National Family Support
Certification Exam
The National Family Support Certification Exam has been developed to test the knowledge of family support professionals in each of the domains outlined in the National Family Support Competency Framework for Direct Service Professionals. The exam has been tested by family support professionals and validated by a team of testing experts to offer a quality and non-discriminatory exam.
Family support professionals who pass the exam will be able to have their certification verified in the National Family Support Certification Registry.
Learn more below! Click each box to show more information.
In order to maintain the integrity of the exam, a learner can only take the exam through ProctorU.
These are the rules the learner will follow during the exam. If any of these rules are violated, it may result in a denial of a certification. This is a part of the
Non-Disclosure Agreement, which you must agree to prior to taking the exam.
Due to COVID-19, there are an increased number of test-takers, which may result in longer wait times. Plan accordingly, as wait times may vary
Please visit ProctorU for instructions on what to expect the day of the exam.
Once you submit your exam, your results will be immediately shown and you will receive an email from noreply@institutefsp.org. However, a review will first be completed by ProctorU to ensure rules were not violated during the exam session. If there were no rule violations, then your certification application will be approved and the certificate will be sent via email. Please allow up to 1 month to receive notification of your approval.
You can review your certification status in My Certifications.
All learners who have been certified will be listed in the National Family Support Certification Registry. Everyone who passes the certification process will earn the title Certified Family Support Professional (CFSP), which they may use on their resumes, business cards, and e-mail signatures.
If you do not want your full information searchable, you may select this option in your account settings.
What happens if I lose internet connection during the exam?
Log back into ProctorU and resume your session. In extreme circumstances, you may need to reschedule your exam.
Why can't I select a term when I try to schedule my exam?
Make sure your institution is Institute for the Advancement of Family Support Professionals. If it is not, you will need to click your name in top right-hand corner of the browser, then click account settings. Near the bottom of the screen, click add enrollment and select Institute for the Advancement of Family Support Professionals. Make sure to click Update Account to save this information.
What happens if I do not pass the certification exam?
You must wait 6 months to retake the certification exam. At that time, you will be given one more opportunity to take the exam. Please contact the
Institute helpdesk if you need to retake the exam.
I took the exam, where are my results?
Once you submit your exam, you will see your exam results. All exam sessions are reviewed by ProctorU and, if necessary, by Institute staff. If you passed the exam and review, you will receive an email notification within two weeks, which will include your certificate. If you passed the exam, but failed the review, you will receive an email notification with details of why you did not pass the review within two weeks.
Where are my certification results?
You will receive an email once your certification request has been approved or denied. You can also check your certification requests in My Certifications.
Is the exam timed?
Yes, you have 3 hours (180 minutes) to complete the exam. You must complete the exam in one sitting.
Will my results or personal data be used for anything?
By participating in the exam, you agree to your answers being used to continue validation of the exam. If you pass the exam and ProctorU review, you will be registered in the National Family Support Certification Registry. This is a searchable database whereit can be verified you passed the certification exam.