NICET Policies

To read a specific policy, click on its name below. Scroll down the page to read all policies.

1.	Complaints Against Applicants and Certificants
2.	Handling of Certification Process Irregularities
3.	Release of Confidential Applicant/Certificant Information
6.	Certification at Level IV
7.	Distribution of NICET Lists
8.	Examination Question Security
9.	Status of Examination Requirement Completion
10.	Effective Date for NICET Documents, Rules, and Fees
11.	Certification Criteria Effective Date
12.	Fees
13.	Certification Eligibility - Citizenship
14.	Qualifying Work Experience
15.	Exam Application
17.	Recommendation Validity
18.	Examination by Special Arrangement
19.	Accommodations for Examinees with Special Needs
20.	Retesting of Failed Exams
21.	Testing of Crossover Work Elements
22.	Release of Examination Results
23.	Posting of Crossover Credit to Test History
24.	Exam Rescheduling
26.	Deletion of Testing Records
27.	Copying of Completed Forms
28.	Seals and Stamps
29.	Processing of Test Scheduling Requests
30.	Continuing Professional Development
31.	Suspended Certification Status
32.	NICET Certification And The Practice Of Engineering
33.	Work Experience Credit For Engineering Technology Degree
34.	NICET Trademark and Copyright Protection
35.	Applicant Identification

POLICY 1. COMPLAINTS AGAINST APPLICANTS AND CERTIFICANTS

Complaints Accepted and Possible Actions
Four types of complaints will be accepted and they may be registered by any party, including NICET itself. The types of complaints are:

Type I. Complaints may be accepted pertaining to an applicant's or certificant's qualifications for a particular certification. These complaints shall pertain to examination misconduct; false, incomplete, or misleading application information; improper work element verification; or false or misleading personal recommendation. Possible actions may include temporary suspension or permanent revocation of certification(s).

Type II. Complaints may be accepted pertaining to violations of the NICET Code of Ethics by a certificant. Possible actions may include reprimanding the certificant, temporary suspension of certification(s), or permanent revocation of certification(s).

Type III. Complaints may be accepted pertaining to a certificant's improper execution of the technical practices which are an integral part of the certification. Possible actions may include reprimanding the certificant, temporary suspension of certification(s), or permanent revocation of certification(s).

Type IV. Complaints may be accepted pertaining to an individual's representation that he or she holds a valid NICET certification. Possible actions may include a letter to the individual stating that NICET has no records of their certification or if NICET records show that the individual's certification has expired, the letter will include:

1. The date of expiration;
2. The reason for expiration; and
3. What the individual is required to do to obtain a valid certification.

NICET may choose to inform others of the individual's lack of certification.

Processing of Complaints
Complainants (individual or organization) must submit a written complaint following the NICET-prescribed format. Click here to download the Complaint form, or call NICET at 888-476-4238 (or 703-548-1518) to request a form. Complaints will be processed in accordance with the following procedures:

1. Complaint will be reviewed by the NICET staff to ascertain if the criteria for acceptance of a complaint are met. The acceptance criteria are as follows:
   • Complainant must have personal knowledge of the alleged violation or misbehavior or must be in a position to supply relevant and reliable documentation.

   • Complainant must demonstrate by documentation and factual evidence that the complaint involves an issue or issues directly related to the criteria set forth in the preceding section entitled "Complaints Accepted and Possible Actions." Matters of a personal nature or matters not related to the criteria set forth will not be considered.

   • The complaint will not be processed if the NICET records show the named person is no longer in the NICET Registry or is not a NICET applicant, unless the complaint is related to such person representing themself as having a valid NICET certification.
   
   
2. Accepted complaints will be processed by the NICET staff for the purpose of attempting to resolve the complaint informally.

3. If resolution by the NICET staff is not possible, a NICET Hearing Panel will be established to review the complainant's statements and, if necessary, formally solicit answers to specific questions from the applicant or certificant. The Hearing Panel's ruling will then be conveyed in writing to the applicant or certificant and the complainant. The Hearing Panel shall be constituted as follows:
   • One current NICET Board of Governors member, one former NICET Board of Governors member, and one certificant (SET or CT, as appropriate). The appointments shall be made by the NICET Chair and shall be made with the objective of having two of the three panel members familiar with the applicant's or certificant's certification technical area.
     1. No Hearing Panel member shall be appointed to serve for a case in which he or she has a conflict of interest or under any circumstances in which the member cannot render impartial and unbiased judgment.

     2. The Hearing Panel may, at its discretion, retain a special consultant familiar with the applicant's or certificant's area of expertise if it believes that the special consultant will assist it in its deliberations.

4. If the Hearing Panel's ruling is unsatisfactory to the applicant or certificant, a Formal Hearing may be requested before the Hearing Panel. The request for a Formal Hearing must be received in writing by NICET no later than 30 days after the issuance of the Hearing Panel's ruling. The Formal Hearing will be scheduled between 60 and 90 days after NICET's receipt of the request for the Formal Hearing.
   

   • NICET will do its best to ensure that the Formal Hearing will be held at a time and location convenient to the applicant or certificant and that the panel will be the same initial members, if possible.
     1. In the event the Formal Hearing is postponed, it shall be rescheduled and take place within six months of the issuance of the Hearing Panel's original ruling.

   • The applicant or certificant will be informed of the rules for the Formal Hearing, which will include the following:
     1. A written description of the scope of the hearing including a clear statement of the allegations to be heard will be given to the applicant or certificant.
        
     2. The applicant or certificant will have the right to have legal counsel and to call witnesses.
        
     3. The proceeding will be tape recorded by NICET.
        
     4. The applicant or certificant will have the right to submit written testimony in lieu of appearing at the Formal Hearing provided such intent is made known thirty days prior to the scheduled hearing date.
        
     5. If written testimony is submitted, the hearing will proceed on the scheduled date whether or not the applicant or certificant is present.

   • If the applicant or certificant does not appear and written testimony is not provided, no Formal Hearing will be conducted and the original Hearing Panel's ruling will be final and non-appealable.

5. If the Formal Hearing results in a decision which is unsatisfactory to the complainant, applicant or certificant, a final appeal to the NICET Board of Governors may be requested provided a written request is submitted to the NICET Chief Operating Executive not later than 20 days after the Hearing Panel issues a written decision based on the Formal Hearing. This final appeal shall be scheduled at a regular Board of Governors meeting which is convened not later than ten months after the date the Formal Hearing was conducted.

6. All decisions of the NICET Board of Governors are final and non-appealable.

Public Notice of Actions

Final actions will be reported in the NICET Newsletter and on NICET's website.

Definitions

1. TEMPORARY SUSPENSION is an action that prevents testing activity, certification eligibility evaluations, certification decisions in any certification area, and recertification. Additionally, the individual will not be listed in any certification directory published during the suspension period. The length of a suspension period is influenced by the situation, but the minimum period is six months.

2. PERMANENT REVOCATION is an action which terminates the individual's association with NICET. Prior testing records, certification records, etc. are purged and future association with NICET is blocked.

3. REPRIMAND is an action that is taken by the Chief Operating Executive, in which, a letter is written that summarizes the facts regarding the complaint and the offense(s) committed. The letter is sent to the complainant and the applicant or certificant and becomes a permanent part of the applicant's or certificant's file.

POLICY 2. HANDLING OF CERTIFICATION PROCESS IRREGULARITIES

A. Examination Misconduct

1. Prior Knowledge
   A. If NICET has reasonable cause to believe that an examinee has obtained knowledge of any of the contents of his or her scheduled examination or any other examination prior to or during an examination sitting, NICET will cancel the examination results of the examinee and will not permit this person to sit for any NICET examination for a period of two years.
2. Copying Questions
   A. If NICET has reasonable cause to believe that an examinee intentionally compiled or copied information from an examination during its administration for the purpose of passing this information on to future examinees, NICET will cancel the examination results and will not permit the examinee or those known to have received the information to sit for any NICET examination for a period of two years.

B. False, Incomplete, or Misleading Information on Application
If NICET's review of the information on a certification application form reveals that false, incomplete, or misleading information which was intentionally included on the application contributed to or would contribute to an improper certification decision, NICET may take one or more of the following actions:

1. Delay the certification decision.
2. Temporarily suspend certification(s) held.
3. Permanently revoke certification(s) held.
4. Suspend the ability to sit for any NICET examination for a period of at least two years.

C. Improper Verification

1. If NICET determines that any verification was obtained from a non-qualified verifier or was given for tasks not actually performed, NICET's action against the applicant or certificant may be one or more of the following:
   1. Delay the certification decision.
   2. Temporarily suspend certification(s) held.
   3. Permanently revoke certification(s) held.
   4. Suspend the ability to sit for any NICET examination for a period of at least two years.

2. In addition, NICET may take action against the verifier which may include one or more of the following:
   1. Written reprimand to the verifier.
   2. Permanently lose the privilege of serving as a verifier.
   3. If NICET certified, temporarily suspend or permanently revoke certification(s).
   4. Suspend the ability to sit for any NICET examination for a period of at least two years.

D. Improper Personal Recommendations

1. If NICET determines that the submitted recommendation form was prepared by a non-qualified recommender, NICET's action against the applicant or certificant may be one or more of the following:
   1. Delay the certification decision.
      
   2. Temporarily suspend certification(s) held.
      
   3. Permanently revoke certification(s) held.
      
   4. Suspend the ability to sit for any NICET examination for a period of at least two years.

2. In addition, NICET may take action against the recommender which may include one or more of the following:
   1. Written reprimand to the recommender.
      
   2. Permanently lose the privilege of serving as a recommender.
      
   3. If NICET certified, temporarily suspend or permanently revoke certification(s).
      

E. Work Experience Evaluation
An applicant may register dissatisfaction with NICET's evaluation of the submitted work experience, and request that the work history of record be reviewed.

F. Action on Certification Process Irregularities
Decisions on appropriate actions to be taken by NICET will be made as follows:

1. Review by the NICET Director of Technical Services with decision in writing.
2. Review by the NICET Chief Operating Executive with decision in writing.
3. If resolution does not result, an evaluation will be made by a panel appointed by the NICET Chair. The panel shall consist of three persons with experience in the sought after area of certification. When possible, the panel shall have one current or former NICET Board of Governor member, one individual who is a manager or supervisor from an environment similar to that in which the applicant works, and one certificant (SET or CT as appropriate) working in an environment similar to that in which the applicant works.
4. All decisions of the Panel are final and non-appealable.

POLICY 3. RELEASE OF CONFIDENTIAL APPLICANT/CERTIFICANT INFORMATION

1. If the requestor is seeking information on an individual other than himself or herself, only the following information will be released:
   • Certification status information will be limited to:
     1. certification is in Active, Retired, Delinquent, Suspended, Revoked, or Expired Status.
        
     2. certification grade (level).
        
     3. certification field/subfield;
        
     4. certification number.
   • Applicant status information will be limited to confirming that the individual is, in fact, an applicant.
2. If the caller is requesting information on himself or herself and the NICET staff member reasonably believes that the caller is actually the certificant or applicant in question, the staff member may confirm or clarify information on record.

POLICY 6. CERTIFICATION AT LEVEL IV

POLICY 7. DISTRIBUTION OF NICET LISTS

POLICY 8. EXAMINATION QUESTION SECURITY

1. NICET staff
2. NICET program advisory committee members
3. NICET question writers and reviewers
4. Organizations preparing a specialized test
5. Exam administration personnel
6. Test development/administration organizations.

The conditions under which access will be permitted and the persons qualifying for access is solely and exclusively determined by NICET.

POLICY 9. STATUS OF EXAMINATION REQUIREMENT COMPLETION

POLICY 10. EFFECTIVE DATE FOR NICET DOCUMENTS, RULES, AND FEES

POLICY 11. CERTIFICATION CRITERIA EFFECTIVE DATE

If an examination requirement has been satisfied, but one or more of the other criteria have not been satisfied, then a Conditional Decision Letter regarding certification will be mailed to the candidate. This conditional decision will be honored for up to one year from the date of issuance. After the one year period, the candidate must comply with any new criteria that may have come into effect in the interim.

POLICY 12. FEES

POLICY 13. CERTIFICATION ELIGIBILITY - CITIZENSHIP

POLICY 14. QUALIFYING WORK EXPERIENCE

The foundation for the NICET certification programs is American work practices and technology applications. Therefore the preponderance of qualifying work experience must be acquired while working in the United States and its territories. Applicability of work experience obtained outside the United States will be determined solely by NICET on a case-by-case basis. Up to two years credit for such work experience is normally awarded when the applicant has a least one year of qualifying work experience acquired in the United States. When the applicant's work experience is totally acquired outside the United States, work experience credit will be awarded if, in NICET's opinion, the certification practice area environment has sufficient commonality with the certification practice area environment existing in the United States.

Unless NICET lists the certification practice area in their country as having an equivalency to the American environment, applicants are encouraged to take advantage of a Pre-Testing Work Experience Evaluation before formally seeking certification.

POLICY 15. EXAM APPLICATION

The exam application fee payment, in full, must accompany the exam application. Applications for testing which are not accompanied by full payment will not be processed until full payment is received. Processing of applications which lack critical information will not be completed until the deficiencies are corrected in accordance with the timeframe provided in the deficiencies notification.

POLICY 17. RECOMMENDATION VALIDITY

POLICY 18. EXAMINATION BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Applicants residing outside the United States who wish to take a NICET examination may be required to pay an additional special arrangements fee to cover test administration complexities. This additional fee will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

POLICY 19. ACCOMMODATIONS FOR EXAMINEES WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Applicants who cannot take an examination on a NICET-scheduled test date because of religious restrictions may request a rescheduling accommodation by attaching an explanatory letter to their application for an examination. NICET will contact the applicant to arrange a mutually suitable accommodation.

POLICY 20. RETESTING OF FAILED EXAMS

Failed tests can only be rescheduled for examination after a period of 4 months has elapsed. Retesting will be limited to three attempts in a two-year span to achieve a passing score. A fourth attempt will be permitted within this two-year span if the candidate completes a NICET-approved "certificate" course.

POLICY 21. TESTING OF CROSSOVER WORK ELEMENTS

POLICY 22. RELEASE OF EXAMINATION RESULTS

POLICY 23. POSTING OF CROSSOVER CREDIT TO TEST HISTORY

POLICY 24. EXAM RESCHEDULING

Examinations which are scheduled for administration at published NICET test sessions may be rescheduled or canceled, as follows:

1. Conditions which require no additional fee are:
   1. The examinee determines as unacceptable the "make up" test date which NICET scheduled after a test is canceled due to unacceptable conditions at the test site, weather conditions, proctor unavailability, etc.
   2. The examinee determines as unacceptable a future test date which NICET assigns because the examinee did not indicate a second choice on the application and the first choice was at capacity when the application was processed.
   3. The examinee decides to reschedule for some personal reason (medical emergency, family emergency, work emergency, etc.) and notifies NICET in writing no later than 19 days before the scheduled test date.

When these conditions are met, the rescheduled exam must be taken within 8 months of the initially-scheduled test date or all fees paid are forfeited.

2. Conditions which require payment of a rescheduling fee are:
   1. The examinee decides to reschedule for some personal reason (medical emergency, family emergency, work emergency, etc.) and notifies NICET in writing during the period from 18 days before the test date to 5 business days after the test date.

3. Conditions which require payment of another full exam fee and a new application are:
   1. The applicant contacts NICET to CANCEL a scheduled exam.
   2. The applicant is a "NO-SHOW" on the scheduled test date and does not contact NICET within five (5) business days after the test date.
   3. The applicant decides to reschedule for some personal reason (medical emergency, family emergency, work emergency, etc.) but does not properly follow through with rescheduling his/her exam within 8 months of the initially scheduled test date.

An exam which is rescheduled by the examinee for personal reasons (i.e., A.3. and B.1. above) cannot be rescheduled more than two times.

II. Testing centers operated by test-delivery organizations other than NICET:

Candidates will be informed of a range of dates within which the test must be taken. Scheduling the test within the given date range is the responsibility of the candidate. Candidates will be informed of procedures and fees for rescheduling a test to a different center or date within the original date range, or for cancelling/rescheduling after the cancellation deadline set by the test administration organization.

Scheduling or rescheduling a test outside of the original range of dates will require a rescheduling fee and will result in a new range of dates. A request for a new date range must be received in writing by NICET not more than 30 days after the end of the original date range. The new date range must begin not more than eight months after the beginning of the original date range. A test may not be rescheduled to a new date range more than two times.

POLICY 26. DELETION OF TESTING RECORDS

POLICY 27. COPYING OF COMPLETED FORMS

No completed application form or supporting document submitted to NICET by or for one candidate may be duplicated and submitted by or for another candidate. NICET may establish procedures for the electronic submission of application and certification information, provided that such information is secure and that the identity of the sender can be established with reasonable confidence. Procedures shall be comparable to those used by other organizations with similar privacy concerns and are acceptable in a court of law.

POLICY 28. SEALS AND STAMPS

POLICY 29. PROCESSING OF TEST SCHEDULING REQUESTS

Seats at test sessions are assigned to applicants in the order in which their complete test applications, with full payment, are received. Due to limitations on spacing at some test centers, NICET cannot guarantee seating of all applicants requesting a particular test session, even if the applicant complies with the submittal deadline.

Testing centers operated by test-delivery organizations other than NICET:

Applicants with complete test applications, with full payment, will be assigned a range of dates within which the test must be taken. Determining a test center and scheduling the test with the test-delivery organization within the given date range is the responsibility of the applicant. Favorable scheduling should not be expected on short notice.

CLICK HERE FOR POLICY 30. CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

POLICY 31. SUSPENDED CERTIFICATION STATUS
(IMPLEMENTED MARCH 1998)

POLICY 32. NICET CERTIFICATION AND THE PRACTICE OF ENGINEERING

POLICY 33. WORK EXPERIENCE CREDIT FOR ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY DEGREE

1. The applicant obtained an ABET/TAC accredited associate or baccalaureate engineering technology degree related to the certification practice area or, in NICET's opinion, obtained an equivalent degree.

   NOTE: In order for NICET to determine the equivalency of a non-ABET/TAC accredited degree, the applicant must provide NICET with an official transcript or other evidence showing the date of graduation, the courses taken, and the name of the degree granted. The applicant must pay any and all expenses incurred by NICET to determine the equivalency of a non-ABET/TAC accredited degree.

2. The applicant has acquired at least six (6) months of full-time engineering technician level work experience directly related to the certification practice area.

When work experience credit for the college degree is awarded, other "related" work experience credit (such as craft or foreign work experience) will not be awarded for the same certification.

POLICY 34. NICET TRADEMARK AND COPYRIGHT PROTECTION

POLICY 35. APPLICANT IDENTIFICATION
(IMPLEMENTED FEBRUARY 2007)