Who Is NICET?
NICET (National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies) is a part of the NSPE (National Society of Professional Engineers) that provides a path to certification for engineering technicians working engineering technology areas. NICET defines “engineering technicians” as the “hands on” members of the engineering team, working under the supervision of engineers, scientists, and technologists.
NICET offers certification in 12 technical areas, with the largest number of certification held in Fire Protection. Fire protection includes certifications in fire alarm, sprinkler, and special hazards systems. Fire Alarm Systems (FAS) is NICET single largest certification area, with over 18,000 technicians currently, actively certified in this area.
Why Is NICET Certification Important?
The most common reason individuals seek NICET certification is a license requirement. Over 20 states require NICET certification in Fire Alarm Systems in order to perform fire alarm work. Many more cities and counties require the certification on a local basis as well.
NICET certification can also be a contract requirement. Many larger fire alarm project, and most federal and state government contracts have a NICET Certification requirement for the technicians performing the work in the contract. A lack of NICET Certified technicians prevents a company from being able to bid on this work.
How Do I Become NICET Certified?
The NICET certification process has two parts: passing exams and documenting experience. Completing both parts are required to achieve certification.
NICET exams are administered at Pearson-Vue test centers. Individual exams are given for each level of certification, and the exams are cumulative. To achieve higher levels of certification requires passing all lower level exams as well the level being sought.
NICET also requires documentation of work experience to achieve certification. Larger amounts of work experience are required to achieve higher levels of certification. NICET is primarily concerned with experience in the area of certification being sought.
What Is The Exam Like?
NICET exams are open book, timed exams. Each level of certification has a specific exam with a specific number of questions to be answered within a specific time frame. NICET allows specific codes and references into each exam, and the references are different based on the exam being taken.
The focus of the exam is the codes a references permitted into the exam, rather than specific job skills used on a daily basis. The exam is extremely challenging, with many test takers failing on first and even second attempts.
What Are The Experience Requirements?
NICET experience requirements are based upon the level of certification being sought. Higher levels of certification require more experience to achieve the certification. Fire alarm experience requirements are listed below:
- Level I – 6 months
- Level II – 2 years
- Level III – 5 years
- Level IV – 10 years
NICET calculates experience based time in position X percentage work in certification area. For example, working in a position that is 50% fire alarm for one year equals 6 months fire alarm experience to NICET.
How Can NTC Help Me Achieve NICET Certification?
NTC offers multiple training options to help you achieve your NICET Certification goals. NICET Certification Training is available through live training (virtual classroom and in-person classes), self-study online training, and study guides.
Our training helps our students pass the exam by having a strong code focus. We do not “teach to the test”, we help our students develop the critical code use skills required to pass the exam. NTC students are extremely well prepared to pass the NICET exam and pick up code use skills that helps improve their overall job performance. Our student exam success rate is excellent – with over 92% of test takers passing the exam the first time.
To learn more about training options for you or your team, please email an NTC Training Specialist or call 702-648-8899.