History of NCGR-PAA's Certification Program
NCGR's Education and Certification Program, recognized internationally for its rigor and excellence since 1979, has been one of NCGR's cherished achievements. With the 2008 formation of the NCGR-Professional Astrologers' Alliance (NCGR-PAA), NCGR's prior certification program has been transferred to PAA in its entirety, thus continuing NCGR's historical educational program begun more than a quarter of a century ago.
The NCGR-PAA will now administer the 4 Levels of certification testing based on the same educational curriculum as before and as found in the Education Curriculum and Study Guide for Certification Testing.
Revised tests for Levels I through IV have been operative since September 1, 2005. With the revisions, the Level III take-home tests are now graded separately. That is, a candidate must first take the proctored Level III exam; after completing that exam with a passing grade, the candidate can then apply for the take-home exam. The take-home exam will not be administered unless and until the candidate successfully completes the proctored Level III exam.
Another change with the 2005 revisions has to do with the math segments of Levels I and II. If a candidate does not successfully pass the math segment of either of these two tests, he or she must take the entire Level I or Level II test over again in order to pass. There is no longer a separate re-take exam for math only.
Current fees for each level of testing are as follows:
Level I (Proctored Exam) $ 60.00 NCGR Members $ 115.00 non-Members
Level II (Proctored Exam) $ 70.00 NCGR Members $ 125.00 non-Members
Level III (Proctored Exam) $ 80.00 NCGR Members $ 135.00 non-Members
Level III (Take-Home Exam) $ 90.00 NCGR Members $ 145.00 non-Members
Level IV (Rectification) $ 105.00 NCGR Members $ 160.00 non-Members
Level IV (Consulting; $ 165.00 NCGR Members $ 330.00 non-Members
Technical Research; General Studies Research; or Instruction)
The Study Guide is an essential adjunct for preparing for NCGR-PAA testing, since it covers the entire curriculum of studies for certification testing. It is modestly priced at $20.00 plus shipping & handling and is available through this link. Among some of the changes instituted with the 2005 revised tests have been new material on classical astrology in Levels I and II. Vedic, Chinese, and Mesoamerican astrology have also been included in the Level III proctored exam.
The take-home exam for Level III still requires the in-depth mundane essay but it also requires an exercise in electional astrology as follows: electing the best times for four specific events from a given natal chart (instead of the previous requirement of calculating and analyzing a solar return chart). Questions on solar and lunar returns analysis are now covered in the Level III proctored exam. Although an essay on professional ethics is included in the other required material for the Level IV Consultation Track, questions on ethics are also interspersed throughout all three levels of the proctored exams.