AICP Exam Information and Study Resources
About the AICP Exam Eligibility and Registration ▪
Requirements for Eligibility: o Be a current member of the American Planning Association (APA) o Be engaged in professional planning, either currently or in the past, as defined by AICP
Level of Education Graduate degree in Planning from a program accredited by the PAB Bachelor’s degree in Planning from a program accredited by the PAB Graduate degree in Planning from a program not accredited by the PAB Any other post-graduate, graduate, or undergraduate degree No college degree ▪
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Total Number of Years of Professional Planning Experience Required 2 3 3 4 8
AICP Candidate Guide o The AICP Candidate guide contains information on eligibility, fees, registration, exam site and scheduling. o The guide can be accessed at: http://www.planning.org/certification/ Registration: o Exam Offerings: ▪ Computer-based exam offered in two, 14-day testing windows (May and November) at over 300 test centers nationally o Exam Results: ▪ Examinees will receive their official test results once the exam is completed
AICP EXAM PREP | EXAM OVERVIEW
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Particulars of the Exam: ▪ ▪
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There are two forms of the exam. The primary reason for this is test security. If you take the test multiple times, it is unlikely you will receive identical exams. 170 questions o 20 of these are pre-rest questions and will not be counted o To pass, you must get a scaled score of 55 out of 75, or roughly 110 out of the 150 questions (73.3%) o 3 hour, 30 minute exam (74 seconds per question) Computer Exam o For more details on what to expect, red the online APA Exam Bulletin at http://www.planning.org/certification/bulletin
APA Study Resources: ▪
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AICP Code of Ethics o The AICP Code of Ethics assists certified planners to negotiate the ethical and moral dilemmas they sometimes face o The code can be found at www.planning.org/ethics o Some general aspects of the Code to remember: ▪ All communications regarding specific situations occur with the APA Executive Director in his/her capacity as the Ethics Officer ▪ The Code was revised in October 2009 ▪ The Code now has four sections: • A. Principles to Which We Aspire • Our Rules of Conduct • C. Our Code Procedures • D. Planners Convicted of Serious Crimes- Automatic Suspension of Certification
AICP EXAM PREP | EXAM OVERVIEW
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Planning Magazine o Review Recent Issues o APA website has current and previous issues at http://www.planning.org/planning APA Policy Guides o On APA’s selected reading list for exam preparation o Especially useful for newer topic areas, such as food planning and climate change o The most updated policy guides can be found at http://www.planning.org/policy/guides APA Selected Readings o No reading list can span the entire range of material in the AICP exam. As a result, the list is not a substitute for professional planning experience and education o The readings are intended as guidelines only. While many AICP exam questions are based on these readings, many are developed from other materials of similar content o You may want to pay particular attention to those publications that would fill in areas that need improvement o To access APA’s list of selected readings, broken down by sections of the exam, visit http://planning.org/certification/examprep/selectedreading.htm Additional Resources o Journal of the American Planning Association: http://www.planning.org/planning/ o PAS reports: http://www.planning.org/pas/reports/ o Planning & Environmental Law: http://www.planning.org/pel/ o APA “On the Radar” Emerging Topics: http://www.planning.org/resources/ontheradar/ o Past “Tuesdays at APA” Podcasts: http://www.planning.org/tuesdaysatapa/previous.htm o APA Website - AICP Comprehensive Planning Examination Preparation: www.planning.org/certification/examprep/ o AICP Exam Prep 3.0: www. planning.org/certification/examprep/ o APA’s Chapter Presidents Council (CPC) Study Manual (obtain from your PDO) o PlanningPrep.com (FREE!): www.planningprep.com/ o Planetizen Online (for purchase): www.planetizen.com/courses/aicp o Pennsylvania Chapter - planningpa.org/for-planners/professional-planners/aicp-exam-prep/ o Georgia Chapter - georgiaplanning.org/aicp/aicp-exam-reviews/ o North Carolina Chapter - apa-nc.org/aicp/ o Florida Chapter - floridaplanning.org/treasurecoast/aicp_links.pdf o Texas Chapter - txplanning.org/aicp-exam-study-manuals/ o Colorado Chapter - http://www.apacolorado.org/tags/exam-prep o New Jersey Chapter - http://njplanning.org/professional-development/exam-prep/ o Wisconsin Chapter - http://wisconsinplanners.org/learn/aicp-professional-development/
AICP EXAM PREP | EXAM OVERVIEW
Requirements for Eligibility: o Be a current member of the American Planning Association (APA) o Be engaged in professional planning, either currently or in the past, as defined by AICP
Level of Education Graduate degree in Planning from a program accredited by the PAB Bachelor’s degree in Planning from a program accredited by the PAB Graduate degree in Planning from a program not accredited by the PAB Any other post-graduate, graduate, or undergraduate degree No college degree ▪
▪
1
Total Number of Years of Professional Planning Experience Required 2 3 3 4 8
AICP Candidate Guide o The AICP Candidate guide contains information on eligibility, fees, registration, exam site and scheduling. o The guide can be accessed at: http://www.planning.org/certification/ Registration: o Exam Offerings: ▪ Computer-based exam offered in two, 14-day testing windows (May and November) at over 300 test centers nationally o Exam Results: ▪ Examinees will receive their official test results once the exam is completed
AICP EXAM PREP | EXAM OVERVIEW
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• • • • • • • •
2
AICP EXAM PREP | EXAM OVERVIEW
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• • • •
• • •
3
AICP EXAM PREP | EXAM OVERVIEW
•
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• • • • •
• •
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AICP EXAM PREP | EXAM OVERVIEW
Particulars of the Exam: ▪ ▪
▪
There are two forms of the exam. The primary reason for this is test security. If you take the test multiple times, it is unlikely you will receive identical exams. 170 questions o 20 of these are pre-rest questions and will not be counted o To pass, you must get a scaled score of 55 out of 75, or roughly 110 out of the 150 questions (73.3%) o 3 hour, 30 minute exam (74 seconds per question) Computer Exam o For more details on what to expect, red the online APA Exam Bulletin at http://www.planning.org/certification/bulletin
APA Study Resources: ▪
6
AICP Code of Ethics o The AICP Code of Ethics assists certified planners to negotiate the ethical and moral dilemmas they sometimes face o The code can be found at www.planning.org/ethics o Some general aspects of the Code to remember: ▪ All communications regarding specific situations occur with the APA Executive Director in his/her capacity as the Ethics Officer ▪ The Code was revised in October 2009 ▪ The Code now has four sections: • A. Principles to Which We Aspire • Our Rules of Conduct • C. Our Code Procedures • D. Planners Convicted of Serious Crimes- Automatic Suspension of Certification
AICP EXAM PREP | EXAM OVERVIEW
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Planning Magazine o Review Recent Issues o APA website has current and previous issues at http://www.planning.org/planning APA Policy Guides o On APA’s selected reading list for exam preparation o Especially useful for newer topic areas, such as food planning and climate change o The most updated policy guides can be found at http://www.planning.org/policy/guides APA Selected Readings o No reading list can span the entire range of material in the AICP exam. As a result, the list is not a substitute for professional planning experience and education o The readings are intended as guidelines only. While many AICP exam questions are based on these readings, many are developed from other materials of similar content o You may want to pay particular attention to those publications that would fill in areas that need improvement o To access APA’s list of selected readings, broken down by sections of the exam, visit http://planning.org/certification/examprep/selectedreading.htm Additional Resources o Journal of the American Planning Association: http://www.planning.org/planning/ o PAS reports: http://www.planning.org/pas/reports/ o Planning & Environmental Law: http://www.planning.org/pel/ o APA “On the Radar” Emerging Topics: http://www.planning.org/resources/ontheradar/ o Past “Tuesdays at APA” Podcasts: http://www.planning.org/tuesdaysatapa/previous.htm o APA Website - AICP Comprehensive Planning Examination Preparation: www.planning.org/certification/examprep/ o AICP Exam Prep 3.0: www. planning.org/certification/examprep/ o APA’s Chapter Presidents Council (CPC) Study Manual (obtain from your PDO) o PlanningPrep.com (FREE!): www.planningprep.com/ o Planetizen Online (for purchase): www.planetizen.com/courses/aicp o Pennsylvania Chapter - planningpa.org/for-planners/professional-planners/aicp-exam-prep/ o Georgia Chapter - georgiaplanning.org/aicp/aicp-exam-reviews/ o North Carolina Chapter - apa-nc.org/aicp/ o Florida Chapter - floridaplanning.org/treasurecoast/aicp_links.pdf o Texas Chapter - txplanning.org/aicp-exam-study-manuals/ o Colorado Chapter - http://www.apacolorado.org/tags/exam-prep o New Jersey Chapter - http://njplanning.org/professional-development/exam-prep/ o Wisconsin Chapter - http://wisconsinplanners.org/learn/aicp-professional-development/
AICP EXAM PREP | EXAM OVERVIEW
