Notices

Aug 11-12, 2023 Scheduled Maintenance/Downtime:

Aug 11 11:00 p.m.- Aug 12 7:00 a.m. (EST) the website will be undergoing security updates and performance of normal system maintenance tasks. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

05/17/2023- Scheduled Maintenance/Downtime:

May 17, 2023, 12:00-2:00 am EST, Brillium will be applying enhancements to improve your experience on the Brillium platform. This will affect the practice exams and the knowledge checks. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

03/30/2023- (Update) HUD Home Equity Conversation Mortgage (HECM) Exam Now Available on HUDHousingCounselors.hud.gov:

Log into your existing account and access the HECM Exam (Home Equity Conversion Mortgage) through the “Begin Exam Registration” link on your account dashboard. Follow the instructions and locate your desired HECM exam to schedule and purchase your exam.

To request a link to the practice exam email hecmexam@ajantaconsulting.com.

3/20/2023- Scheduled Maintenance/Downtime:

March 22, 2023, 12:00-2:00 am EST, there may be service interruption during this time due to System Operations applying enhancements to improve your experience on the Brillium platform. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

03/14/2023- HUD Home Equity Conversation Mortgage (HECM) Exam Now Available on HUDHousingCounselors.hud.gov:

02/28/2023- Scheduled Maintenance/Downtime:

February 28, 2023, 7:00-7:15 pm EST, Brillium will be applying enhancements to improve your experience on the Brillium platform. This will affect the practice exams and the knowledge checks. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

02/19/2023- Website Maintenance/Downtime:

There may be some interruption to the functionalities of this website. We are very sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

12/19/2022- Scheduled Maintenance/Downtime:

December 22, 2022, 12:00-4:00 am EST, Brillium will be performing critical updates to our backend systems. This will affect the practice exams and the knowledge checks. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

12/13/2022- Website Connection Error: Resolved

If you were affected by the website connection error, please submit a ticket with your current scheduled date of testing and 3 dates that you would like to be rescheduled for. We appreciate your patience, and we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

12/09/2022- Website Connection Error

HUDHousingCounselors.hud.gov is experiencing a connectivity issue to Webassessor's testing site. We are diligently working to resolve the issue. If you are affected by this error, please submit a ticket with your current scheduled date of testing and dates that you would like to be rescheduled for. We appreciate your patience, and we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

9/20/2022 - Intermittent System Maintenance

HUDHousingCounselors.hud.gov will undergo intermittent system maintenance throughout September and October which could impact access to Webassessor, FHA Connection, and some training materials. If you experience issues accessing training materials, registration, or transferring results to FHA Connection, please try again later.

HUDHousingCounselors.hud.gov/Support may notify you by email that your online exam has been rescheduled to accommodate a system maintenance window.

Please contact HUDHousingCounselors.hud.gov/Support if you are unable to access the Webassessor Exam Status Center from the Exam Pre-launch page AND you need to:

Launch an online exam.
Reschedule or cancel an exam before the deadline noted in the No Shows and Cancellations Policy.
Download Sentinel Secure or create your Biometrics Profile for an online exam scheduled within the next 24 hours or before Support is next available.

HUDHousingCounselors.hud.gov/Support hours are 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday – Friday except federal holidays.

Please contact Kryterion Support for all other issues related to preparing for and launching an online exam. Kryterion Support is available 24-hours.

9/14/2022 - Training and Exam Content Updates

Online Interactive Course. Online modules have been refreshed and revision history posted. Online Training Status resets with Version 9/2022 update.
Study Guide. Study Guide has been refreshed in English and Spanish and revision history posted. Version 9/2022.
Certification Exam. Certification exam has been refreshed in English and Spanish.
Practice Exam. Practice exam has been refreshed in English and Spanish.
Knowledge Assessment. Knowledge Assessment has been refreshed in English and Spanish.

The training content is reviewed and updated on a periodic basis to maintain accuracy and relevance. Each time the online modules are updated, the Online Training Status resets because the new modules have not been reviewed.

Please note, HUD does not track individual candidate progress in completing the training modules. The Online Training Status is available for candidate reference only.

The content changes are noted in the Revision History on the website.

9/23/2021 - Training and Exam Content Updates

Online Interactive Course. Online modules have been refreshed and revision history posted. Online Training Status resets with Version 9/2021 update.
Study Guide. Study Guide has been refreshed in English and Spanish and revision history posted. Version 9/2021.
Certification Exam. Certification exam has been refreshed in English and Spanish.
Practice Exam. Practice exam has been refreshed in English and Spanish.
Knowledge Assessment. Knowledge Assessment has been refreshed in English and Spanish.

Please note, HUD does not track individual candidate progress in completing the training modules. The Online Training Status is available for candidate reference only.

The content changes are noted in the Revision History on the website.

8/02/2021 – Post-compliance Resources

Please review Managing Certification After the Final Compliance Date on the HUD Exchange for updates related to compliance.

Please note that uncertified counselors and new counselors hired after August 1, 2021, may only perform administrative duties until they are HUD certified. The certification exam and training resources will continue to be available for anyone who wishes to take it.

7/15/2021 - Updates to Terms of Use Agreement

The HUDHousingCounselors.hud.gov Terms of Use has been updated. Review it here.

6/30/2021 – FHA Connection Planned System Outage

FHA Connection (FHAC) will be unavailable beginning Friday, July 2, 2021, at 10:00 PM (Eastern) through Tuesday, July 6, 2021, at 8:00 AM (Eastern) for system upgrades and maintenance. During this time, candidates may not be able to transfer passing exam results to FHA Connection. Access to the exam and training materials on HUDHousingCounselors.hud.gov will not be impacted by the FHAC outage.

FHAC is scheduled to resume operations on Tuesday, July 6, 2021, at 8:00 AM (Eastern). For additional support, users should contact the FHA Resource Center by emailing: answers@hud.gov or calling: 1-800-CALL-FHA (1-800-225-5342).

5/11/2021 – Training and Exam Updates: SPANISH TRANSLATION ONLY

HUDHousingCounselors.hud.gov announces the translation refresh of the Spanish Study Guides, Knowledge Assessment, Practice Exam, and Certification Exam.

Study Guide.  Spanish translation of the Study Guides has been refreshed with Version 202009.01. Study Guide content has not changed.
Knowledge Assessment. Spanish translation of the Knowledge Assessment has been refreshed. Assessment content has not changed.
Practice Exam.  Spanish translation of the practice exam has been refreshed. Exam content has not changed.
Certification Exam.  Spanish translation of the Certification Exam has been refreshed. Exam content has not changed.

Actualizaciones del examen y la capacitación: SOLO TRADUCCIÓN AL ESPAÑOL

HUDHousingCounselors.hud.gov anuncia la actualización de la traducción de las Guías de estudio en español, Evaluación de conocimientos, Examen de práctica y Examen de certificación.

Guía de estudio. La traducción al español de las guías de estudio se actualizó con la versión 202009.01. El contenido de las Guías de estudio no ha cambiado.
Evaluación de conocimientos. Se actualizó la traducción al español de la evaluación de conocimientos. El contenido de la evaluación no ha cambiado.
Examen de practica. Se actualizó la traducción al español del examen de práctica. El contenido del examen no ha cambiado.
Examen de certificación. Se actualizó la traducción al español del examen de certificación. El contenido del examen no ha cambiado

11/02/2020 - Changes to Biometrics Requirements for Online Exams

Keystroke analytics has been eliminated from the Biometrics requirements for the online HUD Housing Counseling Certification Exam. Candidates taking the exam online must now produce valid, government issued photo ID to the proctor upon request.

The name on your identification must match exactly with your name as specified in your test-taker profile on HUDHousingCounselors.hud.gov. Additionally, all identification must be current. Expired identification will not be accepted.

Primary Photo ID Examples

Government (Local, State, Province or Country) issued driver’s license or identification card
Passport
Military Identification
National Identification card

9/28/2020 - Training and Exam Content Updates

Online Interactive Course. Online modules have been refreshed and revision history posted. Online Training Status resets with Version 9/2020 update.
Study Guide. Study Guide has been refreshed in English and Spanish and revision history posted. Version 9/2020.
Certification Exam. Certification exam has been refreshed in English and Spanish.
Practice Exam. Practice exam has been refreshed in English and Spanish.
Knowledge Assessment. Knowledge Assessment has been refreshed in English and Spanish.

Please note an issue identified with opening some PDFs in Google Chrome. The issue is being monitored. If you encounter this issue, please switch to a new browser.

8/31/2020 - Updates to Terms of Use Agreement

The HUDHousingCounselors.hud.gov Terms of Use has been updated. Review it here.

8/06/2020 - Updates to the Privacy Policy

The HUDHousingCounselors.hud.gov Privacy Policy has been updated. Review it here.

8/05/2020 - Change in Camera Requirements

Beginning August 6, 2020, HUD will no longer require online exam candidates to use an external camera. HUD will accept any camera for the online certification exam. This change is being made due to the increased demand for online testing and the slow reopening of testing centers that closed due to Covid-19. This change will be revaluated in the future based on security, demand, and availability.

8/05/2020 - HUD Publishes Interim Final Rule to Delay Compliance Deadline

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 is August 1, 2021. The pause is meant to ensure that vital housing counseling services remain available to the nation’s homebuyers and renters, particularly those who need housing and mortgage assistance to recover financially from the effects of the COVID-19 National emergency. Read the Interim Final Rule in its entirety on the Federal Register website.

8/03/2020 - HUD Posts Interim Final Rule to Delay Compliance Deadline

HUD posted 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 is August 1, 2021. The pause is meant to ensure that vital housing counseling services remain available to the nation’s homebuyers and renters, particularly those who need housing and mortgage assistance to recover financially from the effects of the COVID-19 National emergency. Read the Interim Final Rule in its entirety on the Federal Register website.

7/14/2020 - Kryterion Phone Support Will be Unavailable 7/15/2020 - 8/15/2020 (Updated 8/15/2020)

Kryterion Support will be limited to chat and webform access INDEFINITELY. Kryterion Support will not be available by phone during this time. Candidates are encouraged to visit the Kryterion Support Page to become familiar with using the chat feature or submitting a webform support request in preparation for launching the online exam. The HUDHousingCounselors.hud.gov Support Hotline (800-448-7149) will remain in effect for issues regarding your user account, training, scheduling, etc. Issues with launching the online exam must be directed to Kryterion Support. Candidates experiencing difficulty accessing Kryterion Support via chat or webform during exam launch are encouraged to contact HUDHousingCounselors.hud.gov/Support for escalation.

5/28/2020 - Updates to HUDHousingCounselors.hud.gov Structure and Content

The HUDHousingCounselors.hud.gov website has been updated to include the following:

Home Page - includes countdown to the August 1, 2020 compliance date and updated access points for users and agencies
User Profile - new tabs—Dashboard, Training, Exam, and Notices—allow users to navigate all steps in the certification process
Training Center - content and structure has been simplified
Exam Center – removed (content and access points are now located in the User Profile)
Program Overview – Knowledge Assessment information added
Taking the Exam Online vs. at a Test Center (new!) – clarifies differences between taking the exam online or at a test center and outlines key factors for candidates to consider
Exam Registration - updated to clarify the steps to register for and reschedule an exam
Online Exam Pre-launch - updated to clarify exam requirements and preparation guidelines for taking the exam online
Support - includes a new Agencies category for supervisors and agency officials to learn how to best support their counselors through the certification process
Online Training Modules – resolved issue with Modules 3.1 and 6.1 in which the Correct or Try Again pop-ups would not close for some users preventing advancement to the next slide

3/16/2020 - COVID-19 and Civil Unrest Impact on Test Centers (updated 6/2/2020)

Read this important notice to learn about the impact COVID-19 and ongoing civil unrest has had on test center availability. Get your questions answered about rescheduling, switching to an online exam, and more.

9/27/2019 - Training and Exam Content Updates

Online Interactive Course. Online modules have been refreshed and revision history posted. Online Training Status resets with Version 9/2019 update.
Study Guide. Study Guide has been refreshed in English and Spanish and revision history posted. Version 9/2019.
Certification Exam. Certification exam has been refreshed in English and Spanish.

7/1/2019 - Knowledge Assessment Launch

Knowledge Assessment. Launch of new tool, designed to help prepare for and pass the HUD Housing Counselor Certification Exam. The Knowledge Assessment presents client scenarios and poses three types of questions to test (1) Knowledge of basic knowledge facts; (2) Understanding of concepts; and (3) Ability to analyze or synthesize information to make a decision or recommendation.

8/28/2018 - Training and Exam Content Updates

Online Interactive Course. Online modules have been refreshed and revision history posted. Completion status reset.
Study Guide. Study Guide has been refreshed in English and Spanish and revision history posted. Version 2/2018.
Certification Exam. Certification exam has been refreshed in English and Spanish. Online calculator updated and whiteboard added.
Practice Exam. Practice exam has been refreshed in English and Spanish.

9/12/2017 - Online Training Modules Updates

Online Interactive Course. Some users experienced difficulty with course functionality, including the issues with the ability to "resume" a module, display a "completed" module in the status bar, and display of fonts that prevents viewing some content. All issues have been resolved, though users may need to refresh modules listed as already in progress.

8/1/2017 - Exam Registration Open

Certification Exam. Registration for the certification exam opened in English and Spanish.
Capacitación de asesores de vivienda. El Guía de estudio está disponible.

7/5/2017 - Training Notice

Training. Course completion information is solely for your use. Training is optional, so HUD does not require or track individual user's course progress or completion status.

HUD Housing Counselors