Becoming a Board Certified Entomologist (BCE)

Step 5: Taking the Examinations

To become a BCE, each applicant must complete the BCE Qualifying exam, in addition to fulfilling the other requirements. In addition, those seeking full certification must take at least one specialty examination. One specialty is included in the examination fee, all additional specialties require an additional fee.

For the most part, all BCE examinations are administered online through the proctor's computer. For those exams that are not online, a week or so prior to your scheduled examination date, a copy of the test will be sent to your proctor. Upon completion of the test, it is to be immediately returned to ESA's Certification Coordinator in the supplied envelope.

For those who are taking the online examination, the test instructions will be sent to your proctor approximately 48 hours prior to your exam. The test will be taken on the proctor's computer and – upon completion – will be automatically sent to the Chair of the BCE Examining Committee who will certify your score and communicate your status back to you.

A sample examination (with questions from the Associate Certified Entomologist exam) is available online for those who want to get used to the style of questions and the technology for administering the online tests. Click through to http://www.evtestcenter.com/  to take the ACE sample test. Enter "ENTSOC" as the instructor, click "ACE practice exam", enter your name under "name", and then enter "entomology" as the password. Please note that the questions themselves are not representative of the BCE exam, just the style and format of the questions are similar.
 

Other steps in the process to become a BCE:

Step 1: Determine eligibility

Step 2: Application

Step 3: Study for your examinations

Step 4: Select a proctor

Step 6: Maintain your certification