ACEDS answers your 25 FAQ about CEDS certification

You asked. We answered. Here's what you wanted to know about CEDS certification.

The nearly 300 people who descended on Hollywood, Florida, last week to attend the ACEDS Annual Conference came thirsty for practical guidance on how to manage e-discovery efficiently and effectively. But the many evaluation forms they left behind also show that their thirst for information also extended to the Certified E-Discovery Specialist (CEDS) credential.

In response to the form’s item, "What would you like to know about CEDS certification?" the attendees submitted a wide variety of questions. Their great interest mirrors that which ACEDS receives on its website and many e-mails and phone calls. The CEDS certification has evoked widespread interest.

We asked ACEDS Executive Director, Gregory Calpakis, to respond to the questions the attendees left behind. Here are 25 attendee questions and answers.

1. What are some practical applications of the knowledge gained from certification?
   
   CEDS certification validates your knowledge and skill in e-discovery and will assist you in your job and career. By preparing for the examination, including studying the CEDS Exam Preparation Manual, you will also undoubtedly acquire new knowledge of best practices that you can apply in your day-to-day work to assist you in reducing risks and costs in the management of electronically stored information. Many CEDS-certified professionals have told us they improved their job performance by reading the CEDS Manual.
    
2. What is the proposed value of CEDS certification? Why would someone get certified?
   
   A CEDS-certified professional, by passing a rigorous, independent examination, has earned a credential that shows the world that she or he has met a scientifically verifiable standard of knowledge and skill in e-discovery. In addition, CEDS certification can provide substantial short term and long term career benefits.
    
3. Will the professional standing of the CEDS-certified person improve?
   
   ACEDS believes that e-discovery professionals who earn the CEDS credential obtain 25 significant job and career benefits, which you can see at ACEDS.org/25.
    
4. What has been the acceptance of the certification by the industry?
   
   ACEDS has been well received by professionals from all occupations that work in e-discovery , including lawyers from AmLaw 250 and smaller law firms, Fortune 500 and smaller corporations, financial institutions, government agencies, insurance companies, litigation support professionals, IT specialists, records managers, paralegals, legal staffing firms, educational institutions, technology companies, consultants and others. Thus far, ACEDS has signed one "Alliance Partnership," with the International Legal Technology Association (ILTA), and others are in the works.
    
5. Has CEDS certification been approved by bar associations?
   
   At this time, no. However, ACEDS is in touch with bar associations to explore how to promote their uniform goal of furthering lawyer competence in e-discovery through the standardized process that the CEDS credential provides.
    
6. How much will the CEDS resonate with the e-discovery community five years from now?
   
   The CEDS certification is based on an independent, legally defensible, scientifically verifiable, multidisciplinary examination. No one can say how it will resonate in five years, but it is certain that the exam was constructed to meet the highest standards of integrity, professionalism and psychometric testing principles.
    
7. What are the plans for incorporating international issues and standards into CEDS certification?
   
   The CEDS certification exam includes questions on international issues and cross-border challenges that e-discovery practitioners face. The examination is not United States-centric, although the principles and rules that govern United States practices are treated extensively.
    
8. Is there a study guide available?
   
   Yes.  Immediately upon registering for the CEDS certification exam, candidates receive the CEDS Exam Preparation Manual in electronic format.
    
9. How long and how much do we need to study?
   
   It all depends on the individual candidate. As with any examination, generally, the more you study the better you do. Closely studying the CEDS Exam Preparation Manual will assist all candidates, but it is not a guarantee of a passing grade. On average, CEDS candidates tell us they generally study some 20 to 30 hours.
    
10. Do you provide an outline of the subject matter covered in the exam?
    
    Yes, the topics covered in the exam are available at ACEDS.org/ABC.
     
11. How often do I need to renew my CEDS?
    
    CEDS certification expires after two years. If certification lapses, a member must retake the exam to regain certified status. The CEDS Exam Candidate Handbook offers complete information about certification eligibility, renewal and other requirements.
     
12. What are the requirements for renewal of the CEDS certification?
    
    To renew the CEDS credential, a CEDS member must have a minimum of 40 CEDS continuing education credits, which may be earned through qualifying experience, training or education in the e-discovery or a related field. All the eligibility requirements and prerequisites are found in the CEDS Exam Candidate Handbook.
     
13. Are there requirements that I take classes and pay money for them or is the CEDS certification mine once I obtain it?
    
    It is yours for two years once you obtain it. After two years, CEDS-certified professionals must show evidence they have earned 40 continuing education credits in the interim. The CEDS Exam Candidate Handbook provides full details about the recertification process, including the application, a worksheet for computing continuing education credits and a checklist of the required supporting documentation.
     
14. Will you be providing practice or sample questions?
    
    ACEDS will include sample questions in the online and live CEDS Exam Preparation Seminars. The online seminar will be available at ACEDS.org on April 11, 2011, and the live seminars will commence in various United States cities by mid-2011. Sample questions will also be included in the updated CEDS Exam Preparation Manual, which will be released by April 30, 2011.
     
15. What is the passing score on the exam?
    
    The passing score for the CEDS exam is about 70%.
     
16. What is the passing rate on the exam?
    
    Presently, about 76% of the persons who sit for the exam pass.
     
17. Is there a percentage passing grade for the overall exam or do you need to obtain a percentage grade on the 15 e-discovery areas?
    
    The grade is for the overall exam. The grading is not based on the number of correct answers in any given section of the exam.
     
18. Is only one attempt at the examination allowed?
    
    CEDS candidates who do not pass the exam are required to wait 60 days before they can retake it.
     
19. What is the fee to take the CEDS exam?
    
    The CEDS examination fee is $795 for ACEDS members, and $595 for persons who work in any government or military agency or academic institution in any country. The fee includes an extensive CEDS Exam Preparation Manual in electronic format and admission to any one of 560 secure ACEDS-Kryterion Testing Centers worldwide. Non-members of ACEDS pay an examination fee of $995.
     
20. Are there any discounts for multiple testers from a company? 
    
    Yes. ACEDS offers substantial savings to private and public sector organizations that wish to have groups of three or more become CEDS-certified. The larger the group, the greater the certification savings. Similar group discounts are available to organizations seeking to attend ACEDS online or live training programs were to become members of ACEDS.
     
21. What can I do to further my CEDS certification?
    
    The CEDS certification is an invaluable career credential. You can do a number of things to further, including posts and online profiles on social media sites, internal and external announcements and press releases from your organization acknowledging your credential, reference to your CEDS credential on your resume, references in your biographical sketch, and business cards.
     
22. How many people are CEDS-certified?
    
    Presently, some 75 ACEDS members have qualified to take the exam and have passed it. Many more are signed up to take the exam at ACEDS-Kryterion Testing Centers worldwide.
     
23. How well-known is the CEDS certification?
    
    With each passing day the CEDS certification becomes better known. Presently, e-discovery professionals in four countries have become CEDS-certified, United States, Canada, Great Britain and Taiwan.
     
24. Is there a mentoring program to align test candidates with the folks that have passed the CEDS exam?
    
    Good idea. At the suggestion of several ACEDS members, ACEDS is now posting information to the ACEDS Forum on its website to connect CEDS candidates with e-discovery professionals who have already earned the credential.
     
25. How can you work with colleges to assure that we have the right curriculum?
    
    ACEDS management has substantial experience in working with worldwide institutions of higher learning in developing curricula in specialized areas of certification. We are now developing an outreach program with colleges and universities, including law schools, to collaborate in developing curricula and fostering collaboration. ACEDS welcomes expressions of interest from colleges and universities that wish to affinity arrangements with ACEDS.

The ACEDS website, at ACEDS.org/certification, has full information about the CEDS certification and offers a way for additional questions to be posed. ACEDS welcomes questions and feedback. Post your questions about the CEDS Certification Exam on our ACEDS Forum.