Recertification Policy and Process

Figure 1. Certification Status Timeline

Active

Active status is achieved immediately after passing a certification or recertification exam. The length of time in which active status is in effect varies by certification type: Associate Developer—2 years, Developer—3 years, Architect—4 years and Specialty (CLED)—5 years.

A Participant’s status remains Active until their certification period expires. Participants are not penalized for early recertification, but the certification validity will begin after the original certification expiration date.

Suspended (Expired)

Suspended status results if a certified individual does not pass either:

• The recertification exam OR
• The exam for the next level of certification OR
• Does not recertify by points prior to the expiration date of the certification.  

In the suspended state, the following changes occur:

• The individual will not be allowed to take the exam for the next level of certification without first recertifying at the current level.
• As part of a limited-time promotion, individuals whose certification was suspended after January 2020 can earn recertification points for activities completed between January 1, 2025 and April 30, 2026 to recertify at their last active certification level. After April 2026, the promotion will end, and the Recertification Policy will revert to its original requirements, so recertification points will not be earned in the suspended state.

Suspended status is cleared and changed to Active upon passing the recertification exam within a year of the date of suspension.  

Inactive

Inactive status occurs after one year of Suspended status. Architects and Developers who fail to recertify before the end of their suspended period become inactive. As part of a limited-time promotion, individuals whose certification expired after January 2020 can earn recertification points for activities completed between January 1, 2025 and April 30, 2026 to recertify at their last active certification level. After April 2026, the promotion will end, and the Recertification Policy will revert to its original requirements, which indicate that the individual must restart their recertification process with the Developer practical exam to become active.

All NI Certified Professionals can recertify by exam. Certified Professionals at the Developer level or above have the option to recertify by achieving and logging activity points. Each of those methods are outlined as follows. 

The Recertification by Points program is open to Certified Developers and Architects immediately upon certification or recertification.

• Participants may begin Approved Activities following the day of certification or recertification issuance. 

• Participants in the Suspended status will lose the benefits of the Recertification by Points program and any accumulated Points. Participants are able to claim points during the first 30 days of their Suspended status, but the activity must have been completed during Active status to be valid.

• As part of a limited-time promotion, individuals in Suspended or Inactive status are eligible to recertify at their last active certification level under the Recertification by Points program. After April 2026, the promotion will end, and the Recertification Policy will revert to its original requirements, which indicates individuals in Suspended or Inactive status are not eligible to recertify under the Recertification by Points program. Points expire upon certification Suspension or Inactivity status.

By participating and completing approved activities, Certified Professionals can earn and accumulate Points redeemable towards recertification. 

Participants will be issued an automatic recertification upon accumulation of 50 points. Upon recertification, participants will receive a confirmation email. Participation in the Recertification by Points program does not guarantee recertification.

Recertification by Points program participants may not carry over Points from one recertification period to another. A Recertification by Points program participant may choose to recertify by exam. On passing the exam, any accumulated Points will be discarded and will not be counted toward future recertification.  Upon the start of the next active certification period, program participants may begin accumulating Points toward the next recertification.  

Recertification activities will only apply towards the recertification in the product area needing recertification, for example, NI TestStand activities will only count towards TestStand recertification. The requestor must indicate which certification they would like to claim Points for. The number of Points of an Approved Activity can’t be split towards multiple certifications. Program participants cannot receive Points for attending and presenting at the same event.

Activities to Earn Points Towards Recertification

Participants are responsible for filling out a form to request Points upon completion of the activity with the appropriate validation.

*Participants who wish to teach must be Certified Professional Instructors (CPI) and must follow the Training & Certification guidelines.

**As part of a limited time promotion, and to recognize the work the NI Community is doing to reinvigorate User Groups, from January 2025 through April 2026, User Group activities will be double the points. After April 2026, the promotion will end, and the policy will revert to its original requirements so 10 points will be earned for teaching, organizing, or presenting, and 5 points will be earned for attending or participating.

Other Policies

• NI may add to and/or update these policies, at any time, to clarify or ensure fairness. 

• If the Recertification by Points program Participant wishes to withdraw prematurely from the Recertification by Points program and passing the recertification exam, he/she will not receive any credit or monetary compensation for submitted and accepted exam content. 

• If NI decides to terminate the Recertification by Points program, for any reason, all program participants with 25 Points or more will be awarded the recertification. 

Recertification exams can be taken up to four months prior to your expiration date.  Exams taken within this window do not alter your current certification status, nor do they lessen the recertification interval.  

Scheduling and preparing for your exam

To find preparation materials and schedule your recertification exam, visit the exam pages in the table below. You may also attend free virtual preparation sessions. Most exams are taken online, but in some cases they may be scheduled at an NI location.

Learn more about online exams