Everything You Need to Know About the NCIDQ Exam & Certification

IDFX

Interior Design Fundamentals Exam
IDFX can be taken by recent graduates without work experience.

NCIDQ IDFX Eligibility Requirements:
60 semester / 90 quarter credit hours of accredited post-secondary interior design certificate or degree program

You can apply to take the IDFX once you meet CIDQ’s educational requirements. Pass this exam to get started on your professional interior design career. This is an excellent opportunity to test what you covered in school while it is still fresh.

NCIDQ IDFX Exam Length and Format
125 multiple choice questions / 3 hours

You’ll have three hours to complete the 125-question multiple-choice exam IDFX. 100 questions count towards your grade. 25 are pretest questions for future exams and don’t count towards your score.

NCIDQ IDFX Passing Score
500 / 800 scaled score, not raw scores.

All 3 exams are graded on an 800 point scale with 800 being a perfect score. 500 is the passing point. You will receive feedback on each section of the exam to assess your relative performance in a given knowledge area. Learn how to understand exam scoring →

NCIDQ IDFX Blueprints (exam content)
The Interior Design Fundamentals Exam (IDFX) for 2021 tests your knowledge of:

1. Programming and Site Analysis 10%
2. Relationship between Human Behavior and the Designed Environment 10%
3. Design Communication Techniques 10%
4. Life Safety and Universal Design 20%
5. Interior Building Finishes and Materials 10%
6. Technical Specifications for Furniture, Fixtures, & Equipment and Lighting 15%
7. Construction Drawings, Schedules, and Specifications 20%
8. Professional Development and Ethics 5%

How to apply for IDFX

NCIDQ IDFX Exam Cost
Application fee: from $95 when taken separately; $225 if applying for all 3
Exam fee: $295 per test session
Application deadline for spring: January 31
Application deadline for fall: July 31

1. Create a free application account online with CIDQ at MyNCIDQ
2. Send official, sealed copies of your educational transcript(s), as issued by the school. Mail these along with CIDQ’s Transcript Submission Form to ensure they match the correct transcript to the correct account.
3. Pay $95 Application Fee and submit. You will be notified by email.

How long do I have to pass IDFX?

When taken first separately – 4 exam administrations, approximately 2 years. If you have your required work experience, you can also register for and take all 3 exams at once.

NCIDQ IDFX Scheduling Dates
Spring: January 3 – March 31
Fall: July 1 – September 30

NCIDQ IDFX Exam Testing Dates
Spring: April 1-30
Fall: October 1-31

Pass the Interior Design Fundamentals Exam and add an achievement to your resume. Show that you're the type of job candidate that employers are looking for.

Follow the Qpractice Study Plan to thoroughly review the NCIDQ content areas. This will not only help you pass the test but also build proficiency in key skills you'll use on the job.

IDPX

The Interior Design Professional Exam
You can take IDPX once you meet CIDQ’s work experience requirements for hours earned under a direct supervisor or sponsor.

NCIDQ IDPX Eligibility Requirements
Minimum 2 years work experience

IDPX is for exam candidates who have from 3,520 (2 Years Full-Time) to 7,040 working hours (4 Years Full-Time), depending upon education.

NCIDQ IDPX Exam Length and Format
175 multiple choice questions / 4 hours

You’ll have four hours to complete the 175-question multiple-choice exam IDPX. 150 questions count towards your grade, and like IDFX, 25 are pretest questions for future exams and don’t count towards your score.

NCIDQ IDPX Passing Score
500 / 800 scaled score, not raw scores.

All 3 exams are graded on an 800 point scale with 800 being a perfect score. 500 is the passing point. You will receive feedback on each section of the exam to assess your relative performance in a given knowledge area. Learn how to understand exam scoring →

NCIDQ IDPX Blueprints
The Interior Design Professional Exam (IDFX) for 2021 tests your knowledge of:

1. Project Assessment and Sustainability 15%
2. Project Process, Roles, and Coordination 15%
3. Professional Business Practices 10%
4. Code Requirements, Laws, Standards, and Regulations 20%
5. Integration with Building Systems and Construction 15%
6. Integration of Furniture, Fixtures, & Equipment 10%
7. Contract Administration 15%

How to apply for IDPX

NCIDQ IDPX Exam Cost
Application fee: from $145 up to $225 (if applying for all 3 exams)
Exam fee: $355 per test session
Application deadline for spring: January 31
Application deadline for fall: July 31

1. Create a free application account online at MyNCIDQ or login to the same account you created for IDFX.
2. Send official, sealed copies of your educational transcript(s) showing the date of your degree, as issued by the school. Mail these along with CIDQ’s Transcript Submission Form to ensure they match the correct transcript to the correct account.
3. Upload completed work verification forms — 1 per employer/supervisor or sponsor
4. Pay Application Fee and submit. You will be notified by email.

How long do I have to pass IDPX?

You must pass within 10 exam administrations. If you passed IDFX separately, you will then need to pass IDPX and PRAC within 10 examinations or approximately 5 years.

NCIDQ IDFX Scheduling Dates
Spring: January 3 – March 31
Fall: July 1 – September 30

NCIDQ IDFX Exam Testing Dates
Spring: April 1-30
Fall: October 1-31

Maximize your review for the Interior Design Professional Exam with the Qpractice Study Plan. While you may have the hours, you might not have the type of work experience that you really need. Many designers don’t. Take our Work Experience Assessment online to benefit from the collective wisdom of our online study group.

Study with other designers across different disciplines. Get exposure to different scenarios and develop your game plan to fill in the gaps with online lessons. Get practice tests, live office hours and workshops and unlimited 24/7 access to the Qpractice study group.

PRAC

NCIDQ Practicum Exam (PRAC)
The Practicum is a computer-based exam covering the same competencies as past hand-drawn exams. It now uses several new question types. As with IDPX, You can take PRAC once you meet CIDQ’s work experience requirements for hours earned under a direct supervisor or sponsor.

NCIDQ PRAC Eligibility Requirements
Minimum 2 years work experience.

PRAC is for exam candidates who have From 3,520 WORK HOURS (2 Years Full-Time) to 7,040 WORK HOURS (4 Years Full-Time), depending upon education.

NCIDQ PRAC Exam Length and Format
114 questions —  hotspot, drag and place, and fill in the blank / 4 hours

You’ll have four hours to complete 114 questions, and 9 questions (3 per case) do not count towards your grade. The PRAC Exam is not software specific, so it does not require CAD or Revit proficiency.

There are 3 scenarios called Case Studies, which include a series of resource tabs for reference. These are project descriptions, floor plans, reflected ceiling plans, door and hardware schedules, building codes, and lighting cut sheets or specifications.

Case studies represent the most common project types that interior designers deal with. These are multifamily residential, small, and large commercial spaces.

The Practicum Exam uses “real life” building codes:
International Building Code (IBC)(2018)
International Plumbing Code (IPC) (2018)
ICC A117.1 Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities (2009)

Each exam season after the tests are finalized, CIDQ releases an exam-specific subset of these building codes that apply to that season's exam only. View this document to review the Practicum Building Codes for Spring 2022.

NCIDQ IDFX Passing Score
500 / 800 scaled score, not raw scores. Learn how to understand exam scoring →

NCIDQ PRAC Blueprint
The Practicum Exam (PRAC) tests your application of knowledge regarding:

1. Programming, Planning, and Analysis 15%
2. Code Requirements, Laws, Standards, and Regulations 30%
3. Integration with Building Systems and Construction 25%
4. Contract Documents 30%

How to apply for PRAC

NCIDQ IDPX Exam Cost
Application fee: from $145 up to $225 (if applying for all 3 exams)
Exam fee: $460 per test session
Application deadline for spring: January 31
Application deadline for fall: July 31

1. Create a free application account online with CIDQ at MyNCIDQ
2. Send official, sealed copies of your educational transcript(s) showing the date of your degree, as issued by the school. Mail these along with CIDQ’s Transcript Submission Form to ensure they match the correct transcript to the correct account.
3. Upload completed work verification forms — 1 per employer/supervisor or sponsor
4. Pay Application Fee and submit. You will be notified by email.

How long do I have to pass PRAC?

You must pass within 10 exam administrations, approximately 5 years.
NCIDQ PRAC Scheduling Dates
Spring: January 3 – March 31
Fall: July 1 – September 30

NCIDQ PRAC Exam Testing Dates
Spring: April 1-30
Fall: October 1-31

The Practicum is known as the most difficult of the three exams, especially in terms of timing. Qpractice is the only test-prep platform to offer the same format of question types online — hotspot, drag, and place, and fill in the blank.

We also conduct live workshops where we work as a group to reason through exam scenarios. These sessions help prepare you to understand the “why” behind each question and the thought processes required to select the correct answer. Get access to the Answer Vault — an extensive library of exam scenarios in different formats. Learn the concepts behind these scenario-type problems. Watch a demonstration video showing the Practicum Exam format.