She'll Take This Test

Last September, I posted that I was accepted to take the Certified Meeting Professional exam that is administered by the Convention Industry Council.  (See How About a Little Test).  Once you've been accepted, your application is good for two years.  I finally found a time that fit into my schedule to take the exam back in July.  I barely squeezed it into my schedule, as I took it the week I got back from my meeting in Monterey.

After 8 weeks of waiting for results, I am thrilled to announce that I am officially, Audra Stewart, CMP.   I PASSED!  I've never been a great standardized test taker, in fact, when I walked out of the testing center, I was sure I had failed.  I prepared myself for the worst!  When my test results showed up in the mail, my heart began to race as I opened the envelope from Prometric.  All I saw was "Pass" and "Congratulations."  I was outside with Zoe and yelled, "Dog - I passed!"  She was the only one to share the news with as I was home by myself.  My neighbor looked at me like I was a little strange, but I didn't care.  It was a great ending to the week.

So what exactly does this mean now - 

Established in 1985, the CMP credential increases the proficiency of meeting professionals by:

• Identifying a body of knowledge;
• Establishing a level of knowledge and performance necessary for certification;
• Stimulating the advancement of the art and science of meeting management;
• Increasing the value of practitioners to their employers;
• Recognizing and raising industry standards, practices and ethics;
• Maximizing the value received from the products and services provided by Certified Meeting Professionals.