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Policy 40: Waiting period for Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) Seeking NICET Certification

All SMEs who have participated in the exam development process must adhere to a waiting period before taking a certification exam. The waiting period is required in order to maintain exam security and confidentiality of the exam development process. The waiting period is dependent on the participation levels.

Please see the Operating Procedure for this Policy for additional guidance.

Operating Procedure for Policy 40 (Updated 10/27/2022)

The following activities are part of the development process of a certification exam:

  1. Job Task Analysis
  2. Item Writing
  3. Item (& Form) Review
  4. Standard Setting

The waiting period a Subject Matter Expert (SME) must adhere to before starting their certification process depends on their level of participation in the activities listed above.

Development Activity Waiting Period from Date of Last Participation
Only A No waiting period
Only B 90 days
Only C 12 months
Only D 12 months

All subject matter experts (SME’s) are required to adhere to the non-Disclosure agreement that they signed and submitted prior to any of the above process. Restrictions are exam specific. If an SME participated in more than one activity, the longest restriction applies.