What is the NCIDQ Appellation Agreement?

After exam scores came out, I received an email from one of our members who passed the NCIDQ Exam, yay! Her question is:

“Could you help explain what the NCIDQ appellation agreement is?”

When you use the letters NCIDQ after your name, you're using it as an “appellation.”

For example, Your Name, NCIDQ

vs. listing your certificate number

Your Name
NCIDQ Certificate #12345

Once you sign the NCIDQ appellation agreement, you have the right to use the letters “NCIDQ” after your name once you meet specific requirements.

Here's a summary of the NCIDQ appellation requirements:

First, you'll pay an annual certificate renewal fee — $75 as of May 2021.
Next, you must agree to CIDQ's terms and conditions, a legal agreement that spells out the following requirements:

1. Follow CIDQ's Code of Ethics, which says that you abide by licensing regulations in your state
2. Maintain professional behavior, including but not limited to:
   • you don't bribe
   • you don't mislead
   • you don't engage in fraud
   • you don't have conflicts of interest
   • you don't participate in any other illegal conduct
   • and you maintain the health, safety, and welfare of the public
3. Be personally responsible for your projects and contractual obligations and respect other designer's contractual obligations, including confidentiality
4. Don't damage another designer's reputation or business
   • you don't plagiarize
   • you don't endorse another designer that you know is not qualified
   • you don't engage in any other conflicts of interest
5. Take the equivalent of .6 Continuing Education Units or six 1-hour CEUs every two years, as tracked in IDCEC.

You can easily meet these continuing education requirements by maintaining your state's licensing or certification CEU requirements, your professional association requirements, or taking a class or two to keep your skills and knowledge up to speed.

So, in other words, you're going to behave like the professional you already are, take continuing education, and pay a nominal annual fee.

Just log in to your MyNCIDQ account and take care of this right away!

After all that hard work you put in studying for and passing the exam, this part is easy 🙂

I just got my results! I'm an NCIDQ certificate holder! Thanks QPRACTICE! It's been a long road.

Christie Cribillero

You can pass the NCIDQ Exam.
Join designers like you, and move ahead in your career!