SUSAN’S JOURNEY TO CRM – PART 4

As you know by now, I just came back from ARMA’s Infocon 2024 in Houston, TX.  There were so many presentations to choose from and so many brilliant speakers with great knowledge to impart.  I will be discussing some of them in upcoming posts but today I want to specifically talk about the last presentation I saw which was practical knowledge for getting your CRA/CRM.

FAQs:

Where do I start?
     www.icrm.org 

What are the available certifications from ICRM?

• CRA – Certified Records Analyst

• CRM – Certified Records Manager

• Specialty CRM

• CRM/Fed – Certified Records Manager in a Federal/U.S. Government-Related Position

• CRM/NS - Nuclear Information and Records Specialist in a Nuclear Energy Position

What is the cost? 

• For a full CRM, the total cost is currently $750 but you pay individually for each exam part you take.  $100 to apply and then $100 or $150 for each separate part.

“Each part,” you say?  How many parts are there?

•  To obtain the full CRM, you will take and pass parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

• To obtain the CRA, you just need to take and pass parts 2, 3, and 4.

• Exam Parts:

  • Part 1 - Management Principles and the Records and Information (RIM) Program

    • https://icrm.org/annotated_outline_part_one

    • 100 multiple choice questions in 85 minutes

  • Part 2 - Records and Information: Creation and Use

    • https://icrm.org/annotated_outline_part_2

    • 100 multiple choice questions in 85 minutes

  • Part 3 - Records Systems, Storage and Retrieval

    • https://icrm.org/annotated_outline_part_three

    • 100 multiple choice questions in 85 minutes

  • Part 4 - Records Appraisal, Retention, Protection and Disposition

    • https://icrm.org/annotated_outline_part_four

    • 100 multiple choice questions in 85 minutes

  • Part 5 – Technology

    • https://icrm.org/annotated_outline_part_five

    • 100 multiple choice questions in 85 minutes

  • Part 6 – Business Cases

    • 2 essay questions in 240 minutes

    • You must pass parts 1 through 5 before taking 6

  • What happens if I fail an exam part?

    • You may take the part again but you also have to pay for that part again.

Once you have earned your certification, you then need to maintain it by earning 100 CMPs (Certification Maintenance Points) every 5 years to maintain professional competence, update existing knowledge and skills, and attain new or additional knowledge and skills.

• Attend meetings, webinars, conferences, etc.

• Present on RIM topics

• Publish articles, white papers, and/or books

Any tips and/or tricks?

• The panel I saw at Infocon recommended you take parts 2, 3 and 4 first and obtain your CRA.   Once you apply for the certification, you must pass all exam parts within 5 years     UNLESS you have already attained the CRA designation.

  • Once you pass parts 2, 3 and 4 and obtain your CRA designation, then you can take as much time as you like to pass exam parts 1, 5 and 6.

• Mentors can make a huge difference!  All panelists suggested taking advantage of ICRM’s Mentoring Program for one-on-one support throughout the exam process and additional study resources.

  • https://www.icrm.org/mentoring

  • Use the resources available on the ICRM website.

    • https://icrm.org/exam-preparation-resources

Step 1 for Susan: Apply for the Examination.

•  https://icrm.org/applying-for-the-exam

I’ll get back to you!