the date of the exam to successfully complete the other requirements to earn that certification. Should the three-year cycle lapse without successfully passing the other requirements, the test score will expire, and the candidate must retake the test prior to earning the certification.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is NCRA putting an expiration date on my test history?

The policy ensures that candidates are highly likely to maintain their skills while completing all requirements and will be more likely to pass all requirements for reporter certifications because their skills (speed and/or accuracy levels) will be at their highest.

Does the policy affect my test history for a certification I already hold?

No. The exam retention policy only applies to test history that is earned towards a certification that is not fully completed.

If I have passed multiple tests but not all requirements, do those passed tests expire at the same time?

Not necessarily. Each passed test has its own expiration date based on when it was passed.

For example, if you pass the RPR Literary 1/1/2020 and the RPR Jury Charge 7/1/2020, then the Literary would expire 1/1/2023 and the Jury Charge would expire 7/1/2023. This means if you pass the RPR Testimony and RPR Written Knowledge Test after 1/1/2023, the Literary would be expired and you would need to retake it, but the Jury Charge would not yet be expired. If you re-passed the Literary before 7/1/2023, you would not need to retake the Jury Charge and you would earn the RPR.

How does the exam retention policy affect my existing passed test history?

All tests or education components passed before the policy was implemented on October 1, 2018, expired on December 15, 2021, unless the certification was fully earned prior to December 15, 2021 (the Exam Retention Policy only apples to test history that is earned towards a certification that is not fully completed).

Any tests or education components passed after the policy was implemented on October 1, 2018 have an expiration of three years from the date of the official pass.

Does the exam retention policy dictate how many times I can test?

No. You can test as many times as any one exam is offered.

What does my Passed Certification Test History show?

It shows when a certification requirement for a multi-requirement certification (RSR, RPR, RMR, CRC, CLVS) is passed and when that passed test history will expire.

How/where can I check the status of my Passed Certification Test History?

You can check your active passed test history by following these steps:

Log into NCRA’s website (NCRA.org) using your member number and password.
Once logged in, under “Welcome Name,” click My Profile.
Under My Profile, click My Education and select “My Passed Certification Test History.” This report will show all passed test history that is current and applicable towards a certification.

You may notice passed test history for a certification you earned is also marked as Passed/Expired. As stated, the Exam Retention Policy only applies to test history that is earned towards a certification that is NOT fully completed. Passed/Expired test history for an earned certification is simply showing that it was passed more than three years ago. It does not affect your earned certification.

Does the exam retention policy apply to skills tests? Written knowledge tests? CLVS Production Exam? CLVS Mandatory Workshop? CRC Workshop? CRI Education?

Yes. The exam retention policy applies to any requirement that counts towards earning a certification. It applies to all skills exams, all Written Knowledge Tests, the CLVS Production Exam, the CLVS Mandatory Workshop, CRC Workshop, and the CRI Education.

If I am on inactive status with NCRA, do I still have only three years for any test history that I have earned to apply towards a certification?

Yes. The exam retention policy applies to any test or education history that is required to earn a certification. The rules for inactive status only impact CEU requirements and membership payments.

If I am not a current member, does the exam retention policy still apply?

Yes. The exam retention policy applies to anyone with NCRA passed test history.

If I am a current student, does the exam retention policy still apply?

Yes. The exam retention policy applies to anyone with NCRA passed test history.

Can I still test as a non-member?

Yes. Non-members can still test for the RPR, CRC, CLVS and CRI.

Is there any way to get back my expired tests or education components?

Your test or education components may be eligible for the Exam History Reinstatement Policy. Find more information here.

Who do I contact if I have more questions?

You can send your additional questions to testing@ncra.org.