NABCEP Certification

[c_picard]

Last time I was privy to the stats, the full certification exam had a 52% pass rate. The criteria for even sitting for the exam when I took it was more extensive than many of the Master Electrician exams I have taken. And with the exception of one, this exam was more difficult. Keep in mind, though, that every single exam is different than the last.

My full NABCEP cert.(along with multiple licenses) absolutely put my resume at the top of the pile. I may not be working right now without it.

 

[ggunn]

Last time I was privy to the stats, the full certification exam had a 52% pass rate. The criteria for even sitting for the exam when I took it was more extensive than many of the Master Electrician exams I have taken. And with the exception of one, this exam was more difficult. Keep in mind, though, that every single exam is different than the last.

My full NABCEP cert.(along with multiple licenses) absolutely put my resume at the top of the pile. I may not be working right now without it.

I'm glad to hear that someone besides me thought it was a difficult exam. My certification was instrumental in my getting the job I have now as well.

 

[dereckbc]

I'm glad to hear that someone besides me thought it was a difficult exam. My certification was instrumental in my getting the job I have now as well.

Do you hold an electrical license?

I am not trying to belittle the exam. I just think one prerequisite of holding a license in the respected trade would go a long way in giving it credibility. I do not see much value in the certification by itself without the respected trade license like an electrician or plumber...

Sorry guys for the "P" word. :slaphead:

 

[dereckbc]

That is true for the entry level exam, not the professional exam.

This where you keep loosing me and where I am having problems communicating. There is no Professional Exam that I know of in NABCEP. There is to my knowledge:

• Entry Level
• Solar PV Certification
• Solar Thermal Certification
• Small Wind Certification
• RE Sales Certification

Has it changed to combine all 4 certifications into just one called Professional? :huh: If that is the case then I can understand the degree of difficulty. I am only referring to Solar PV Certification.

 

[dereckbc]

I mean no offense, but are you NABCEP certified at the professional level?

No offense taken or offered back at you. No I am not NABCEP certified. I am an EE. I got into designing off-grid solar systems systems late 2003 early 2004 after I was laid off from MCI-Worldcom and went to work for Alltel Wireless, who was bought out by Verizon Wireless and now owns the old MCI-Worldcom. OK got lost in that love-hate triangle.

Anyway I designed quite a few off-grid battery systems for remote cell tower sites, and a short time later a few commercial Grid Tied systems. I corresponded with John to learn the ins and outs. In 2009 when telephone work slowed down I started my own business and I was asked to teach night classes, 2 nights a week at a local community college. I declined and glad I did because I got really busy, so busy I have been absent on this forum for a while.

 

[ggunn]

This where you keep loosing me and where I am having problems communicating. There is no Professional Exam that I know of in NABCEP. There is to my knowledge:

• Entry Level
• Solar PV Certification
• Solar Thermal Certification
• Small Wind Certification
• RE Sales Certification

Has it changed to combine all 4 certifications into just one called Professional? :huh: If that is the case then I can understand the degree of difficulty. I am only referring to Solar PV Certification.

I am referring to the Solar PV Certification as well, but it is commonly referred to as the "professional" PV certification to distinguish it from the entry level that NABCEP used to call a "certification" but no longer does.

From what you have been saying (one semester of community college prepares you for it, it's not that hard, all you have to do is pay a fee and take the test, you can bring in any materials you want...) it is apparent to me that you are speaking of the NABCEP entry level; that is all true of the entry level exam, but none of it is true of the (professional) NABCEP PV Installer certification exam.

I am an EE as well, and a PE in Texas. I had the equivalent of the 1 semester community college solar course as my first step towards reinventing myself in renewable energy after a 20+ year career in the semiconductor industry. I can assure you that upon completion of that course I was in no sense even close to being prepared for the NABCEP installer's exam. I did pass the entry level exam without difficulty.

After working for a solar company doing installations for a few months (real world experience is a requirement), taking a NABCEP exam prep course, and spending some long hours in the library, I sat for and passed the installer's exam, but it was no cakewalk.

If 19 year olds are starting from scratch in solar technology, taking a single semester of training, and sitting for and passing a NABCEP exam with no real world experience, it is without question the entry level exam. These guys are not at that point "NABCEP Certified". Confusion and misrepresentation on this point is precisely why NABCEP no longer refers to the entry level as a "certification".

 

[dereckbc]

Dumb question why would an EE with a PE want a Installer Certification? :?

 

[ggunn]

Dumb question why would an EE with a PE want a Installer Certification? :?

Simple. To get a job.

When I became unemployed when the semiconductor business went south late in 2008, I decided to reinvent myself in alternative energy. RE, especially solar, has been a passion of mine ever since I was a kid, but when I got my EE degree in 1986, there was no RE industry to speak of, so I went into chips.

While I was unemployed, I had a couple of informational interviews with engineers (PE's) already working in the industry, and both of them advised me to get the NABCEP installers cert. They said that along with my EE and PE it would show prospective employers that I had the chops to design PV systems and that I had expended considerable effort toward placing myself in the industry.

It worked. The job description for the position I now hold asked specifically for a PE with a NABCEP certification (again, the professional certification, not just the entry level, and there is a world of difference). As far as I know, I was the only person who applied who had both credentials.