Dear Annette,

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.

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. The fee charged each time an individual takes the certification examination is based on the cost of administering the examination. As announced in the Federal Register Notice dated May 31, 2017, an online proctored exam costs $60 and an in-person proctored exam costs $100. Any changes in pricing will be published in advance in the Federal Register.  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.