Taking the ACA Exam: Tips and Advice to Help Test Takers Succeed

Julia Stringfellow, Boise State University

I took the Certified Archivists’ exam in August 2011 for the first time and was extremely relieved to pass! The process of preparing for the exam—which began in January 2011 when I decided to take the test and ended seven months later when I sat down with my No. 2 pencils at the exam site—went far beyond reviewing standards and principles I learned a long time ago. I now wonder how I functioned as an archivist without staying abreast of the latest best practices which I learned as I was studying. Preparing for the exam helped strengthen my archival knowledge and skills, ultimately making me a better archivist.

But let me start at the beginning. I knew I would take the C.A. exam sooner or later—my supervisor was certified, other archivists in the area were certified, and it was expected of me, too. Becoming a Certified Archivist is treated with respect in our field, and I wanted to achieve this and join an accomplished group. It was a rite of passage.

Just six months into my new tenure-track position as an archivist/librarian and assistant professor at Boise State University, I decided to pursue certification before I became too inundated with job responsibilities, research, and publishing. After being accepted to take the exam, I was in no rush to begin studying; after all, I knew many who had passed on their first tries, including my supervisor. I had been out of graduate school for nearly ten years—surely I knew everything there was to know as a professional archivist!

Then reality struck. When June arrived, I finally visited the Academy of Certified Archivists (ACA) website and began looking over the guidelines and reading through the exam handbook. I responded to the eight sample questions with full confidence until I realized I answered only four correctly. I couldn’t believe it! I had been out of graduate school for a while; clearly I hadn’t stayed abreast of the professional literature— journal articles and books. This test was a serious deal . . . and it was less than three months away.

I immediately began to studying. There were a number of techniques I found incredibly helpful, which enabled me to feel prepared as I walked into the exam site in Seattle that August. These approaches also include things I wish I had done differently or had been able to do in preparing for the exam. 

Study Tips

#1: Begin preparing for this exam early!

Even if you are planning to take the exam a few years from now, stay current with the professional literature. When new issues of The American Archivist, Archivaria, or any of the other dozen or so archives journals come out, READ THEM! If you receive the paper copy, don’t leave it on your coffee table to collect dust. Many of these journals are also available electronically, so it’s easier than ever to access them. Reading through back issues of The American Archivist from the last few years in just a few weeks is no walk in the park, trust me.

#2: The exam guidelines, handbook, and sample questions provided on the ACA website are there for a reason.

This may sound simple, but beginning your exam preparation by reading through the resources ACA provides is incredibly helpful. Take the time to learn about the history of ACA, why it was founded, and the benefits of certification. Go over the “General Knowledge Statements,” the seven “Domains” and their “Tasks and Knowledge Statements,” and review them regularly. This will help you organize your studying and understand how the exam is arranged. Answer the sample questions to prepare yourself for how the questions are formatted on the exam. Rereading the exam handbook the evening before is also useful.

#3: Exam questions do come from the Selected Readings provided on the ACA website.

When I went through the exam handbook for the first time, I was overwhelmed by the bibliography. It indicated that it wasn’t a definitive list of readings, which was daunting as well. To work through the bibliography, I first went through the electronic resources. The Society of American Archivists’ website provides many full-text e-publications. These were the first publications I studied and much of their content was covered on the exam. The “Code of Ethics for Archivists” and A Glossary of Archival and Records Terminology were especially good places to start when preparing for the exam. Being a member of SAA provided me full access to The American Archivist and Archival Outlook. Additionally, the HaithiTrust Digital Library debuted many archives publications in early 2011, which was a huge benefit because it included several publications that were on the reading list. Doing a Google search for titles also provided many full-text items.

Going through these materials electronically allowed me to copy and paste important parts into my own notes, highlight text as I read through it, and enlarge the font as needed, making the reading process easier. With publications that were in PDF format, I would often use the “Read Out Loud” option in Adobe Reader when I wanted to give my eyes a break. Listening to the text proved very useful in retaining the information.   

I checked out books that were not available in electronic format from Albertsons Library at Boise State University. I was very lucky that I had faculty borrowing privileges, because my book limit was 1,000 (I didn’t come close to exceeding it), and I could keep the materials for up to a year. For the books that the library didn’t have, I did interlibrary loan requests, and, given what an efficient ILL department we have, was able to get the items very quickly.

Arranging the electronic and paper publications into the seven Domains helped me to organize the study materials and keep track of what I had already read. For the electronic resources, I created a folder for each of the Domains and tried to go through a couple of electronic resources from each of the Domains a day, highlighting and taking notes as I went. For the paper materials, my home coffee table was a good location for stacking books in their appropriate domain. Going through a book-a-day from the different Domains and taking notes on my laptop proved very beneficial. Even though this studying process consumed all my free time last summer, I walked into the exam feeling prepared and energized.

#4: Talk to others who have taken and passed the exam.

Talking to others helped me to not feel overwhelmed about taking the exam, or like I was doomed to fail. Asking archivists in the Boise area how they had studied for the exam was a great benefit. I also looked through the directory of ACA members and contacted a few archivists whom I had collaborated with in the past to seek their advice. I discovered that Certified Archivists are happy to share their exam-taking experiences and the study techniques that worked for them. Their willingness to share advice and their time made me want to pass the exam even more so that I could join this knowledgeable group of archivists!

#5: If other archivists in your area are taking the exam, form a study/support group.

I wasn’t able to participate in a study group since I was the only archivist in southern Idaho taking the exam. If you are in the same situation, this isn’t a setback in preparing for the exam. However, being part of a study group not only holds you accountable, but also lessens the stress of preparing for the exam. Send a message out on your regional archives organization listserv to see if others taking the exam are interested in forming a group.

#6: Explore funding options for travelling to the exam site.

Because I was the only archivist in my region taking the exam, I couldn’t take advantage of the “Pick Your Site” option. I travelled to Seattle to take the exam and was very fortunate in that my employer helped cover travel expenses. Determine if your employer could assist with travel expenses. Your regional archives organization may also be able to provide some funding. ACA also provides travel assistance awards.

#7: Don’t hesitate to ask if you need special accommodations for the exam.

As a visually impaired archivist, I knew I would have to request accommodations for the exam. I included such a request with my application and was very pleased with how well this was handled. A large-font exam and answer sheet was provided to me, and the proctor was very helpful. Don’t be shy about requesting accommodations if you need them; ACA proved extremely helpful.  

Becoming a Better Archivist

In many ways, taking this exam helped me become a better archivist and provide better service in my position at Boise State University. It gave me the opportunity to review concepts I learned in graduate school and also learn new concepts that benefit me every day in my job. Had I not taken the exam, I know I still wouldn’t be caught up with current archival practices and issues.

As I was preparing for the exam last summer, I served on two consecutive archivist search committees. Since both committees contained non-archivists who were unfamiliar with archives standards and terminology, I needed to provide explanations about why specific experiences were important to have as an archivist. I was able to confidently answer their questions because my knowledge of these areas became clearer as I studied for the exam. This new and reviewed knowledge proved helpful during the interview process as well; I was able to have meaningful discussions with the candidates about projects they had worked on and current archives issues.

In addition, everyday questions in my job, such as “How should we handle this acetate film?” and “How do we handle the acid transfer that’s happened on this item?” were easy to answer without having to look up. Through preparing for the exam, I was more confident in my abilities as an archivist and had a renewed excitement in what I was doing. I also developed the good habit of reading journal issues and literature as they come out and plan to continue this practice.

It is nice to now have that C.A. behind my name and proudly share that I passed the exam on my first try with less than three months of study time. However, it’s far more rewarding to have a stronger understanding of the archives field and, as a result, be of greater service in my job and to my colleagues and the communities with which I work.