Hi everyone! First, I want to start this off by saying what I feel won't be shared by some with this group, but I am not the type of person to not ask the why questions. The basis of my questions boils down to why I need to take a test to show I know how to do my job the best way I can in accordance with my company's policies. I've taken the practice test and one of the questions asked me to pick the program that utilizes audio/video/chat for meetings. One of the answers was obviously wrong, but the other three all use audio/video/chat for meetings. My company only allows us to use Microsoft Teams or Zoom. Neither one of those were listed as a choice. I just picked one of the three options, but you never know if that answer was correct or not on the test. I'd like to know how that works for the test. Obviously, this is the practice test, so that question may not be one on the actual exam, but it begs to reason why it matters. Why can't I use Teams? Why can't I use Zoom? According to the CAP exam, neither of those are approved tools to use in our field or they would be choices for us to answer. Some of the topics that are discussed in the study guide and other books give that author's best advice. You and I may do things totally different in Word and Publisher, but we will both get a good looking document or flyer to present. Both are correct ways to do a task. One company may not pay for the Publisher license, so that person will have to use Word. I'm just one that wants to know why the answers on the CAP test is the RIGHT answer, and the way I do things is wrong. You might say "Well, Zach, you're not entirely wrong." I would argue that, yes I am wrong if the test counts that question against me. That means my answer is not the correct way according to this organization even though I complete the same task as the other person. It all boils down to answering the questions on the exam the way you need to answer them to pass, but don't stop what you've been doing because it's probably still getting you to the same end goal. Just like a college degree. Get a degree in something just to have a B.A. or B.S. after your name, but that degree for some are probably in a completely different subject than the job they're hired to do. It happens.

Hello, I know that preparing for the CAP can be stressful and frustrating at times. We are often conditioned to the way we do our job and because we follow company guidelines, we think everything is fine. The CAP exam is geared to capture the general standards among administrative professionals in a variety of settings. It is tested against the highest criteria and evaluated every two years to ensure that it is current with the profession. Every two years, a survey is sent out to administrative professionals and then reviewed against the exam to see if updating should occur. Test questions are evaluated by a practitioner each test cycle and weighed to ensure that everyone who takes the exam is evaluated accordingly. This is why you don't get an 80% pass rate option, but a score of 500 or better option. There is a great YouTube by Rachel Suman that you might want to check out regarding how the CAP is scored. You can view it at https://youtu.be/I5Fg5Ltu6JE. IAAP recently updated the Body of Knowledge that the exam is based on after a review of the last survey to ensure it continues to meet criteria that is consistent with current administrative professional functions and knowledge.

You are really the only person who can decide if you want to take the time to invest in yourself and prepare for the CAP exam. One of the things I had to do when taking the exam was to remember that it's not based on what my company does, but on a general standard. It has to be that way because there are so many different organizations out there. If you can set aside your company policies when studying for the exam and focus on the study material, it will help you in your preparation. It's also important to realize that the practice exam is to get you used to the way questions are formed, not be a preview to the actual exam. It's like any other course you take. You may not always agree with the teacher, but you have to commit to understanding the content in order to ensure a successful outcome. I wish you all the best and encourage you to stay the course. I can tell you from experience that it is worth the effort to obtain certification. However, when considering certification, do it for yourself and not anyone else. Successful people take time to invest in themselves.

I smiled when I read your message. Took me back to the 1980s when I first sat for the certification exam. At that time I worked for a very large corporation. I decided to study for and take the exam because I wanted to. It was a very different exam back then and I wondered how some of the parts, there were six, applied to me. As time progressed and studies went on, I found out the parts really did interact. However, what made me smile with your message was that several people I knew who were in my study class were frustrated because what they were being taught was not the way it was done where they worked.

I looked at the exam just as I have always looked at classes taken and exams I've struggled through. It may not apply to me today but it may somewhere down the line. I've had many experiences over the years with the exam and I always learn something new. It should always be an individual choice of whether or not you want to be a candidate and if the experience will be of value to you.

Hi,

Why CAP? Personal goal. Quite a few professions have certification and for those professions, it is the little edge. It builds community. It shows you invest in yourself.

I work at a company that takes a standard product and applies their own twist. There are items in Office 365 my company has removed.

In the example you give, Word and Publisher can get you to the same place. Absolutely. However Word is not a desktop publishing program. It is word processing. More of an are you paying attention question.

Regarding the test question? It is based off of prior tests. Depending on the year it is from, newer technology that exploded during the pandemic might not be on there.

There might be items that are subjective answers. However, the test is continuously reviewed to be relevant. Office and Records Management? Your company might have their process, however, there is a standard for retention, storage, etc. What if you leave your current job? What if someone says we need to look at our Office and Records Management. We're not managing this in a way that protects us. You have the industry (industry of office and records management) standards you can speak up and take ownership or help lead the project.

Event and Project management? There are industry standards. If there weren't, we'd not have PM certification or event certifications. Have you the knowledge to review a contract for an event and know what events will allow you to cancel and still receive a refund? How do you leverage the power of the rest of your company to get a better price? What should be included standard on a contract?

These and the other topids in the body of knowledge give you an edge over peers who do not put the effort in their administrative professional career.

The test is not graded automatically. In a sense yes it is, however if there is a question that a majority of takers got wrong, the question is reviewed. Was it worded incorrectly? Did none of the answers make sense after the fact? Just like the SAT, the tests are reviewed before final grade is given.

The CAP is for you. Do you want it? How badly?

Investing in yourself doesn't mean getting any certifications or degrees. Investing in yourself means that you are constantly learning and obtaining new knowledge. Yes, I agree that if I was put up against someone that has an alphabet of letters after their name, I wouldn't get the job because of the alphabet. Even though I have worked harder and longer to get where I am, those little letters after your name for degrees and certifications mean the world to companies and a lot of individuals. Just because they have a piece of paper saying they know what the "standards" are, doesn't mean they're going to be able to actually do the job as well as the person like me without that piece of paper.

One should never, ever be disqualified or put down just because they don't have something in writing from an institution/organization saying this person passed a test. People will disagree with me on that topic just like any other topic, but I haven't gotten to be where I am today without that grit and determination to prove myself. If that's not investing in yourself, I don't know what is.

I appreciate the responses.

You are correct that investing in yourself does not mean you have to get a certification, and certifications are not for everyone. However, if you choose to get a certification and you take the time to study the material and prepare for the test, then you are indeed investing in yourself. Depending on the job, you could be asked to sit for an exam to prove your skill set. Some of us obtained our certification after putting in our time, using our grit and determination to get where we are in our careers. No, you do not need a certification to be an exceptional administrative professional. However, if you sit for the CAP and you obtain that certification, it can open doors that might otherwise be shut. It could be the difference between your resume and someone's else's resume. I'm a civil servant, and I had to test to get the opportunity to interview for the job I have now.  Having taken the exam before when I originally obtained my CPS (Certified Professional Secretary) certainly helped prepare me for the exam. I let my certification lapse, and so I ended up starting over with the CAP. It was well worth it.  So no, you don't have to do this to be an administrative professional. I did it because I saw the value of certification and fine tuning my skill set through the preparation process, and I've been an administrative professional for over 30 years. 

Zach, in response to your July 20 posting, you are definitely right. I've know candidates who aced the certification exam but didn't have a clue as to apply what they were supposed to have learned while in the study process. They were very good at following instructions but not as good at applying them or being creative. Sometimes a credential is a way of opening a door and nothing more. Yes, I have certification credentials and a college degree but I know a lot of people much more intelligent and talented than I am.

Keep posting.

Zach,

It's important to remember that no certification exam can take in the whole breadth and depth of a particular profession. CPAs recertify regularly and must maintain that certification to show they're staying on top of current trends and new information in their industry. It's my belief that the CAP is the same. It's not that you must prove your knowledge, but it's going the extra mile to show a commitment to learning and continuing education.

For example, this year at Summit there were several tech sessions around AI and how to integrate it into your work. I've taken seminars on new functionality in the Microsoft suite. It helps keep me up-to-date on best practices and even things that an employer may not be doing now but might come in a couple of years. For me, it's a personal commitment to continuous improvement, and my certification is an example of that.

I'd encourage you to attend an IAAP session on certification, either in your area locally, or virtually, to learn more about the value it holds for different members and how they use it to advance their careers. We all come to our certification journey from a different place and get different intrinsic value from it.