Certification Policies

Once an application has been approved, the applicant will receive a Certification Application Approval Notification via email. It is very important that applicants use a current email address when filling out the application. CWEA will only contact applicants in regard to their application status via email. The Certification Application Approval Notification will contain the certification exam the applicant has been approved for, the exam window and CWEA ID number. This ID number is needed when contacting Pearson VUE to schedule an exam appointment.

Once an applicant receives the approval notification email, they will be eligible to schedule an exam appointment. Applicants can schedule an exam appointment through Pearson VUE’s website by creating an account or by logging into an existing account. The applicant’s CWEA ID number is needed when creating an account. The CWEA ID number can be found in the approval notification email. To schedule an appointment over the phone, call Pearson VUE at 888-749-3881. Test centers are conveniently located throughout the U.S. Locations can be found on Pearson VUE’s Test Center Search.

To cancel an appointment, applicants must notify Pearson VUE 24 hours before their scheduled appointment time. Failure to notify Pearson VUE at least 24 hours before the existing appointment will result in an $85 No Show fee. Pearson VUE will send applicants a Cancellation Confirmation to the email on file in their Pearson VUE account.

The following are considered No Shows and will result in an $85 No Show fee:

• Failing to appear at a scheduled test appointment
• Failing to check-in for an online appointment
• Arriving at the test center without a current, government-issued photo ID
• Arriving at the test center 15 minutes or later to a scheduled test appointment

Applicants must pay the No Show fee to schedule a new test appointment. Applicants should contact the CWEA office to reschedule.

To reschedule an existing appointment within the same exam window, applicants must call Pearson VUE directly at least 24 hours before their existing exam appointment.

Applicants must contact the CWEA office to reschedule (transfer) an existing exam appointment to a different exam window. Before contacting CWEA, the applicant must cancel their existing appointment.

Applicants are required to show at least one current, valid, government-issued photo identification, such as a state driver’s license or ID, or passport. A temporary license is acceptable if there is an expiration date, or if it is accompanied by paperwork explaining an expiration date.

If the candidate does not pass the exam the first time, they can submit a retest application along with the appropriate fees. The candidate will be required to skip at least one exam window before they are eligible to retest. If the candidate tested within the first 15 days of a window, they are not required to skip an exam window. Under no circumstances are candidates allowed to sit for the same exam twice in the same window. There are no exceptions to this policy.

To be eligible to use the retest application form, candidates must submit the application within one year of their original exam date. Candidates must meet the minimum qualifications of the exam for which they are applying. CWEA may require candidates to fill out a full application with job history to verify candidates meet the minimum requirements. Use of a retest application does not guarantee approval for any exam.

All appeals must be submitted within two weeks of the exam date. Appeals will be reviewed by CWEA staff and/or Subject Matter Experts. Candidates will be updated on the status of their appeal within 4-6 weeks, and they will be notified in writing when a decision has been made. Once an appeal has been processed, candidates cannot submit a new appeal for the same exam.

Candidates cannot submit an appeal simply because they did not pass the exam.

Candidates can appeal under the following justifications:

Exam Delivery Appeal

Candidates may appeal testing conditions severe enough to have caused a major disruption of the examination process. CWEA staff will review the appeal and consult our exam administrator, Pearson VUE, to investigate the appeal if necessary. Please note, under Pearson VUE’s candidate agreement, candidates must notify the proctor immediately during the exam of any issues to open a claim documenting the incident. If candidates did not notify the proctor during the exam, an appeal may still be submitted but may be dismissed if CWEA cannot verify the validity of the complaint.

Exam Question Appeal

If the candidate wishes to comment on specific exam questions, they may flag the question during the exam using the Flag to Enter a Comment function. Candidates are allowed to add comments about any question as long as there is time remaining. All comments will be reviewed and considered by the Technical Certification Program as part of the ongoing exam review and development process. Candidates that wish to submit an appeal of their exam results, must complete the form below within two weeks of their exam date. Candidates that wish to have specific comments considered in support of their appeal should indicate so on the appeal form.

Non-substantive appeals or appeals without just cause will be automatically rejected. If candidates are not satisfied with the outcome of their appeal, they may submit a request for review by the Technical Certification Program Executive Committee at [email protected]. The committee’s decision will be final.

All communication related to certification decisions and appeal results with the Technical Certification Program Executive Committee must be sent in writing to [email protected]. We ask that candidates do not contact committee members directly.

The appeal form can be accessed here: CWEA Exam Appeal Form.

Applicants will see their result on the screen immediately after the exam is submitted. An Official Score Report will be printed out and given to the applicant before they leave the test center. Additional copies can be obtained by logging into the Pearson VUE user account. All results are confidential and will only be released to the applicant. No results will be given over the phone, by fax or email.

CWEA is committed to protecting privacy. Exam results and any other information regarding an application are confidential and will only be released to the applicant. Basic certification information is available on our Certification Registry. Employers can use the registry to verify an individual’s certification status.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, reasonable accommodations will be provided for those individuals who provide CWEA with a physician’s certificate, or its equivalent, documenting a physical or psychological disability that may affect the individual’s ability to successfully complete the certification examination. Written requests for reasonable accommodations must be submitted with the application.

Language barriers and lack of familiarity with computers are not covered under ADA laws.