By Gerald A. Rosen, Consulting Psychometrician

As a consulting psychometrician, most of my expertise lies in the assessment part of credentialing programs.  However, over the decades I have spent working with certification programs I have had the opportunity to learn about many other aspects. It wasn't until I read Roger Brauer's, Exceptional Certification that I gained a greater understanding of just how much I don't know.  If a certification board were foolish enough to offer me its executive director position and I were foolish enough to accept, Exceptional Certification is the first resource I would purchase to educate myself for the path ahead.

Exceptional Certification consists of two parts: Certification Basics and Becoming Exceptional.  Between the two, there isn’t a certification-related topic that is missed.  The Certification Basics includes sections on the need for certification, psychometrics, financial matters, governance, administration and staffing, marketing and sales and legal assistance.  In the Becoming Exceptional part of the book, Bauer focuses on the customers, efficiency and effectiveness, staff development, strategic, business and action plans, adding value, and others.  Hence, Part A can be thought of as dealing primarily with certification’s general knowledge and Part B, primarily with its business side.

To be sure, there is only so much detail that can be provided in a single, 250-page resource that covers so much ground.  While Exceptional Certification will answer many questions posed by certification professionals, just as often it will serve as the starting point of an in-depth investigation.  The beauty is that so many starting points can be found in one convenient place.

Read more about Exceptional Certification.