Frequently Asked Questions
Listed below are frequently asked questions about our site, our services, and other details. If
you have a question that is not answered below, feel free to contact us for
more information, The FAQs are sorted by category. Click on a category to see questions relating to it. AICP* Exam
Web Site Features
Payments and Billing
Membership Accounts
Do I qualify to write the AICP* Exam?
In order to write the exam, you must a) be a current member of the APA; b) be or have been engaged in planning as defined by the AICP*; and c) have completed a combination of education and experience as outlined below. - Graduate Degree in Planning - 2 years professional experience
- Bachelors Degree in Planning - 3 years professional experience
- Non accredited Graduate Degree - 3 years professional experience
- Any College Degree - 4 years professional experience
- No College Degree - 8 years professional experience
What defines professional experience?
According to the AICP, professional experience can include:
- Influencing public decision-making in the public interest
- Employing an appropriately comprehensive point of view.
- Applying a planning process to the situation.
- Involving a professional level of responsibility and resourcefulness.
When you submit your application to write the AICP* exam, you will have to describe in detail how your work relates to each of these four categories by citing descriptive examples. For more information visit the AICP's Certification website.
Has the AICP changed how and when the exam is offered?
Yes. As of 2004 the exam
is computer based. The exam can now be written within 2 1-week periods
during the year - one week in the spring (May), one week in the fall
(November). If I am writing the exam in the fall (or later), when can I sign up?
A membership to
Planning Prep will last for one-year. Plan your membership to the site
appropriately with your study schedule.
How often is Planning Prep updated?
We are constantly updating our site. The last question was added
to our site on Thursday, April 24, 2008 at 1:19:08 AM. The last link was added to our library on Thursday, April 24, 2008 at 1:22:16 AM.
What are "Community Forums"?
Community forums function like a virtual study group. Members have access to post and review questions on a bulletin board. Members can start and participate in discussions about any topic they choose. As members post questions, other members may read the questions and provide feedback. How many practice questions are there?
We are continuously adding questions to our database. As of
today, we have 1011 practice questions and descriptive answers with links to websites for further reading. We will continue to add questions to our site until the day of the exam. What are the questions like? Are they difficult? Are they representative of questions I can expect on the exam?
The practice questions on
Planning Prep vary in difficulty. Some are aimed at helping you learn subject matter, while others are more difficult than questions on the exam. The purpose of the website is to prepare planners for their professional certification. We feel a balance of learning questions and representative questions best accomplishes this objective. Are there practice exams or only practice questions?
Planning Prep
currently has 7 150-practice exams available. Additional exams are
created when there are enough new questions to complete a new exam. Can members write questions to test other members?
Soon other members to challenge members by writing questions. Writing questions is a great way to learn material.
We are developing a tool that will allow our members to write questions.
Once we approve the question, it will be added to a special section of our
site.
Can I share an account with a friend or someone I work with?
Each person wishing to use our website must
sign-up for their own account. We take this matter very seriously. Using someone else’s password is considered stealing, and all violators will be removed from the site and charged to the fullest extent of the law. Our website and billing company log account activity and monitor and report suspicious account activity. Can I see how I rank among other planners?
Yes.
Planning Prep provides detailed statistics to let members know how they are scoring on questions and where they rank among other members. Members are also able to see how they are performing in six separate areas of study. This helps our members identify any weaknesses.
How does the billing work?
We offer two payment options; PayPal, a third-party credit card and check billing service; and personal or company check. PayPal system starts working when you select
Join Now. You are then redirected to a secure signup page. Each customer’s personal information is transmitted to PayPal in an encrypted format. They then screen the data with advanced Fraud Detecting System. Once a credit card is approved via their authorization network, a message is sent to us notifying us that a payment has been submitted. The account is activated within 24 hours of payment receipt. Both
Planning Prep and the new member will receive an E-mail confirming the transaction and detailing all pertinent information they need to know regarding their account. Can I pay by cash or check?
We are using PayPal as a transaction provider. PayPal accepts all major credit cards and on-line checks. In addition to PayPal, new members can also submit payment to us directly with a personal check or company check.
How much is the membership?
A membership to
Planning Prep costs $120. How long does a membership last?
All memberships expire one
year after you join the site. |
