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General
Establishing a credentialing program strengthens the reputation of a profession. While a certification program isn’t an endorsement of an individual, it tells anyone who is considering hiring a professional that this person has sought out a credentialing program and has passed the credential’s requirements.
No. The certification process is a standardized program specifically designed for fair treatment of all candidates. The only way to ensure the integrity of this standardized process is to require that all candidates are assessed equally.
As of December 2019, there were 3,827 CPDT-KAs and 170 CPDT-KSAs worldwide.
The CCPDT offers independent certification to dog training and behavior professionals and is an organization of “certificants.” Certificants have taken and passed one of our examinations, and continue to recertify to retain the credential. APDT (Association of Professional Dog Trainers) is an education-focused organization of “members.” Members are individuals with an interest in the goals of the organization, who pay annual membership dues to participate. Members continue to be part of the organization as long as they continue to pay their annual dues.
Examinations

We designed the knowledge assessed (-KA) training certification exam to test the foundational knowledge a professional dog trainer must have.The test questions are compiled by a group of acknowledged dog training and behavior experts. The questions are multiple-choice—the most frequently used format in examinations that validate a candidate’s competence to perform the work of the profession—and are based on the general knowledge of dog behavior and application of training techniques.

Skills assessed (-KSA) is the next level of training certification. During this examination, you must demonstrate through a video the practical skills necessary to train dogs and teach others to train their dogs. The examinations are changed periodically and are reviewed with a psychometrician before being released for the testing period. The videos are scored using a rubric which removes as much subjectivity from the judging as possible.

The exam domains for the knowledge assessed (-KA) certification are instruction skills; learning theory; ethology; equipment; animal husbandry. The exam domains for the skills assessed (-KSA) certification are training skills; instruction skills; training equipment; application of modalities; CCPDT training policies and position statements.

For complete test content outlines, download the CPDT-KA or CPDT-KSA Candidate Handbooks.

Yes, we have created 50-question practice tests for the CPDT-KA certification exam that will give you a score by testing area. This is a chance to take a computerized exam; experience the content; and learn more about question format, style, and level of difficulty. You have 2 hours to complete the 50 questions and there’s a fee of $99. To register and take the practice test, visit the Professional Testing Corporation.

NOTE: The successful completion of the practice test is not required to sit for the exam, nor does it guarantee a passing score on the exam.

We offer the training examinations in the spring and fall of each year. The knowledge assessed (-KA) exam is offered at computerized testing locations all across the U.S. and Canada (we also arrange exams in other countries, albeit still in English). The skills assessed (-KSA) exam is a video submission. For more info, see the CPDT-KA or CPDT-KSA Candidate Handbooks.

Under certain conditions, we can arrange testing at other facilities and the setup of new test sites. We also allow exceptions/modifications for anyone with demonstrated need. For details, see the CPDT-KA or CPDT-KSA Candidate Handbooks.
An evaluation committee, comprised of trainers who have earned the KSA designation, is responsible for scoring the exam. Multiple evaluators review and score each video independently. If there’s a statistical difference in any of the scores, we have a process in place for additional review of the video. If an evaluator frequently is rating statistically different from other evaluators, CCPDT is notified that the evaluator may need additional training on the scoring items. Evaluators must also disclose if they know the candidate and can opt out of scoring the candidate if they do not think they can be objective. Further, videos are scored using a rubric to make the judging as objective as possible.
As of December 2019, 7,017 candidates have taken the knowledge assessed (-KA) examination.
As of October 2019, the cumulative pass rate for the knowledge assessed (-KA) examination was 88%. As of September 2019, the cumulative pass rate for the knowledge & skills assessed (-KSA) examination was 100%.
Recertification

No. One of the requirements and objectives of certification is for trainers to stay current on new research and training methods.

You don’t have to recertify by way of continuing education units (CEUs), you can instead re-take the examination. We allow this alternative because we continually keep our examination up-to-date with the latest techniques, methods, and equipment, so candidates have to be current in their field to pass it.
You can apply for recertification up to 30 days past your deadline. A late fee of $100 (in addition to the $190 recertification fee) applies. Any later than that, though, and you have to reapply for certification through the same process as when you originally became certified.
Under certain unusual or extraordinary circumstances, yes. To get a one-year extension, send a written explanation of why you need one to the CCPDT board at least 30 days before your recertification date.