Certification Exam

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Submitted by Customer Support on Tue, 04/01/2025 - 12:17

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Dear Patrick,

To access the exam registration, you must be signed into your account on HUDHousingCounselors.hud.gov.

Select Begin Exam Registration in the Countdown to your Exam! section of your User Profile Dashboard. Follow the steps to register for the exam and complete the form at the bottom of the page.

If you are attempting to register using your mobile phone or tablet, you may not be able to complete your transaction. Please use a computer to register.

Please note, the links listed in the instructions are for informational purposes only. If you click on a link, it will open a separate page that is not part of the registration process. You must return to the registration page to continue. You must register for a HUD account in order to schedule the exam. The exams are available for online or onsite registration all year around.

Sincerely,

TheHUDhousingcounselors.hud.gov Support Team

Submitted by Customer Support on Tue, 04/01/2025 - 14:23

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Dear Patrick,

Exams are available online or onsite all year around. Support is not able to see what dates, times or locations are available for your location. You must create an account and register for an exam to see dates, times and locations available. 

The practice exam is free and accessible in both English and Spanish. You may take the practice exam as many times as you would like.

You do not need to be a housing counselor to take the practice exam; it is available to anyone who creates a HUDHousingCounselors.hud.gov account.

To access the practice exam, you must be signed into your account on HUDHousingCounselors.hud.gov.

Once you are signed in, click on the Training Center button on the home page, then click on “Take Practice Exam.” If you are already signed in, you can access the Take Practice Exam launch page directly.

Exam registration, cancellations, and changes are handled through your account on HUDHousingCounselors.hud.gov.

To change your exam delivery type, sign in and select Change Your Test Date in the Countdown to your Exam section of your User Profile Dashboard. Follow the steps under Reschedule an Exam to cancel your scheduled exam (the exam purchase will be refunded to the credit card used), then follow the steps to register for a new exam.

Be sure to review the No Shows and Cancellations Policy prior to making changes. 

Certification Requirement

Housing counseling required under or provided in connection with HUD programs must be provided only by certified housing counselors who work for organizations approved to participate in HUD’s Housing Counseling Program. In order to be certified, an individual must both pass a standardized written examination covering six major topic areas, and work for an agency approved to participate in HUD’s housing counseling program. In other words, you can take the certification exam without being employed at a HUD-approved agency; however, to become certified you must pass the exam and work for a HUD-approved agency.  

Please visit the HUD Exchange to learn how to become a HUD Certified Housing Counseling Agency. For steps to certification visit the HUD Exchange website and view the HUD Certified Housing Counselor Application Process.

Compliance

See Housing Counseling: New Certification Requirements Final Rule on the HUD Exchange for more information. On August 5, 2020, HUD published an Interim Final Rule on the Federal Register website to announce a delay in the deadline for housing counselors to become HUD certified. The new final compliance date was August 1, 2021.

Review Managing Certification After the Final Compliance Date and HUD Exchange FAQs related to compliance for more information.

Retakes

There is no limit on retakes for the Certification Exam. However, each retake must be purchased at the stated exam fee. You can take the Certification Exam as many times as necessary to achieve a passing score.

Sincerely,

TheHUDhousingcounselors.hud.gov Support Team

Yeah, Hi, my name is Patrick McArdle. I work for Brock Community Action in Bennington, Vt. We are the lead homeless agency in our county in Vermont. So I mentioned becoming a housing and going through the housing counselor training. My understanding is that you take the training on your own, but then there's ultimately a test you need to take and pass to get the certification and that that's an in person test. So what I'm trying to find out is when and where is the next test? Is it? I don't know if they're scheduled once a year. I don't know if they're scheduled 3 * a year. I don't know if they only schedule them once they have enough people signing up for it. I don't know if we have to sign up in advance or if you can show up day of. I don't know. I'm just trying to figure out again how to approach that final exam and nothing I'm seeing online tells me when I when and where it would be. And also I tried to enter the ticket and it's not allowing me to. I keep clicking enter send, it's not sending and there's also no box. There is a line that says that you put your name in your e-mail address, but there's no box underneath it. And so I can't click on that box and add my name or add my e-mail address. So I can be reached at 802-445-1319. Again, Patrick McArdle, 8024451319, an e-mail address, so I'm sorry, an e-mail response. Be fine. That is PMCARDLEPMCARDLE at brockbroc.org. Alright, thank you. Bye

email
pmcardle@broc.org
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