Overview | Preparing | Applying | Testing Process | Application [PDF]¹

Accreditation in a Nutshell

The following is taken from Becoming an Accredited Genealogist: Plus 100 Tips to Ensure Your Success, Revised Edition. This is a resource that covers the entire process as well but much more in-depth.

Step One:  Determine one region in which to apply.
See this web page:  Current Areas of Testing.

Step Two:  Select a family in THE SELECTED REGION that is traced back four generations prior to 1900.
This can be straight paternal [person to father, father to his grandfather, grandfather to his great-grandfather, great grandfather to his 2^nd great grandfather], straight maternal [person to mother, mother to grandmother, grandmother to great-grandmother, great grandmother to 2^nd great grandmother], or alternate between paternal and maternal lines [such as person to father, father to his mother (also known as the original person's grandmother), person's grandmother to her father (also known as the original person's great grandfather etc.]. This does NOT mean all four lines ancestral lines for four generations. It means one ancestral line for one person who lived in the region prior to 1900 in which you hope to credential and then back for three more generations.

Step Three:  Fill out the application form showing your experience (use the required experience file).
The application and research problem are meant to reflect the depth and knowledge one has about the records related to a particular country, or region of the world as selected under Step One. Raters are trained to watch for the following items in the application and report (to see how you would rate your own application, download the Self-Assessment: Rate Your Own ICAPGen^SM AG^® Application form):

• The submission should encompass both compiled and original records. These records could be from the Family History Library collection or other major record collections representing best sources to answer the four-generation problem, Internet sites, and sources available in the locality where the ancestral line is located.

• Results of records searched (both positive and negative) should be listed on Research Logs or Calendars with accompanying documents for the individuals who appear on the lineage.

• A pedigree chart should be included containing just the four-generation lineage which can be straight paternal, straight maternal, or alternate between paternal and maternal lines. This does NOT mean all four lines for four generations. [See Step Two above.]

• Family group sheets, normally four to a submitted lineage (unless multiple marriages exist), should include properly sourced and cited documentation of information.

• A polished report (with no typos, grammatical errors, etc.) should encompass an explanation of the project, its scope, and the main goal(s) of the research; any background information on the research problem; the findings of the research; the presentation of evidence supported by thorough source citation and analyses (footnotes preferred); and explicit discussion of any conflicting evidence; and suggestions for further research.

• Key documents could include photocopies or scanned images of documents providing connections within a nuclear family, intergenerational connections, and extended family connections worthy of inclusion for the purpose of fulfilling the main goal(s) of the research.

Submission Criteria
In today’s technological world, it is expected that all researchers should understand how to save information electronically and send it to others in that format. Therefore, the application, report, and supportive information (covering text and genealogy computer program results) should be saved in a .doc (Word), .rtf (Rich Text Format), OR .pdf format. Images of original documents should be saved in a .jpg format of no larger than 300 dpi. All items should then be copied to a CD (which may be saved in a read-only format), and three copies of the CD sent to ICAPGen with the $50 initial application fee.

The application, the report, and all parts of the examination are graded by two independent credentialed raters who may live in different parts of the country. These CDs make it easier to transport information, and keep the price down for taking the examination. Since all the raters are volunteers and must read the submissions, the pages for the project report submission have been limited to approximately 60 pages. Therefore the entire pages for the application with its corresponding experience files of approximately 5-6 pages (depending on the applicant's experience) would be included with the four-generation project. You would include the 25-60 page report on your four generations, four or more family group records well documented, one pedigree chart of just the direct-line four generations, multiple research calendars, and images of the original documents linked to your report. (Please see the Self-Assessment: Rate Your Own ICAPGen^SM AG^® Application form for greater detail.)

This above project usually takes someone about two to three months. The book cited at the top and other pages on this website will help you put together study materials that you can take into the exam.

Step Four:  Written Exam.  When your application with its four-generation project is accepted, you will be notified to set up a date to take the 8-hour written exam. (Open book). You should send your check for $125 to:
 
ICAPGen
P.O. Box 4464
Salt Lake City, UT 84110-4464

The fee covers proctor expenses, printing of examinations, mailing, the cost of certificates, the cost of maintaining the database and marketing the information about Accredited Genealogist^® professionals to distribute to the public.

Step Five:  Oral Review.  If you pass the exam, you will have a 1 to 3 hour oral evaluation where the raters attempt to determine if you actually know the answers to questions you may have missed on the written portion of the exam.  If there were some weaknesses in your research methodology, they might point this out to you, or give you a small project to strengthen your weak area.

Overview | Preparing | Applying | Testing Process | Application [PDF]¹