Exam Formats

Board Certification Exams

All NABCEP Board Certification exams (except System Inspector) are available in Computer-Based Testing (CBT) format. CBT exams may be taken at any time during your two year exam eligibility window, which begins on the day your exam application is approved by NABCEP. Once your application is approved, and you pay your exam fee, you will receive a Notice to Schedule (NTS) email from our testing vendor, Castle Worldwide (DBA Scantron). Your NTS email will have all the information for scheduling yourself to take the exam at a Castle Worldwide testing center. You must schedule your exam within six months of the date you receive your Notice to Schedule from Castle Worldwide and within two years of your application being approved. NABCEP Board Certification exams are offered in the United States and 97 other countries. For a list of all Castle Worldwide testing centers, click here.

Exams for NABCEP’s PV System Inspector and Solar Heating System Inspector Board Certifications are offered via Live Online Proctoring (LOP). LOP exams can be taken anywhere in the world where the candidate has internet access and a computer with a webcam.  You must take the exam within 6 months of your exam application being approved.

Due to the growth of our CBT exams, NABCEP has discontinued all paper-and-pencil exam administration for all NABCEP Board Certifications. The PV Technical Sales and Solar Heating Installer certification exams are currently being converted to CBT and will be available in late-summer 2019.  NABCEP does not currently have a date for release.  When it becomes available, NABCEP will send an email to all accepted candidates and they will be able to register for the exam at that time.

Associate Credential Exams

NABCEP Associate Credential exams are available in two formats:

• Paper and Pencil (P&P)
• Computer-Based Testing (CBT)

To take the exam in a P&P format, you’ll use the Education Pathway by taking a class with a NABCEP Associate Registered Training Provider, who will schedule the exam for you after you have completed the course. P&P format exams may only be taken through the Education Pathway.

If you qualify to take the exam through our Experience Pathway or need to re-take the Associate exam, you will have to take the exam in the CBT format.

Scheduling to Take an Exam

All scheduling for NABCEP CBT and LOP exams is completed online. Once your application has been accepted by NABCEP, you will receive a Notice to Schedule (NTS) email from our testing vendor, Castle Worldwide, Inc. The email from Castle Worldwide will provide a link with a username and password and will include instructions on how to select a location, date, and time for you to take the exam. You will be able to schedule to take your exam at any Castle Worldwide testing facility, with over 500 located in the US and nearly 1,000 around the globe.

CBT and LOP Candidates are subject to Castle Worldwide’s cancellation and rescheduling policies.

Admission to the Exam

Candidates for both Paper and Pencil (P&P) and Computer-Based Testing (CBT) exams must show a valid government-issued photo identification that exactly matches the first and last name on their application.

Acceptable Forms of Identification

The Candidate must provide one of the following valid government-issued documents bearing a picture, name, and signature to gain admission to the exam:

• Driver’s license
• Photo identification card
• Passport
• Military identification card

Unacceptable Forms of Identification

Identification that has expired is not valid. Candidates are encouraged to confirm their identification will not expire before scheduling an examination. Examples of unacceptable identification include, but are not limited to:

• Student ID
• Employer-issued ID
• Library cards
• Credit cards

Candidates who are unable to produce the required identification, or who produce an expired ID, will not be permitted entrance to the exam. Under these circumstances, Candidates will be considered absent and will forfeit the full exam fee.  They will be required to re-schedule the exam and pay all applicable re-examination fees.

It is recommended Candidates arrive at the examination site no later than thirty (30) minutes before the scheduled examination time. Additional time needed for procedures, payments, delays, traffic, parking, weather, etc., should be considered when arranging transportation to the examination site.