Candidates apply through the Certification Institute’s Certification Portal. Follow the steps within the application to submit all the required details. The Certification Portal automatically saves your entries as you complete them; you do not need to “save” anything. You can come back to complete your details at any time.
Step 1: Choose a credential: On the landing page, select “Browse Credentials” to choose the credential for which you’d like to apply.
Step 2: Complete the disclosure and attestation. Then, choose an eligibility pathway. New CPTD applicants should choose the Standard Pathway, unless you have an APTD credential or have completed an ATD Master Series Designation program in the past five years.
Step 3: Complete all employment and professional development details. You will need: a current resume; relevant work experience history, including references; qualifying professional development completed during the past five years, including dates of participation; your certificate from the ATD Master series, if you’ve completed one; and documentation supporting any request for special accommodations.
Step 4: Choose a testing window. This is the timeframe during which you plan to take the exam. You can choose a time frame up to one year in the future. Please choose carefully, as there are fees associated with changing your testing window after approval.
Step 5: Submit. Please note that 40 percent of candidates are randomly selected for audit. Please check your Certification Portal for messages and respond to any requests for information within two weeks of the request.
