Avoiding Application Disasters
By Dominique Polk
Dominique Polk is NCIDQ's Applications Evaluator. She and her team are responsible for reviewing all the IDEP applications and all the applications for the NCIDQ Examination. She’s seen a lot of application disasters come across her desk, so we asked her to document the top three reasons an exam application is denied.
Over the course of a year, I see almost 3,000 applications for the exam. That’s a lot of applications that we review, and of those 3,000 applications, at least one-third of them are not accepted. That’s right: nearly one-third of all applications are not even eligible to be reviewed.
I hate when I have to stamp an application or a document invalid, but in order to keep our process fair and to treat every applicant the same, we have to hold everyone to the same standards. If your application is submitted incorrectly, you run the risk of not getting approved for the exam you were applying to take.
What are the standards? What can go wrong? You must submit these items as part of your application package:
• Completed online application
• Payment of the non-refundable application review fee ($165)
• Work Experience Verification forms (received in sealed envelopes)
• Three references (received in sealed envelopes)
• Official transcripts (received in sealed envelopes)
• Completed Candidate Consent and Authorization Form
You don’t have to submit all printed documentation in one package, but I recommend it. That way, you know that we have received everything. In fact, I recommend sending it through a shipper that allows you to track the package. You’ll have the peace of mind of knowing it arrived.
Mistake 1—No Sealed Envelopes
The biggest mistake I see with applications that I don’t think I can stress enough is not submitting your supporting documents in SEALED ENVELOPES! Every day, we open packages that have loose items that were never in sealed envelopes or transcripts that applicants opened and put back in their application packet. Everything you submit to NCIDQ must be received in sealed envelopes. That makes whatever your references wrote, any comments your supervisor may have made on your Work Experience Form or the grades are printed on your transcript official and confidential until NCIDQ reviews your application. Once you fill out one of our forms and hand it to a third party to complete, NCIDQ should be the next person that opens the envelopes.
Mistake 2—Ineligible on the Application Deadline
Another common mistake is that candidates don’t meet the eligibility requirements by the time they apply for the exam. In order to take the NCIDQ Examination you must have met one of our eligibility routes in full at the time you submit your application. Let’s say you’ve calculated that you will have 3,520 hours of work experience by February 9--well before the spring exam administration. Our application deadline for the spring exam is December 1, and since you must have completed all your work experience at the time you apply, you don’t qualify for the exam yet.
Mistake 3—Missing the Deadline
Deadlines are also a big deal at NCIDQ. Our exam applications are due on December 1 and June 1. That means we must receive your complete application (all of the items I listed above) in our office by that deadline or your application will not be reviewed. Don’t confuse the application deadline with the registration deadline. You can’t register for the exam until you’ve applied and your application has been approved. Make sure you have everything ready to go and have paid the application review fee well before the application deadline.
My #1 Suggestion for Success
If you want to ensure a smooth application process, here’s my suggestion: APPLY EARLY! We’ll notify you within six weeks of getting your application if you’ve been approved. If there is a problem with your application, the extra time gives you an opportunity to submit new information and still get into the exam administration you want.
If you have questions along the way, please call our office. Often, applicants rely on advice from friends or professors, and sometimes the information is outdated. We want to make sure that you are on the path to the NCIDQ Certificate—the credential of choice.
