Hi, I am interested in applying to CAP Exam. However, I have a question about my eligibility. The following is an excerpt from the CAP Certification Handbook: "To be eligible to take the CAP exam, you must meet one of the following education/experience requirements: No College Degree – Four years or 7,072 hours* of relevant work experience Associates 2-year Degree – Three Years or 5,304 hours* of relevant work experience Bachelors 4-year Degree – Two years or 3,536 hours* relevant work experience" Basically, I did not graduate from college. Due to a change in major and transferring schools, and a whole lot of other circumstances, I have 105 College Credits total. Again, I did not graduate/receive a degree. Basically, would my college record of 105 Credits earned just not count towards the education component? Do you HAVE to have the degree, or could my Credit Hours at least count for something? Maybe count for the 2 Year Associates? Or, would I have to suck it up and apply as the "No College Degree" classification? Does IAAP offer any type of leniency regarding this type of situation? Has anyone had a similar situation? I feel as though my college education should count for something towards my eligibility for the CAP Exam, but guidelines are guidelines. I figured I'd ask, though. Thank you all so much in advance for your input - I am new here so please be easy on me!

Hi there. First, congrats on even thinking about taking the CAP exam. It can be a daunting task to some. You seem quite eager and excited about it, so you'll do great! For your specific questions, I would reach out to certification@iaap-hq.org. They can give you a prompt, accurate answer. Best of luck to you on your certification journey!

Best of luck in your certification journey.

Best wishes on your CAP certification journey.

As J. Sanders mentioned, reach out to certification@iaap-hq.org with your question. They are the best to answer it. I didn't think I would qualify to sit for the exam because I never had an Administrative Assistant title, but a lot of the work I did was administrative in nature, so I was able to qualify. Best of luck!

Glad you are considering certification! The folks in certification are great at being able to sort through situations like yours and would be glad to assist. Best wishes to you on the journey.

How long have you been an admin? Can you meet the requirement without the degree?

When I sat for the exam (in the dark ages), you had to have a degree for college to count. I actually took the exam and then applied certification toward my college degree. We are talking about the 1980s and the college I attended gave credit for portions of the exam where they taught those classes. I have not checked the application process lately but I would think you still have to have the degree in order to claim college credit. As others have said, contact Headquarters with your questions and they will clarify.