The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PARLIAMENTARIANS® accredits members that pass a detailed five part registration exam. The minimum passing grade to become a Registered Parliamentarian is 80%. Anyone who has taken this exam will share with you that it is not an easy test. It is designed to show your proficiency in parliamentary procedure, knowing the rules and where to find them in RONR (Roberts Rules of Order).
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Part 1. | Research questions. 5 quotations from RONR and you have 30 minutes to find the page and line number of each quote. |
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Part 2. | Motions & Related Concepts |
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Part 3. | Meetings, Sessions & Related Procedures |
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Part 4. | Officers and Elections, Voting, Boards and Committees |
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Part 5. | Rules of the Assembly & related procedures |
It is not uncommon for individuals to fail one or more of the 5 parts on the first test. If you pass at least 2 parts the first time, you may re-take only the parts you did not pass. You have one year to finish re-taking any missed sections.
Examination fees are $150 for the full exam, $25 for Part I re-examination, and $50 for Parts II - V re-examination. There are tools to help you study! The test questions are randomly selected from the 1200 questions in "Study Guide for Registration" from NAP and ParlQuest™.
See also the NAP website for more information & application forms.
Now you've passed.... and it can be a great thing if you find yourself at a meeting, and you need to rely on instant recall of the rules! AND you can actually find the RONR page reference where that ruling is when asked! This exam is not just to pass by 80% - it's to ensure you have the ability and preparation you need in order to funciton effectively in any meeting of any deliberative assembly.
RP's who also demonstrate added proficiency in teaching and presiding can obtain a certification from NAP as a PRP or Professional Registered Parliamentarian.
This PQC or Professional Qualifiying Course includes 16 hours of comprehensive testing and instruction with two or three trained instructors from NAP. The course (test) consists of different "training" modules such as:
- serving as parliamentarian for conventions & meetings
- serving as presiding officer and professional presider
- preparing and presenting a portion of a 1 hour lesson plan
- class participation
- pre-class written parliamentary opinion
- post-course (test) written parliamentary opinion
A Professional Registered Parliamentarian (PRP) is qualified to assist individuals and organizations in parliamentary procedure that enables the timely and efficient conduct of business. Correct parliamentary procedure is based on democratic principles and respect for the dignity of the individual. They also can be:
- A professional presider
- Bylaws consultant
- Seminar and workshop presenter
- Minutes taking expert
- Parliamentary opinion writer
- Expert witness on parliamentary procedure
- Convention consultant
- Agenda planner
- Election consultant
