Certified Career Services Provider (CCSP)
Announcing a new CCSP Credentialing Process: On January 1, 2025, NCDA will launch the all-new Certified Career Services Provider (CCSP) professional certification exam. Each exam is made up of 80 multiple-choice questions and is delivered online, on your schedule. View details about the new assessment below.
What is the Certified Career Services Provider credential?
The credential is intended for providers offering career services in an array of roles and settings. Providers might be consultants, coaches, advisors, workforce practitioners, facilitators, trainers, recruiters, and resume writers.
This multi-purpose credential includes demonstration of the essential skills needed to provide career services in any setting. It is appropriate to all levels and all settings. Completion of a training program is required before applying. Specific levels of educational attainment and work experience are not required.
Who is eligible for the CCSP?
Individuals who have completed training through NCDA’s Facilitating Career Development (FCD) are eligible to apply.
What are the steps to apply for the CCSP?
The basic steps of applying include providing required demographic information, uploading your Certificate of Completion from NCDA’s Facilitating Career Development (FCD) training, and selecting your desired mode of exam. As of January 1, 2025, there are two examination options:
- Taking a multiple-choice test
- Providing answers based on competency-specified scenarios (after June 30, 2025 the scenario assessment will no longer be offered).
How much time do I have to finish the application?
You must complete the application within 90 days of your starting date, as your time permits. Only the assessment portions of the application are single-session timed events (see details below).
How can I prepare for the assessment/exam portion of the application?
Your preparation depends on the mode of assessment/exam you select.
Multiple Choice Examination Details
This assessment consists of 80 multiple choice questions spanning 6 subject areas that are tied directly to the FCD Student Manual:
- Module 1: Developing a Helping Relationship (15 items)
- Module 3: Career Development Theory and its Application (19 items)
- Module 4: The Role of Assessment in Career Planning (16 items)
- Module 5: Ethics and the Career Services Provider (7 items)
- Module 6: Providing Career Services to Multicultural Populations (8 items)
- Module 8: Job Seeking and Employability Skills (15 items)
How can I prepare for the Multiple Choice Exam?
- Review the FCD student manual, particularly modules 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8, as all questions are derived from the student manual.
- Be sure to review the appendix in each module in addition to the main text.
- You are likely to find you can answer some questions quickly, while others will take more thought. Have a strategy in mind for how you will manage this, keeping in mind the time limits.
- Remember that the assessment platform records your response as soon as you select an answer. If you did not mark the question for review, you will have no way change your response later – even if you clicked on the wrong answer by accident.
- THEREFORE, it is recommended that you click the “Review” checkbox for every question before you select an answer.
- Be sure to look at the CCSP Multiple Choice Exam Study Guide!
Scenario-Based Assessment Details
The scenarios are based on the competencies that are addressed by the NCDA Facilitating Career Development curriculum:
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Helping Skills - Be proficient in the basic career facilitating process while including productive interpersonal relationships.
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Labor Market Information and Resources - Understand labor market and occupational information and trends. Be able to use current resources.
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Assessment - Comprehend and use (under supervision) both formal and informal career development assessments with emphasis on relating appropriate ones to the population served.
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Diverse Populations - Recognize special needs of various groups and adapt services to meet their needs.
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Ethical and Legal Issues - Follow the NCDA Code of Ethics and the GCDF Code of Ethics and know current legislative regulations.
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Career Development Models - Understand career development theories, models, and techniques as they apply to lifelong development, gender, age, and ethnic backgrounds.
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Employability Skills - Know job search strategies and placement techniques, especially in working with specific groups.
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Training Clients and Peers - Prepare and develop materials for training programs and presentations.
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Program Management/Implementation - Understand career development programs and their implementation, and work as a liaison in collaborative relationships.
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Promotion and Public Relations - Market and promote career development programs with staff and supervisors.
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Technology - Comprehend and use career development computer applications.
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Consultation - Accept suggestions for performance improvement from consultants or supervisors.
What is the assessment portion?
You will respond to 4 individual scenarios (a description of the client and a situation), 1 for each of these competencies: helping skills, theory, assessment, and job search. You will also identify a setting (K-12 education, higher education, private practice, workforce or business) in which your scenario will be based. You will be asked to write 2-5 paragraphs responding to a focused question based on that scenario. You must complete each response within 60 minutes of accessing the scenario. Once you have completed a scenario, you my exit and come back to start the next scenario (you will not be able to view the next scenario until you initiate the session for that scenario). Your responses are evaluated by a trained reviewer who also holds this same credential. The reviewer sees only your responses and cannot access any information about you.
To prepare for writing your responses to the scenarios, we suggest you adopt the mindset of sitting in session with your client and discussing suggested resources, action steps and outcomes with the client during this session. We want you to draw upon your everyday experience to formulate your real-world response to each scenario, then write your response from this perspective.
Be sure to look at the CCSP Scenario-Based Assessment Study Guide! This guide offers a review on writing a response, a sample response, and some practice questions. Learn more about Successful Writing for CCSP Case Studies.
What materials may I use during the exam/assessment?
Please pay attention to this IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT SECURITY/INTEGRITY:
You are not permitted to use the FCD Student Manual during any CCSP assessment (multiple choice or scenario). You may not use content directly from the student manual during the assessment. If responses are found to match FCD Student Manual content exactly, your exam/assessment will automatically be disqualified and you must re-test. Responses to assessments must be ORIGINAL. All responses to assessments MUST BE your own ORIGINAL work. You may not collaborate with other class members or utilize the FCD student manual, AI tools, Internet resources, or other career development resources. All responses will be analyzed using AI detection tools.
What if I don’t pass?
Applicants who do not pass their first attempt will be permitted to retest within one month. If the retest is also unsuccessful, the applicant must wait one year to reapply. We recommend further study during this year. NOTE: applicants taking the multiple choice exam on their first attempt may choose to take the scenario based assessment for their second attempt. If taking the scenario assessment on the first attempt, the candidate can choose to take the multiple choice exam on their second attempt (remember, the scenario assessment will no longer be offered after June 30, 2025).
How do I find continuing education relevant to career development?
See the NCDA Continuing Education webpage for complete details.
What do I need to know to use the application software?
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The first step is to complete an NCDA form and then you will receive a link to create an account in the credentialing software program.
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The process of applying for a credential has two major parts: demographics and scenarios. First, complete and submit Section 1 (general demographic information and uploading certificates of completion). Then complete the assessment portion (scenarios).
Ready to apply?
Remember to review your study guide before applying!
You do not have to complete the entire application at one time, but you must submit it within 90 days of starting it.
Clicking on the Apply Now link will start your new NCDA Credentialing Application by completing an NCDA form. Once your information, including payment, has been completed, you will receive the link to continue the application process and upload the appropriate documents. When applying on that second link, you will be leaving the NCDA website and will be directed to create a new account within the application system. Your NCDA login will not work with the credentialing application system.
