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Planning Ahead
NCIDQ&A 16 years ago No Comments

You landed the perfect job. The firm was excellent, the tasks were challenging, and your supervisor gave you a lot of responsibility. You gained all the work experience hours you needed to take the NCIDQ Examination, so you studied and you passed! Life is grand. Sound like a dream? It doesn’t have to be. With the right preparation, earning your NCIDQ Certificate can easily become reality.

So, how to prepare?

We all know studying is involved. But in order to pass the NCIDQ Exam, you must first qualify to take it. Qualifying to take the exam can be a smooth process. It just requires a little planning.

Put me in coach, I’m ready to play…

Well, in order to play, you must first practice. Likewise, in order to take the exam, you must first have interior design work experience. The NCIDQ application process involves verifying your work experience. In order to determine whether you have indeed met the requirements, your work verification form must be completed by your direct supervisor and submitted to NCIDQ.

Document, Document.

In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to forget what you ate the night before, let alone what projects you worked on during a job four months ago. And chances are, your supervisor will not remember either. Therefore, it’s up to you to document what you do and when you do it.

Don’t sweat the small stuff.

No, you don’t need to write down what you ate for breakfast the morning of a big presentation. But you should document the hours you worked each week, what projects you worked on and the tasks you performed.

Why is this needed?

The primary focus of the work verification form is documenting the hours you spent gaining your work experience. You must correctly document the total hours you worked and have your supervisor sign the form. Tracking your work ensures that your work experience is on record, but it also has added benefits, such as an enhanced portfolio and improvement in your overall organization process.

Need help organizing?

You’re in luck. NCIDQ has an optional program called the Interior Design Experience Program [IDEP] that assists entry-level interior designers in tracking their work experience and providing a complete and balanced “curriculum” for the first years of work after graduation. IDEP helps prepare you for the NCIDQ Examination and licensure/registration. It builds on your professional network through mentorship and greater workplace participation. Best of all, once you complete the program, you do not need to submit a work verification form because your experience has already been tracked. IDEP streamlines the process. (Certain jurisdictions may require additional documentation be submitted to NCIDQ.)

For more information on IDEP and Exam qualifications visit the NCIDQ Web site at ncidq.org.