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Take the CO-OP® ExaminationExamination Registration, Regulations, and Scoring/ReportingPassing the CO-OP® Examination is a necessary step in obtaining certification as a Certified Organizational Ombudsman Practitioner® or a Candidate for CO-OP®. There are no training, educational, or work experience requirements needed to register for and sit for the CO-OP® exam. Fees for the CO-OP® exam may be paid online via credit or debit card and are $495 USD for IOA members and $595 USD for non-members. Registration information for upcoming exams can be found below. We will hold an informational call prior to or during the registration window, details below. Have questions about certification?
Upcoming CO-OP® Exam InformationPrometric, the service provider that administers the CO-OP® exam, has opened some of its testing facilities. SPRING EXAM: The Board has selected the following dates for the Spring 2021 CO-OP® Exam:
Register NowFALL EXAM: More information about an upcoming Fall Examination window will be coming soon.
CO-OP® Exam Informational CallLearn more about becoming certified by joining the next Informational Call. This call will be held via a Zoom conference call. Please find the details below.
Table of Contents
Registration ProcessTaking and passing the exam is the first step towards becoming certified. The exam is usually offered twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall. Exam dates will be posted on this page when available. Passing the exam is a necessary step in obtaining certification as a Certified Organizational Ombudsman Practitioner® (CO-OP®) or a Candidate for CO-OP®. The exam will be computer-based and offered at more than 600 testing centers throughout the world through Prometric testing services. Specific times to sit for the exam can be scheduled at any of the locations during the exam period. View a list of all testing centers. After completing the online registration form on IOA's website and remitting payment for the exam, candidates will be entered into the Prometric system and will receive a separate email to select their testing date, time, and location. All candidates will be entered within two business days of the end of the registration period. Once a candidate has selected their testing location and date, they will receive an Applicant Admission Notice at the email address used to register. This notice is required for test entry and instructs candidates about the rules and regulations, as well as the logistics, for the day of the examination. For questions about the examination registration process, you may contact the Prometric testing service directly:
Fees and Method of PaymentThe fees may be paid by VISA, MasterCard, or American Express.
Cancellation Policy and ReschedulingThere will be no exam administration rescheduling or cancellations permitted in the five business days prior to the scheduled examination administration. If a candidate reschedules a scheduled examination more than five business days prior to the scheduled examination date, IOA will apply the initial examination payment to the newly scheduled examination and charge a $25 rescheduling fee. If a candidate cancels a scheduled examination more than five business days prior to the scheduled examination and does not reschedule, IOA will refund the examination fee less a $25 cancellation fee. If a candidate does not reschedule or cancel a scheduled examination more than five business days prior to the scheduled examination date, and does not show up at the testing site to take the scheduled exam, or comes to the testing site without proper ID and/or the proper admission letter and is unable to take the scheduled examination, no refund of the examination fee will be made by IOA, and the candidate will not be allowed to apply that payment to a future testing date. The Day of the ExaminationArrive at the testing center at least 30 minutes prior to the beginning of the examination to allow time to park, locate the examination room, and visit the restroom. There are no scheduled breaks during the 2-hour examination. Proctors will be available to escort candidates to restroom facilities, if necessary.
Test-Taking Advice Offered by the Test Developers at Prometric
Accommodation for Those Most Comfortable in a Language Other Than EnglishCandidates who do not normally work in English, or for whom English is a second language, may request in advance an accommodation, such as extra time to complete the examination (3 hours rather than 2 hours) and/or use of a dictionary (to be approved by the examination proctor or administrator). This request should be made as early as possible, but no later than the examination registration deadline. ScoringTen of the 110 multiple choice questions are included for research purposes only and are not scored. The research questions are not identified. The sequence of questions on the examination is different for all candidates. Exam results are calculated using a scaled score method on a scale of 100-500 with a minimum passing score of 405. Whenever a new examination version is released, a comprehensive statistical and psychometric analysis of the score data will be conducted prior to the release of scores to the candidates. Because a minimum number of candidates must have taken the examination in order for the analysis to be conducted, there may be occasions when notification of examination results is delayed until the completion of this critical process. Notification of ResultsNotification of results will come electronically, immediately after completing the exam. Results will not be released over the telephone. A certificate of achievement will be sent to examinees upon successful completion of the exam. Additionally, successful examinees will receive a letter from CO-OP® with more information on the language used to describe this recognition and the next steps towards attaining the Candidate for CO-OP® or CO-OP® designation. Re-taking the ExaminationThe minimum waiting period before one may re-take the examination is one year. A candidate will be allowed to re-take the examination when it is administered in the same season the following year, should this period be less than one year. An individual may attempt to pass the examination up to a maximum of five times during his or her lifetime. There is no reduction in the fee when registering to re-take the exam. SecurityTest security is a paramount concern and focus. Prometric provides multiple layers of protection and back-up systems for their servers that contain examination content and other data for storage and recovery. Data is transmitted only in encrypted form, or by a secure carrier. When a candidate takes an examination, the examination content is not cached at test station computers; instead, each item or question is transmitted individually to the test station as the candidate proceeds through the examination. The candidate's responses are recorded immediately on the Prometric server, to permit candidates to resume in the event of a power failure or other interruption. All examination responses are maintained only on Prometric's secure server protected by a dual firewall. Once I pass the exam, how long are my results valid?CO-OP® exam results are valid for three years. Proof of passing the exam must be valid at the time of application to become a Candidate for CO-OP® or to become fully certified. |
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