From the Accreditation Board
Are you planning to sit the next IPEd accreditation exam on Monday 12 August 2024? Although the exam is still eight months away, it’s never too early to start preparing. This article spills the tea on where you can find important exam information such as key dates; registration fees, policies and procedures; and exam preparation resources, including sample exams and the Guide for candidates.
But first, a little bit of exam history (which you can find on the IPEd website under Governance of accreditation).
Did you know that the 2024 exam will be the 10th accreditation exam? The first five exams were hard-copy exams, written on paper, and were held in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2014.
In 2016 and 2018 the exam was delivered on-screen in networked computer labs using Microsoft Word files containing macros for all three parts of the exam. This format entailed creating two sets of exam files, one for Windows and one for Mac systems. After investigating how to make the exam files platform-neutral, the Accreditation Board (AB) changed the format for the next two exams held in 2020 and 2022 to PDF forms for the Language and Knowledge parts of the exam and ordinary Word files (i.e. files containing no macros) for the Manuscript part. This will also be the format for the 2024 exam. You can find out more about the exam structure and format on the main IPEd accreditation exam page.
Since 2020, the AB has also allowed candidates unable to attend an exam venue to sit the exam remotely, making the exam more accessible to all editors.
Just over 500 editors (503 to be precise) have become accredited since the first exam in 2008, with 351 of those being current AEs in December 2023.
Read on for more information about the 2024 exam and where to look for updates over the coming months.
Key dates
Registration cut-off and other key dates for the 2024 exam are listed under Key dates on the exam registration page. These include:
- Monday 12 February 2024: registrations open
- Sunday 2 June 2024: early-bird registrations close
- Friday 12 July 2024: all registrations close
- Monday 12 August 2024: exam day
Registration fees
The AB is pleased to announce that registration fees for the 2024 exam will remain the same as for the 2022 exam. This means that the early-bird fees have been the same for three exams now (2020, 2022 and 2024), as only the standard fees were increased for the 2022 exam.
Details of all fees, including early-bird, standard and concession fees for first-time and resitting candidates (conditions apply), are available under Registration fees on the exam registration page.
Registration policies and procedures
Information about the 2024 exam registration policy and procedure (who can sit the exam, which exam fee might apply to you, how to register for the exam) is available under the following headings on the exam registration page:
- Registration policy
- Registration procedure (Please note that details of the registration procedure for the 2024 exam will be released before registrations open on 12 February 2024.)
The Cancellation and refund policy explains what happens if you cancel your registration or can’t make it on exam day.
Exam preparation resources
The AB provides numerous resources to help candidates prepare for the exam. Here’s where to start:
This page contains:
- lots of information about the exam overall and your preparation for it (e.g. information on style guides and dictionaries, the benefit of study groups)
- resources specific to each of the three parts of the exam (soon to be updated for the 2024 exam and the third edition of IPEd standards for editing practice).
On this page you will find:
- sample exam documents to download and use to help you prepare – these will be updated shortly, but the current versions will still be useful
- suggested timings to use in the exam
- tips on how to simulate exam conditions to help you get used to what the exam will feel like.
An updated version for the 2024 exam will be available by the end of December, but the 2022 guide is still full of relevant, useful information (e.g. specific details about what to expect on exam day, tips from AEs who have passed the exam).
We hope this article gives you all you need to know about the exam for now. Please check the website regularly for updates, and if you have questions, contact your branch AB delegate or the AB chair (ab.chair@iped-editors.org).