IABC Accreditation: Exam
About the exam
The examination tests your knowledge of communication and management skills. The exam is 4.5 hours long and includes a 4-hour written test and a 30-minute oral test.
The written exam has three sections:
- General knowledge of organizational communication. This section is worth 40 percent of the written examination. It tests your knowledge of communication concepts, tools and technology, and your ability to write or perform professional communication activities based on actual assignments completed during the examination period.
- Developing a full-range communication program. This section is worth 40 percent of the written examination. As you answer the questions related to a case study, this section tests your ability to strategically think through and develop a complete communication program for a specific organizational or case problem. There are a number of options from which to choose. You may choose the situation most in line with your knowledge or professional experience.
- Philosophy and ethics of organizational communication. This is worth 20 percent of the written examination. It tests your understanding of the ethics of organizational communication and management principles related to communication and of the communicator’s role in their application.
The required answers for the written examination may vary in length from a brief paragraph to an extensive discussion over one or two pages.
Some of the questions will have generally accepted “correct” answers and your responses will be evaluated against those standards. However, other questions will allow for more open-ended responses. On these questions, your answers will be judged on general content, comprehension, logic, organization and clarity of presentation. Many of the questions will require you to analyze or solve communication problems. Your answers will be evaluated in terms of insight, applicability, creativity and practicality in a real-world setting.
The oral exam tests your ability to make an extemporaneous presentation under the pressure of a real deadline. At some point during the four-hour written examination, you will be asked to leave the room for a 30-minute oral exam. You will be presented with a hypothetical situation described through simulated working documents such as memos, letters, voice mail and e-mail messages, faxes and news clips. You will have 15 minutes to study the documents and seven to ten minutes to present your diagnosis of the problem and your proposed solution.
EAS candidates please note your oral exam will be based on your first portfolio.
The oral exam graders evaluate five factors:
- Your effectiveness in identifying pertinent data from the working documents
- Your ability to make a persuasive and clear presentation
- Your skill in perceiving and reacting sensitively to the questions of others
- Your ability to reach logical conclusions
- Your efforts to influence events
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How the exam works
All materials necessary for taking the exams are supplied. You may bring your own PC or laptop. You may not bring any resource materials such as dictionaries, textbooks or notes.
You must surrender all flash drives and clear the memory of the machine at the end of the examination. All printing must be done following the allotted time for the exam.
Four hours and 30 minutes are allotted for the two exams: four hours for the written exam and 30 minutes for the oral exam. Copies of your completed written exam, identified only by a pre-assigned number, will be sent to three or more graders. (Graders who suspect they may know a candidate’s identity will disqualify themselves.) The graders will evaluate your answers independently and forward their scores to IABC headquarters for compilations and final review.
Oral exams are routinely recorded and are usually evaluated by those who conduct the exam. However, if the on-site oral graders know you and would prefer not to grade your presentation, the recording of your oral exam will be graded by a separate team of graders.
Once you are scheduled to take the exam at a specified time and place, you must do so. Absence without prior notice and a legitimate excuse is considered an automatic failure. You may submit a written appeal to the Accreditation Committee.
If you do not pass a portion of the accreditation exam, you will be contacted by a member of the Accreditation Committee who will discuss the results with you and provide you with a detailed written evaluation of your performance to aid you in strengthening areas of weakness. If you failed a section of the written or oral exam, you may become accredited by retaking and passing that portion. If you failed all sections, you’ll have to retake and pass all sections.
You may re-take the exam at the next available date. The first re-take exam does not require a re-examination fee. Each subsequent re-take exam requires a re-examination fee of US$100 and must be completed within one year of the original exam.
Please direct all correspondence regarding accreditation or the examinations to IABC world headquarters at recognition@iabc.com for referral to the appropriate accreditation officials. All details pertaining to your request for accreditation and your performance on the examinations will be kept confidential by everyone involved in the accreditation process.
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Scheduling your exam
Candidates will be required to participate in a group exam date. Some of the scheduled exam periods and locations include:
IABC World Conference Accreditation Exam Frequently Asked Questions
When is the exam?
Sunday, 24 June 2012, 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Where is the exam?
Sheraton Towers, 301 East North Water Street, Chicago, IL 60611
312-464-1000 www.sheratonchicago.com
Written Exam: Mayfair Room, Level 2, (one level below Lobby Level 3)
Oral Exam: Illinois Boardroom, Level 2 (one level below Lobby Level 3)
Do I need to register for the exam?
Yes, pre-registration for this exam is mandatory and must be received no later than June 1. No exceptions. Walk-ins will not be admitted. Upon receipt of your registration you will receive a confirmation email.
How do I register?
Email the following information to recognition@iabc.com no later than June 1.
- First and last name
- ABC candidate number
- IABC member number
- Phone
- Exam required: _____ Entire exam _____ Part 1 _____ Part 2 _____ Part 3 _____Oral
Where do I check in when I arrive at the hotel?
Go directly to Mayfair Room, Level 2. From the main lobby take the escalator or elevator one level down to Level 2. Go past LB’s Bistro to the far end of the hallway. The Mayfair Room will be in front of you on the right corner past the second set of escalators.
What should I bring to the exam?
You must bring a computer with MS Word and a flash drive. No computers or flash drives will be provided. You will load the exam onto your computer using your flash drive then give the flash drive with the completed exam to the proctor to copy onto his/her computer. You must delete all exam files from both your flash drive and your computer before leaving the exam room.
Who do I contact if I have more questions?
recognition@iabc.com
More upcoming exams:
- September: Regional Conferences
- October: Regional Conferences
- November: Regional Conferences
Local exams are also scheduled through Accreditation Completion Programs (ACP) conducted by selected chapters throughout the year. Contact your local chapter to find out if they are offering an ACP. Candidates not involved in these programs may participate in ACP exams.
Should you have exceptional circumstances and cannot make any exam date listed above, you may petition for special consideration by sending an e-mail to
.
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Tips for taking the written exam
- Take the sample written exam.
- Read the questions carefully and make sure you fully understand what’s required. Don’t answer questions that aren’t asked.
- Number your answers in the same manner as the questions.
- Avoid over analyzing the exam; there are no trick questions.
- Answer realistically; the graders are looking for real-world answers. Draw on your experience.
- Work within the suggested time guidelines.
- Read all of the exam questions quickly before beginning to write.
- Consider starting by answering all of the questions you’re most comfortable with; you’ll gain confidence and you’ll probably remember points that will be useful on later questions. CAUTION: If you choose to answer questions in a random order, mark them clearly and/or cross off the questions as you answer them. Be sure you go back and answer those you’ve skipped. Regardless of the order you choose, all final answers must be consecutively numbered and match the appropriate question.
- Pay close attention to what is needed. If you’re asked for an essay answer, provide one. If you’re asked for five items, provide exactly five. If you're asked to choose only one option, choose only one.
- Consider sketching your answer on scrap paper; it could help organize your thoughts.
- Graders give points for what you actually put on papter; they do not award points for what they think you might know. Write it all down.
- Answer every question. A zero hurts your chances of getting a passing score on that section of the exam.
- Answer using your practical experience and professional knowledge, not textbook answers.
- Concentrate on your answers rather than occasional spelling errors, problem punctuation, unorthodox grammar or typing mistakes. These won’t count against you unless they are so prevalent that your answers are confusing or lead the graders to think you make these errors consistently.
- Leave enough time to check your answers. Look for assumptions that you haven’t adequately explained. Think like the graders when re-reading.
A Note from the Director of Exams:
Candidates are usually nervous when they sit for the accreditation exam. Nerves – and a looming sense of time passing too quickly – are the reasons that most candidates fail.
Let’s face it. If you’ve made it to the exam, you probably know what you’re doing. So why do nearly 60% of candidates fail at least one part of the exam?
Most frequently people start down the path of the right answer and either fail to provide enough detail or don’t fully answer the intent of the question.
Here are some tips from the Director of Exams:
- Provide a complete answer. State the “incredibly” obvious. Expand on your answers.
- E.g. It isn’t sufficient to say “activate a crisis plan” – you need to provide details on what the crisis plan entails and the communicator’s role in it.
- Start with strategic situational analysis THEN identify tactics to support your objectives. Many candidates dive right into tactics without outlining the strategy and rationale behind their thinking.
- Outline MEASURABLE objectives. (Hint: these usually include numbers, such as ‘increase awareness by 25%...). To implement a campaign “on time and on budget” isn’t a measurable objective – it’s your job!
- Read, understand THEN respond. Answer the whole question.
- If a question asks for five things, provide five things.
- General statements about the concepts are fine ONLY if backed up with specifics that relate to the question. For example, you can’t just talk about how important it is to have a social media plan – you need to also include the details of what is in the plan.
- Be sure to identify how/when you loop in management, approvals, Legal or HR. This provides an indication that you understand the implications of the situation beyond communication.
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Tips for taking the oral exam
EAS candidate's oral exam will be based on their first portfolio. For all others, the oral exam is based on an emergency situation that a professional communicator might face on short notice, perhaps without extensive familiarity with the issues involved. In such a situation, you would have to analyze the problem, prepare an action plan and clearly present your recommendations to management in a short period of time. The graders will ask you questions about your analysis or your proposed solutions.
- Take the sample oral exam to prepare you for the process. Request your mentor's help with practice grading. Record yourself to review.
- Study the given situation carefully and be sure you fully understand it.
- Refrain from over analyzing the exam; there are no trick questions.
- Remember that your oral presentation is an explanation to graders, not a sales pitch to management.
- Relax. The format is informal and the graders will do their best to ensure you’re comfortable and at ease.
- Speak clearly and convincingly. This will impress the graders.
- Avoid rambling. As in real life, time is short. Present your case, make your points and stop.
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