Second, there is the cost of the application fee, which is included in the cost of the exam fee. Applying to become a PCP costs money. Most states require you to pay an application fee before you can apply for a certificate. ISA certification is not a free ride. You have to pay for it just like any other professional certification exam fee. Some states also charge a fee for the application and renewal of a PCP’s license.
Thirdly, there is the cost of the ISA exam fee itself. Once again, this is a separate application fee from the application fee required by your state’s Board of Certification. The exam fee covers the costs of development of the test study materials, including the design and creation of practice exams. It also includes the costs of hiring an ISA Certified Automotive Engineer for you. Even though this fee is paid to you, it doesn’t cover the costs of hiring a PCP to review and interpret your application.
Once you have paid your application fee and the exam fee, you can then request your certificate. Once you receive your certificate from the ISA, you must complete a Safety Training Program to meet continuing education requirements for certification. This program must be completed in order to take the final exam. Each state has different continuing education requirements. It is important to understand what these requirements are for the state that you are applying to.
Becoming an ISA certified professional also requires you to purchase and maintain a membership with Amazon Web Services (AWS), the electronic platform that hosts the exam. If you don’t already own this membership, you will need to obtain one before you can apply for certification. This is a one-time membership fee that will provide you access to all of the tools, information systems and application services that are offered by the Amazon Web Services professional developer community.
The International Society of Automotive Engineers has been accredited by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) under the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). In order to become certified as an ISA, you must also pass the DOT examination. Passing this exam fee is the only way to gain ISA certification. If you choose to take the exam on your own, you will have to pay for it, whether it is a one-time fee or a monthly fee. The cost of the exam fees is well worth the investment of becoming certified.
Another way to get ISA certification is to enroll in the NCCA’s Associate program. This will give you the four-hour test that you will need for taking the DOT test. After passing the exam fee, you will gain immediate certification. There is no application fee required to join this program. Once certified, you will still need to pay the application fee, but it is a very small amount compared to the cost of purchasing and maintaining a membership.
All the same, if you choose to take the exams on your own, you will have to pay the exam fee out of pocket. Since there are a number of ways to become certified, it is up to you which method you will choose. Either way, the process is the same, and it requires a similar amount of work. However, paying the ISA certification fee can be more affordable than the process of joining the NCCA.
