Why Become an AG® Professional

SCHEDULING FACTS:

• Level 2 and Level 3 exams are given over the course of two days. The first day is a comprehensive 4 hours of tests consisting of SEction 1: Document Interpretation and Section 2: General Knowledge. The second day is a 4-hour project.
• Tests are conducted both onsite at the Family History Library (see current testing dates) and off-site (see custom testing).
• Onsite Level 2 and Level 3 tests are scheduled by the testing secretary after the applicant receives a passing score on the Level 1 project.
• Custom off-site testing is scheduled by the testing secretary after the applicant receives a passing score on their Level 1 project. Additional charges apply for custom off-site testing (see the fee schedule for details).

RATING FACTS:

• Our goal is to process ratings in a timely manner; however, rating each testing level is a multi-step process. Your project or rest is graded by up to four Accredited Genealogists® in the Region for which you apply.
• For candidates for United States Regions, please allow 5-8 months to receive your results. For International Regions, please allow 5-12 months to receive your results. 
• We use double-blind grading so that it removes biases, in the grading process. The candidate's work and the work of the graders have all identities removed prior to the review process. Blind grading has many advantages, one being that it minimizes the bias of the grader and improves the accuracy of the assessment scores. Since our process is created to be blind, we cannot reveal the identities of those who grade projects without compromising our process.
• Level 1 four-generation projects are first rated for items found in the Part A self-assessment form (see Appendix "Level 1 Four-Generation Project Self-Assessment"  Part A in the Guide to Applying for an Accredited Genealogist Credential). Projects that do not pass Part A are not rated further–they are returned to the candidate for the needed revisions and resubmission. 
• Level 1 four-generation projects that pass the Part A rating are referred for grading with two to four experts from the region of interest for the rating (see Appendix "Level 1 Four-Generation Project Self-Assessment" Part B in the Guide to Applying for an Accredited Genealogist Credential). Projects must pass with a 90% or higher for a candidate to move on to Level 2 and 3 testing.
• Level 2 and Level 3 written exams are graded by two to four experts from the region of interest. Projects must pass each level with a 90% or higher for a candidate to move on to the oral review (see Appendix "Level 3 Final Project Grading Rubric" in the Guide to Applying for an Accredited Genealogist Credential).
• Oral Reviews are "Open Book," the candidate may have resource materials, a copy of the Level 1 project, and any other resources present during the Oral Review. During the Oral Review, the applicant is asked questions about their application project and any questions they missed during the written exam process. The oral review should last a maximum of 45 minutes.