Certification

Certification in evaluation is a process leading to a formal statement (document) that specifies what a person knows about evaluation principles, what evaluation skills they possess, and that they are able to conduct evaluations. Generally, certification is based on an individual's having passed a standardized test soon after having completed an educational program in a field or specialty. It might also require successfully taking multiple examinations throughout a program of study, as in medicine and actuarial science.

Determining the content of the certification examination is usually the purview of professional groups (e.g., the American Evaluation Association, the Canadian Evaluation Society, the Japanese Evaluation Society). Maintaining certification is an individual responsibility, but most fields mandate what is needed for certificate renewal, such as participating in continuing education ...