ASSOCIATE LEVEL CERTIFICATION
Over the last three months we have discussed the various Elements that are required to be satisfied in order to achieve iNARTE Certification, the four “Es” of Education, Experience, Examination and Endorsement. iNARTE Certification is intended to identify the truly capable individual, the proven problem solver who can bring real value to any organization.
But what if you want to start to build your career in one of the iNARTE disciplines, and you have a good education, a sound knowledge of the subject matter, enthusiastic referees, but little or no working experience. How can you get recognition of your special knowledge to get that first, or maybe second, position? iNARTE has introduced the Associate Certification for just such an individual; a new graduate or a practitioner with just a few years of experience, but with the ambition to be at the top of their engineering field.
Associate iNARTE Certified Engineer (iNAE) and Associate iNARTE Certified Technician (iNAT)
The iNARTE Associate Engineer Credential, iNAE, and Associate Technician Credential, iNAT, have been created as a stepping stone to full iNARTE Certification. They are intended to recognize the abilities of graduate engineers and technicians who have not yet accumulated the work experience required to meet iNARTE’s traditional program criteria.
iNARTE Associate status is available in the disciplines of Electromagnetic Compatibility, EMC; Electrostatic Discharge Control, ESD; and Product Safety Engineering, PSE.
In today’s adverse and competitive marketplace, recent graduates face severe competition for a limited number of positions. Employers need to identify the very best candidates to fill these positions. An iNARTE credential has long been recognized as a symbol of excellence, and the iNAE or iNAT certificate could be the deciding factor between a brilliant, rewarding career and settling for a less interesting option.
Not only can iNARTE help you get started, but we, together with our technology partners at the IEEE and the ESDA, will be there to provide opportunities
for continuing professional development and personal growth.
GETTING STARTED
iNARTE has established several ways in which a young engineer or technician can become certified at the Associate level. This credential is available to qualified applicants with less than the 9 years, or 6 years, experience required for full iNARTE Certification:
The Accredited University or Training Institute Route
iNARTE has been given copies of the engineering curricula from a number of universities and other institutes having EMC, ESD or PSE related programs. Those with a sufficiently comprehensive program have been recognized as iNARTE Accredited. A list of such Institutes is available at the iNARTE web site. Graduates from an approved curricula at an iNARTE Accredited University or Institute, and carrying a GPA >3.0, can be awarded the Associate Certification with no further examination.
Examination
Graduates with a degree or diploma in Electronics, Physical Science or similar, from a non-Accredited Institute, will be required to pass an iNARTE Associate level examination. The Associate examination is a short form of the normal examination with just one four (4) hour paper covering the fundamentals of the discipline.
Alternatively any person at any stage of their education or early career can pass the full eight (8) hour iNARTE Certification examination and be awarded an Associate Certification that will automatically be upgraded when their experience years have been attained.
Associates who have been credentialed as a result of graduating from an accredited institute or by passing the short form examination will be required to pass a second short form examination before they can attain full certification status. This second examination will also be a four (4) hour paper with most questions based upon knowledge of the industry standards, instrumentation, methods of metrology and mitigating engineering (the type of knowledge usually gained through work experience).
Endorsement
New graduate applicants must provide a letter of endorsement from a professor or department head attesting to their scholastic aptitude and suitability for a career in the selected discipline. Applicants who are already in employment should provide a letter of reference from their immediate supervisor. If their employment has been for less than one year, we will require letters from both their supervisor and a professor at their last seat of learning.
New Questions
As further evidence that an applicant understands the discipline, iNARTE requires the submission of five (5) technical questions, each with four (4) multiple choice answers. The correct answers should be able to be determined in 6 minutes or less, and references or solutions need to be included.
Forms showing the reference requirements and the style and format of the five questions are included as part of the iNARTE Associate application pack to be found at http://www.narte.org/d/assocapp.pdf.
All new questions must be presented in electronic format, including all formulae, supporting calculations and explanatory figures. “Word” documents are preferred, but other formats are acceptable if they can be copied and pasted into the iNARTE data pools without transposition errors.
All new questions will be presented to a committee of experts for review. Unsuitable or incorrect questions will be returned to the candidate for correction.
Renewal
Associates may renew their certification each year until they have reached their normal certification experience requirement of nine (9) years for engineers and six (6) years for technicians. They can then renew for one further year, during which time they will be expected to complete whatever steps may remain for full certification. Each year of Associate certification renewal should be accompanied by a further five (5) new questions that follow the same style and format as those required for the initial certification.
Partners in Professional Development
iNARTE has formal Agreements in place with the following Engineering Groups:
- The IEEE Electromagnetic Compatibility Society
- The IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society
- The Electrostatic Discharge Association
Each of these groups has agreed that any iNARTE Associate Engineer or Technician will be awarded one free year of membership with all the associated rights and privileges. This would typically include attending local chapter meetings, special price attendance at annual symposia, training sessions and workshops and special discounted prices on standards, text books and other technical papers and proceedings. These local chapter and national meetings are great networking opportunities for the ambitious young engineer or technician.
FAQ: Can I take the examination before graduation?
ANS: The iNARTE full eight hour examination can be taken at any time. The initial short form Associate examination has to be after graduation. The second Associate short form examination can be attempted at any time after the first examination, but it is recommended that the applicant gain a few years of work experience before attempting this second examination.
FAQ: Where do I take the examination?
ANS: If you are still attending a university or training institute, we can normally arrange examination at your school. Alternatively all Authorized Test Centers are listed on the iNARTE web site. There are approximately 200 Centers and individual proctors listed there, and they are situated across the United States and overseas.
FAQ: What if there is no Test Center near me?
ANS: This can sometimes happen and iNARTE will then arrange testing at your place of work, at a local Community College, a library or a similar facility where a suitable proctor can be found.
FAQ: What do I have to do to get my full certificate?
ANS: If you have passed the iNARTE full examination, or passed both the first and second Associate level examinations, and met the other requirements for Associate certification, the only things we will need from you is an updated resume. If you have not previously taken the Associate examination, or have only passed the first Associate examination, then you will need to pass the second Associate examination and provide an updated resume.
FAQ: What if I fail the examination?
ANS: You can retake the examination as many times as you wish, allowing a period of 90 days between attempts.
EMC QUESTION OF THE MONTH
The answer to last month’s question is: C) 5.0 meters
This month’s question is:
What is the damping factor of a damped sinusoid with the following parameters:
- Peak current = 20A
- Current at 50% decay = 7A
- Number of cycles at 50% decay = 4
Choose the correct answer:
A) 5
B) 9
C) 11
D) 14
Watch for the answer in the next iNARTE Informer. 
