IABC Accreditation

1. What is accreditation?
2. Who is it for?
3. How do I become accredited?
4. Exam dates and locations
5. IABC/Toronto’s accredited business communicators (ABCs)
6. What skills are needed for the accreditation process?
7. How long does it take to approve my application?
8. What are the portfolio deadlines?
9. How long does it take to approve my portfolio?
10. How long does it take to receive results from the oral and written exams?

1. What is accreditation?

IABC’s accreditation program is the global standard of professional achievement for business communicators. Accredited members practicing around the world apply the same strategic management process in all communication disciplines, across diverse cultures, and in for-profit and nonprofit organizations of all sizes.

This peer-reviewed program challenges candidates to demonstrate their knowledge of strategic communication planning, implementation, measurement and ethics. Candidates who meet all requirements earn the designation Accredited Business Communicator (ABC).

2. Who is it for?

The accreditation program is aimed at those who are ready to move into communication management. You are eligible for accreditation if you are a professional communicator with a minimum of five years of experience in business communication (organizational communication, public relations or communication management) and a bachelor’s degree, or a total of nine years of combined post-secondary education and/or experience.  For more information and to take a short quiz to see if you are ready to take this next step in your career, click here.

3. How do I become accredited?

The accreditation process involves three separate steps. You must successfully complete each step before you can proceed to the next:

• Application
• Qualification (the portfolio)
• Examination (written and oral)

Each portion of the accreditation process contributes to your score. The portfolio grade counts for 25 percent of the total, the written exam counts for 58 percent of the total, and the oral exam counts for 17 percent of the total.

Application

The application form asks for information on your education and work experience.

Your application should be a comprehensive summary of your professional experience and qualifications. Your eligibility to proceed with accreditation is determined mostly by the information you provide, so be as complete and candid as possible. Evaluators will check to see that you’ve met the basic eligibility requirements and look for evidence of general career progress and experience in a number of areas of organizational communication.

The front of the form gives the Accreditation Council biographical information such as: who you are, where you work and how long you have been in the profession.

You are also asked about your post-secondary education. If you intend to substitute years of work experience in lieu of formal education, check the table of prerequisites above.

There is space on the application to list continuing education courses taken in the past two years. This could include graduate courses in the communication field or attendance at professional conferences, seminars or workshops.

If you plan to take the exam at a specific location and on a certain date, please specify this. If you have disabilities that might require special arrangements on the day of the examination, please explain on the application form.

Information on your present position: In describing your supervisory activities, include not only those people who report directly to you but others—such as freelance writers, consultants, vendors, photographers and task force members—who receive direction from you. Be sure to distinguish between the two categories.

Information on prior positions should cover any jobs that required communication responsibilities. Prepare additional sheets on each prior communication position for the past 10 years and attach them to your application in reverse chronological order (most recent first). The information requested is the same as that required for your present position. You may provide any other information, including a résumé, that may have a bearing on the judges’ evaluation of your application for accreditation.

The full accreditation fee is due with the application.
There is a fee of US$100 if it is necessary to re-take part(s) of the examination for each re-take.

Qualification: The Portfolio

You must submit a portfolio of two work samples with work plans to demonstrate the range of communication projects or programs you’ve been responsible for and your ability to plan and work strategically. Candidates must receive a passing score of 4.0 or better on their portfolio to qualify to take the examination (using a 0–7 scale).

Examination

The examination tests your knowledge of communication and management skills. The exam is 4.5 hours long and includes a written and oral test.
Candidates meeting all requirements of the program earn the designation Accredited Business Communicator (ABC).

Changes to the accreditation process
Learn more about IABC’s changes to the accreditation process, now featuring set entry points for candidates to submit portfolios and take exams.

4. Exam dates and locations

IABC/Toronto offers an Accreditation College for candidates who would like to pursue accreditation within a group environment.  For more information on exam scheduling or the Accreditation College, contact IABC/Toronto.

5. IABC/Toronto’s accredited business communicators (ABCs)

Click here to see the list

6. What skills are needed for the accreditation process?

Most ABCs have accumulated their professional knowledge and skills through a combination of education and experience. Because of this, there are no required study materials, although some review may be helpful, particularly if a lot of time has passed since you’ve taken an exam.

Accreditation covers a wide variety of skills required of a strategic communicator. Some are considered essential for all communicators and are included on every examination. These are:

• Goal-setting
• Audience/constituent research
• Writing communication plans
• Budgeting and cost control
• Oral presentation
• Project management
• Time management
• Measuring effectiveness
• Writing proposals for communication programs
• General management skills
• Written communication
• Managing employee communication programs
• Media relations
• Communication ethics
• Problem-solving and consulting skills
• Organizational culture and politics
• Investor/shareholder communication
• Technology

Other skills are more job-specific and are optional. Many questions in the exam have a number of options, allowing you to answer the one that best reflects your experience and knowledge. Skills covered in these optional questions include:

• Writing news and features
• Newsletter editing
• Magazine editing
• Writing for audiovisual and video programs
• Speakers bureaus
• Event and conference planning/support
• Writing speeches
• Managing publications
• Marketing communication
• Member communication
• Managing community relations programs
• Feedback systems
• Technology use

You will not be expected to know the technical aspects of areas normally outside of the professional responsibilities of a communication generalist.

Accreditation workshops are offered by a number of IABC chapters, and an increasing number of chapters are now offering Accreditation Completion Programs. You are encouraged to attend a workshop or go through an Accreditation Completion Program. If you would like more information on how to help your chapter develop workshops or completion programs, please contact recognition@iabc.com.

7. How long does it take to approve my application?

It takes about four to eight working days.

8. What are the portfolio deadlines?

Portfolio deadlines in the retooled accreditation calendar are as follows:

• 27 January (early-bird) or 3 February (final)
  Portfolio deadline through the Gold Quill Awards program by selecting the Accreditation and Gold Quill Awards option.

• 5 April
  Portfolio deadline for those who applied and were accepted to the program between July and January.

• 15 September
  Portfolio deadline for those who applied and were accepted to the program between February and June.

These windows of acceptance allow a minimum of two months’ lead time for portfolio completion. You may submit your portfolio before these deadlines, but it will not be graded until the assigned date.

9. How long does it take to approve my portfolio?

About 8–12 weeks but it depends on the number of portfolios being evaluated at that time.

10. How long does it take to receive results from the oral and written exams?

Generally within 60–90 days but it depends on the number of exams being evaluated at that time.

For additional guidelines and tips, see Becoming an Accredited Business Communicator.

 

Do ABCs receive a certificate?

Earning IABC accreditation is a significant achievement. You will receive:

• A certificate
• ABC pin
• Pass packet with detailed scores

And, perhaps most importantly,

• Peer recognition
• Personal satisfaction

 

Are there fees for re-take exams?

Yes. Candidates’ first re-take exam is free. Each subsequent re-take exam costs US$100.

Up-to-Date Exam Schedule

The up-to-date exam schedule will provide you with the contact information for the lead exam proctors. Please e-mail the proctors and let them know that you plan to attend their scheduled exam.

Should you have exceptional circumstances and cannot make any exam date listed here, you may petition for special consideration by sending an e-mail to recognition@iabc.com.

Questions?

If you have questions about these changes, e-mail recognition@iabc.com.