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NIC Certification

Individuals who have achieved NIC certification are nationally-certified interpreters. The National Interpreter Certification (NIC) Examination tests interpreting knowledge and skills in three critical domains:

General knowledge of the field of interpreting through the NIC Knowledge Exam;
Ethical decision making through the interview portion of the NIC Interview and Performance Exam; and
Interpreting skills through the NIC Interview and Performance Exam.

Candidates earn NIC certification if they demonstrate professional knowledge and skills that meet or exceed the minimum professional standards necessary to perform in a broad range of interpretation and transliteration assignments in all three domains.

The NIC certification process begins with a multiple-choice NIC Knowledge Examination. Candidates who pass the knowledge examination and meet RID’s eligibility requirements may then take the NIC Interview and Performance Examination. The NIC Interview and Performance Examination is a vignette-based assessment using video to deliver and record the assessment.

Anyone who wishes to seek NIC certification should first read the entire NIC Candidate Handbook to ensure a complete understanding of the certification process.

NIC Examination Eligibility Requirements

Examination Eligibility Requirements
Minimum Age	18
Hearing Status	The NIC examinations were designed to evaluate hearing interpreters.
Education (before July 1, 2012)	A minimum of an associate degree in any field or an approved Alternative Pathway to Eligibility application must be recorded in the candidate’s RID account AT THE TIME OF TESTING FOR ANY RID PERFORMANCE-BASED EXAM. This applies to ALL exam candidates, including those who already hold RID certification. (For more information, go to the RID Educational Requirements page at www.rid.org.)
Education (as of July 1, 2012)	A minimum of a bachelor degree in any field or an approved updated/2012 Alternative Pathway to Eligibility application must be recorded in the candidate’s RID account AT THE TIME OF TESTING FOR ANY RID PERFORMANCE-BASED EXAM. This applies to ALL exam candidates, including those who already hold RID certification. (When information about the updated/2012 Alternative Pathway is available, it will be posted on the RID Educational Requirements page at www.rid.org.)
Certification Timeline	Candidates must pass NIC Knowledge Examination before taking the NIC Interview and Performance Examination. Both exams must be passed within a five year period. If both exams are not passed within a five (5) year period, the NIC certification process must be started over.

NIC Examination Fees (as of July 1, 2011)

Member Examination Fees	New Applicant	Retake
NIC Knowledge	$270	$220
NIC Interview and Performance	$355	$305

Non-Member Examination Fees	New Applicant	Retake
NIC Knowledge	$370	$320
NIC Interview and Performance	$455	$405

NIC Knowledge Examination Application

You can apply and pay for the NIC Knowledge Exam in one of two ways:

Complete and send a hard-copy NIC Knowledge Examination application with payment of appropriate fees to the RID national office; or
Apply online by logging on to your RID account (or creating an account if you do not already have one) and clicking on “Register for a Test” in the Testing and CEU Information section. Payment can be made with a MasterCard or VISA.

NIC Interview and Performance Examination Application

You can apply and pay for the NIC Interview and Performance Exam in one of two ways:

Complete and send a hard-copy NIC Interview and Performance Examination application with payment of appropriate fees to the RID national office; or
Apply online by logging on to your RID account (or creating an account if you do not already have one) and clicking on “Register for a Test” in the Testing and CEU Information section. Payment can be made with a MasterCard or VISA.