Frequently Asked Questions

The goal of ICAPGen testing is to assess whether the applicant has the "basic essential skills" to successfully conduct research in the region being tested. It is not the intent to expect knowledge of obscure records, but to expect candidates to be proficient in the use of the basic, essential records commonly used by researchers doing genealogy research in that area. These records are the ones cited in numerous genealogical how-to texts. These tests are timed to ensure that candidates have had sufficient experience in these basic records to do research for clients in a reasonable amount of time.

Please click here to view ICAPGen's fee schedule.

ICAPGen now offers three testing levels, which recognize the achievements of applicants as they strive to attain the accreditation credential. This program allows applicants more time to prepare for the written exam and offers a choice as to when the exam is scheduled.

The accreditation requirements remain the same—a quality four-generation research report followed by an eight-hour written exam and an oral review. The new levels program segments the accreditation process into three distinct levels and allows an applicant more time to prepare for each level. The three levels are:

•Level 1—the four-generation application project
•Level 2—four sections of the written exam that test knowledge of record content and usage
•Level 3—two sections of the written exam that test skills in data analysis, research planning, methodology, and report writing, with the oral exam following.

To view a synopsis of the three testing levels, including the fees and requirements associated with each of them, visit http://www.icapgen.org/icapgen/overview.

Once the written exam is taken, it usually takes two to three weeks for it to be graded. If it is passed with 90% or better, an oral review is scheduled. In your case the oral review board would use Skype or another similar program to conduct the oral review so you will not need to travel to Utah again.

If you are unable to take the exam on the regularly scheduled dates (once each quarter), the exam can be taken outside the regular schedule for an additional fee of $150.

Next year, we will be administering exams outside of Utah at the DAR library in Washington, D.C. and the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana. We hope to expand these locations in the coming years.

We suggest you submit your application the quarter before you want to fly out to the Family History Library for the exam. This allows time for the application to be rated and possible recommendations implemented before you travel.

ICAPGen is constantly building and expanding our website to provide resources for current and future AG professionals. Several new resources have been added recently:

1. Language ability page. Individuals that apply for accreditation in an international region, where the primary language is one other than English, must demonstrate their language ability as part of the exam. Applicants must be able to translate genealogical documents from the international language into English. The language ability page is designed to point researchers to resources that will help them build and test their language skills. http://www.icapgen.org/icapgen/languageability

2. Work samples page. This page contains sample research reports, research calendars, pedigree charts, and family group records. http://www.icapgen.org/icapgen/worksamples

3. Report-writing tips page. Writing an excellent client report is a hallmark of an excellent genealogist. ICAPGen's report-writing tips can help you learn how to write excellent client reports. http://www.icapgen.org/icapgen/reportwritingtips

4. Job opportunities page. This page provides links to job opportunities within the genealogical community. ICAPGen makes this page available to genealogists as a community service and will add to it regularly. http://www.icapgen.org/icapgen/jobs

5. Volunteer opportunities page. This page announces volunteer opportunities within the genealogical community. ICAPGen makes this page available to genealogists as a community service and will add to it regularly. http://www.icapgen.org/icapgen/volunteer

6. New mentoring class. ICAPGen offers free mentoring classes to the public to educate people about our organization and help them prepare for accreditation. A new mentoring class has recently been filmed: Evidence Analysis, Part 2. It is available for viewing on the Mentoring and Educational Resources page. http://www.icapgen.org/icapgen/resources

7. Regional resource pages. One of the things that makes ICAPGen unique is that our credentials are region-specific. That is, when you accredit through ICAPGen, you demonstrate your expertise in a specific region of the world. ICAPGen is developing resource pages for the accreditation regions to help researchers preparing to accredit in those regions. Go to http://www.icapgen.org/icapgen/regions and click on the interactive map of the region you are interested in becoming accredited in.

For current information about preparing for the exam, please click here.

It is recommended that specific classes be itemized out under "Education and Training." Hours for class attendance, readings, exam preparation, and homework should be listed in that location. So a three-credit class can count for three hours of class each week plus six hours outside of class for homework, for a total of about 150 hours.

Hours in the Experience Tables would include only the actual time spent in the records during research and analysis of records. Thus, there may be a little overlap.

Education hours are included in the total number of hours. However, the tables are designed to indicate to an applicant where his strengths and weaknesses might be. For example, if the applicant has 400 hours in census research and only has three other record groups listed, that would indicate that more experience is needed in a larger variety of record groups. We suggest that the applicant have 10 to 12 different specific record groups listed on the experience tables.

Here are your options:

1 - Use your own family and recreate your research calendar. The drawback here is that you did much of the research years ago and with your current level of experience you may now approach the same problem differently. Reviewers will be looking at the order you searched items and the methodology used. After many years of experience your searches will now be more direct, you have a better understanding which records would give you the answers you need. Also I have found that when researching our own lines, there are emotional ties that sometimes cloud our good research judgement.

2 - Use a recent client project. This option is best. You can showcase your best work in a recent project. You will not have to reconstruct anything. And you will be using current resources. The ICAPGen written exam is designed to test the competency of a genealogist who researches for clients under a timed constraint. This type of project will give you the best preparation for the written exam.

For the purpose of this report, we suggest you demonstrate your ability to write a professional client report in third person.

No. There is not a page limit on the report submission. Most reports are about 25 pages long not including documents.

A complete family group record would include research on each of the children in the family as well as the parents. The evidence obtained for each child should be listed in the "sources" or "notes" section of the family group record. However, only the evidence that documents linkage between the direct-line individuals needs to be submitted with the project and discussed in the report...unless a sibling is needed to indirectly provide the relationship clues.

While it is true that raters can ask questions about the siblings, this is rarely done unless the evidence is pointing to those siblings. Even if an applicant left off the siblings, the raters could ask questions and would expect answers if they saw that children had been omitted when they could have provided clues to the relationships. This is also true of additional spouses. While it is not required to complete full research on all additional spouses, the spouse's basic identifiers should be included such as names, dates of birth, marriage, and death, and locations for those events.

The research project requires a minimum of four individuals in a direct lineal ancestry, e.g., child, parent, grandparent, and great-grandparent. They may be men, women, or any combination. In addition, you must include well-researched, documented family group sheets for each spouse and all children of these four individuals. One of the children of the first generation must have been born before 1900. Since you are applying for your credential in a specific geographic area, the families you are submitting must have lived in that area.

The family group sheets for the families selected for research must reflect your research competence. Proper notes and source citations, in a standard format of your choice, must be included for each individual family member. All sources researched must be entered on a research calendar. Photocopies of the supporting documents that prove the link between each generation must be included with the submission. Also include a pedigree chart showing the relationship to the families selected for the submission, and prepare a report of your research on these families.

For more information about the four-generation project, please click here.

Person #1 on the pedigree must have a birth date of 1900 or earlier. Other children in the family may have later birth dates.

Here are some ideas to help find qualifying people:

1. If your ancestor was born after 1900, did he/she have a sibling born before that date? Select any sibling born prior to 1900 as the first person in the study.
2. Now that the first person of the study has been selected, advance back one generation. If the four generations you have chosen are too recent, look for the parents of the last couple in that four-generation. If any of their parents lived in your geographical area, you can use them for the project. If they were born outside of the area, but they lived a significant part of their lives in your regional area, they can be used.
3. If neither of the above techniques gives you a qualifying family, look for siblings of the people in generations two and three. They may have descendants born before 1900 in the geographical area.
4. If all else fails, choose another family entirely.

If you choose to trace the court-appointed parents of an adopted child, it is the same as if the child was a blood descendant. Be sure to include information in your research report to show the child was adopted or lived in a guardianship relationship.

First, you need to think of an area in which you enjoy doing research. It must be a place in which you have had extensive research experience. Consider a place where records are available to you. If you have 1,000 hours but it is not all in one geographical area, you are not ready to take the test. After you become an AG® professional, you will be doing research for others whose ancestors lived in a specific geographic area; therefore, if you do not have any direct ancestors who lived very long in your chosen geographic area, you may gain experience by researching descendants of a family who did stay in one place. Researching individuals who are not related to you, but lived in your chosen area, could also give you experience that would be valuable on the examination.

The four-generation study involves four families, related in lineal or collateral descent who lived in the geographical testing area. Some people find it difficult to locate direct ancestors who qualify.

The study is not limited to your direct ancestors. You may choose any family you want, whether or not they are related to you. Here are some suggestions for finding a family:

1. Your ancestors may have lived in your chosen geographical area for a few generations, but not for four. When they moved, did they leave some family members behind? Your ancestor may have left the area, but his brother’s descendants remained for several generations. Any of the descendants of the initial couple can be used for the study.
2. You may want to research a family related to you by marriage who stayed in the area, rather than your family who left the area. Once again, it can be any four-generations who remained in the geographical area.
3. Although many researchers prefer to use their families, it is advantageous to do the research on a none-related family for several reasons: a) the opportunity to experience helping others to understand the records, b) the genealogical research experience being undertaken, and c) the opportunity to increase research hours in the selected regional area upon completion of a four-generation project. A researcher may use any family he chooses, whether or not they are related to him.
4. If you already have completed some research for other people, you may find a family that would qualify. If you submit work you have done for a client, be sure you have your client’s permission to do so. You may assure the client the information will not be shared with the general public, and it will only be used by the testing committee.

The four-generation project only involves four families. These four families must have lived a significant portion of their lives in the geographical area of choice. The person in the first generation must have been born before 1900. The four families must be related to each other by lineal or collateral descent.

Perhaps looking at this four-generation pedigree from its end point, if you take the couple in the last of the four-generations shown, you can choose any of their children to be the next generation. It could be any son or daughter and that person’s spouse. The son or daughter’s family would be the next generation coming forward in time. Then you could choose any child of that couple. That child and his or her spouse would be the third generation. Any child of theirs would be the fourth generation. You need to research these four families thoroughly, but you do not need to follow any other children down an additional generation.

The four individuals linked through the four generations must have lived in the geographical region in which you are applying for accreditation.

No, you may choose any family that you have personally researched and documented. As this is primarily a test for professional researchers, using a non-family research project is quite acceptable, and wise. Others are encouraged, and invited, to take the test, but should be aware that it is a rigorous exam that includes research questions covering the entire testing area and not just the states in which their ancestors may have lived.

ICAPGen does not require the use of one particular source citation method, but expects that applicants will select and consistently use a method that contains all the primary source elements. Those elements usually include: who wrote or compiled it, what it was titled, where it can be found, its specific call numbers in that repository, and the publication information.

Professionalism, knowledge of sources and research techniques for a specific area, as well as proven skill at research and client report writing when given set time limits, is the standard by which ICAPGen measures its candidates.

The Genealogical Proof Standard is worthy of study and contemplation by any serious genealogist. However, it is not necessarily the best measuring stick for ICAPGen tests or applications. The Genealogical Proof Standard’s “reasonably exhaustive search” criterion is most useful when a considerable amount of time can be devoted to a genealogical problem. In cases limited to a few hours such as you would face on an Accredited Genealogist test, it is not always practical to fully implement an exhaustive search.

But the citation and skillful analysis criteria of the Genealogical Proof Standard play an important role at ICAPGen. At the same time, these higher order skills cannot be tested using multiple-choice tests. Therefore, ICAPGen uses real research case study questions. Not only must the answers be correct, the answers must be supported by proper sources and interpretation of those sources in light of the location, customs, and time period of the research problem.

On your application’s four-generation project, however, you will have more time for a “reasonably exhaustive search.” But even on your application, we are looking more for evidence that you have the skills and knowledge to pass the test. This does not necessarily include the Genealogical Proof Standard. Competency based examinations test the “real-life” working situations of a professional genealogist who must work on a time-schedule to accomplish specific goals. Yet, in most situations using the Genealogical Proof Standard on your application project would be more than adequate at showing off your knowledge, your research and correlation skills, and your analytical and reasoning ability.

Helping to educate your clients and associates about the value of the Genealogical Proof Standard and encouraging its use would be a significant way to demonstrate professionalism.

Genealogists know that there are times when two or more sources give conflicting information. Be sure you have thoroughly researched as many sources as possible to resolve this conflict. In your report, provide all the information you have and where the information was found. If you believe one source is more reliable than another, give your reasons.

Beginning with secondary materials like the Ancestral File, the Pedigree Resource File, compiled family histories in The Library of Congress, or compiled pedigrees found in any major library is an important first step in research. However, the pedigree you submit should have documented primary sources. These must be sources you used. Do not quote documentation done by others without checking for accuracy. Since documentation in submissions to the Pedigree Resource File can be viewed and evaluated (as well as some Ancestral File submissions), be sure those sources are mentioned and evaluated. Many secondary lineages contain errors, and a good researcher uses these lineages only as guides to begin the project. If you find that the secondary source is correct, you must cite the documents used to prove its accuracy.

If your area of accreditation is a country that uses another language besides English, you should be able to translate a document from that language into English. You should also be able to request a record from that country in their language. In some cases you will need to translate a few lines in Latin if your area of accreditation uses Latin consistently in its work. Remember the tests are open-book tests so you can bring with you any printed aids with which you feel comfortable.

It is expected that the candidate has had sufficient experience in the key documents of each state/or region represented in their selected geographic area. In addition, they should be familiar with the key general United States (or foreign federal government if their area is not in the U.S.) documents to recognize the document on sight, and to know the value of those documents in genealogy.

A distinction is made between a transcription and an abstraction. When the candidate is asked to "transcribe" a document, every letter is expected to be written as it appears in the original document. To be true to the original document, no updates such as spelling or grammatical changes are made. When "abstracting" a document, it is important that a test candidate captures the information that would be useful to a genealogical researcher including names, dates, relationships, or items that could prove a name, date, or relationship.

In a rapidly evolving field with new technology and increasing access to records and resources, new or evolving standards are a major focus of Accredited Genealogist renewals. The Accredited Genealogist credential provides an assurance to the consumer and public that the individual who has earned that credential is also dedicated to maintaining and improving their professional skills in the field of genealogical research.

Specifically, ICAPGen wants to know three things about renewal applicants:

1. Are the renewal applicants keeping up-to-date regarding sources and research techniques in their geographic (or subject) areas, and in what ways?
2. Is their conduct professional?
3. Are they willing to abide by the ICAPGen Professional Ethics Agreement agreed between the Accredited Genealogist researcher and ICAPGen?

Among other things, the Professional Ethics Agreement that Accredited Genealogist renewal applicants are asked to sign requires their adherence to the provisions set forth in the "Code of Ethics" published as Appendix B on pages 608 and 609 of Professional Genealogy edited by Elizabeth Shown Mills (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 2001). This edition of the code was specifically chosen and cited by the ICAPGen Commission as a standard of conduct for the Accredited Genealogist professional, for the explicit purpose of avoiding confusion that might arise from wording changes over time.

ICAPGen reviews the professionalism of renewal applicants in three ways. They are requested to submit the following—

1. A completed Accreditation Renewal form;
2. A letter of education and skills application that summarizes your genealogical activities during the previous five years, which includes a brief summary of TWO activities taken from the Education and Skills Application List specific to the area of accreditation under renewal;
3. A research report (or article); and
4. A signed ICAPGen Professional Ethics Agreement.

ICAPGen also reviews its files to ensure that no unprofessional conduct, such as unresolved complaints from clients, remain pending or unresolved.

The AG credential stands as a symbol of excellence and quality to the world. The Accredited Genealogist professional represents one of a unique group within the genealogical community who are committed to excellent and outstanding work in their field.