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ABC Voluntary Certification Process
ABC offers a certification program to individuals where there are no existing mandatory certification programs OR to individuals who hold equivalent active certification in a jurisdiction with a mandatory program. The relevant jurisdiction is where the applicant is employed or where the applicant lives if not employed. If you work outside the United States or Canada, please contact the ABC office about the availability of ABC certification.
ABC certification is available in the following areas:
- Water Treatment
- Water Distribution
- Very Small Water System
- Wastewater Treatment
- Wastewater Collection
- Biological Industrial Waste
- Physical/Chemical Industrial Waste
- Water Laboratory
- Wastewater Laboratory
The following steps detail the ABC certification process.
Certification through Examination:
- Contact the certifying authority for the state or province where you work, to determine if mandatory certification is required for the area of certification in which you are interested.
- If there is not a mandatory certification program, you may apply for any class level for which you qualify based on certification, examination, education and experience requirements.
If there is a mandatory certification requirement, you may apply for ABC voluntary certification, but you may not apply for a certification level above that which you currently hold in the state or province where you work. An exception will be made if ABC offers certification levels higher than those offered in your work jurisdiction. In this situation, you may apply for a certification level above your current level of certification provided you meet all certification requirements at that level.
- Contact the ABC office (515-232-3623, abc@abccert.org) to obtain an application form for ABC voluntary certification. Be sure to indicate the certification category for which you are seeking certification.
- Complete and return the Certification Application with the application fee (currently USD $120.00) and required documentation to ABC.
- Your current level of certification, education and work experience will be reviewed and arrangements will be made for you to take a certification exam with a proctor approved by ABC. (Please note that this may require you to travel in order to take the ABC exam.) If all of the program certification requirements are met, you will receive an ABC certificate.
- Certification requires meeting certification, exam, education and experience requirements as follows:
- For all Class levels other than the initial level of certification, you must hold an active certificate/ license in good standing which is equivalent to one level below that for which you will be applying.
- ABC requires sequential examinations; that is, you must start with the Class I (lowest level) exam and pass it in order to take the Class II exam; then take the Class II exam and pass it before taking the Class III exam; and so on. A score of 70 or above is required to pass the exam. The Exam Information section of this web site contains information about ABC's standardized exams.
- If you are currently certified by another state or provincial certification program and have taken and passed their certification exam with a score of 70 or above, you may start taking the sequential exams starting at the same equivalent ABC level. Please contact ABC to determine the equivalent exam class level. The ABC Exam Equivalency Charts indicate which exams the ABC Certification Program considers equivalent to ABC standardized exams.
- In addition to passing the ABC certification exam, education and experience requirements must also be met. Education and experience requirements vary by class level and are listed below.
Certification through Reciprocity:
If you are currently certified (i.e. hold a certificate or license which is active and was obtained through examination with a passing score of 70 or above) you may be eligible to receive certification from ABC through reciprocity, as follows.
- Contact the ABC office (515-232-3623, abc@abccert.org) to obtain an application form for ABC voluntary certification. Be sure to indicate the certification category for which you are seeking certification.
- Complete and return the Certification Application with the application fee (currently USD $120.00) and required documentation to ABC.
- Your application will be reviewed, and if you meet ALL of the program requirements including certification, examination, education and experience, you will receive an ABC certificate. The ABC Exam Equivalency Charts indicate which exams the ABC Certification Program considers equivalent to ABC standardized exams for the purpose of issuing an ABC certificate by reciprocity. Education and experience requirements vary by class level and are listed below.
- If you meet ABC's certification, education and experience requirements, but have not taken an exam which is equivalent to ABC's certification exam, or you did not receive a score of 70 or above on an equivalent exam, you are not eligible to receive an ABC certificate through reciprocity. Please see Certification through Examination above.
Education and Experience Requirements
In addition to examination requirements, you must meet the following education and experience requirements in order to be certified by ABC.
Very Small Water System (VSWS)
- 0.6 CEUs VSWS education
- 6 months of acceptable experience
Class I
- High school diploma, GED, or equivalent
- 1 year of acceptable experience
Class II
- High school diploma, GED, or equivalent
- 3 years of acceptable experience
Class III
- High school diploma, GED, or equivalent
- 900 contact hours of post high school education
- 4 years of acceptable experience including 2 years of direct responsible charge*
Class IV
- High school diploma, GED, or equivalent
- 1,800 contact hours of post high school education
- 4 years of acceptable experience including 2 years of direct responsible charge*
*Direct responsible charge (DRC) is not required for laboratory analysts.
Exams Available for ABC Certification
Exams are available in the following certification areas:
- Water Treatment
- Water Distribution
- Very Small Water System
- Wastewater Treatment
- Wastewater Collection
- Biological Industrial Waste
- Physical/Chemical Industrial Waste
- Water Laboratory
- Wastewater Laboratory
The Exam Information section of this web site contains information about ABC's standardized exams.
Other Certification and Reciprocity topics:
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