Find the Best Exam For You

Exam sittings are available in person and online from April to September, with additional in-person exams held at the ATA Annual Conference.

  • You must be an ATA member to register for an exam. Join ATA now.
  • Exams are for experienced translators or interpreters. Find out if you are prepared.
  • There are specific software and hardware requirements for exams. See the requirements.
  • Only specific resources are permitted for use during an exam. See list of resources.
  • Exam sittings have a maximum capacity and can sell out. There are no waitlists for sold-out exams.
  • Check exam status to see which exams are sold out or open.
  • You must register by the deadline. See exam details for the specific deadline.

In-Person Exams

If an exam is not available in your area, contact your local chapter to request one.

Certification Exam: In-Person

June 24 / 12:30 pm - 3:30 pm EDT
Washington, DC
See Details

Certification Exam: In-Person

August 5 / 9:00 am - 12:00 pm PDT
San Diego, CA
See Details

Additional exams will be posted as they are confirmed.

Online Exams

If an exam is not available in your area, you have the option to take the exam at home.

Registration will open on June 27, 2023.

After you register, you have 30 days to schedule the time and date of your on-demand, online exam.

 

Please Note: ATA has been updating its database in preparation for a migration to a new, more robust association management system. As such, there have been difficulties encountered with preparing for our online examination period. This has resulted in a delay opening the online exam as we are unable to send exams for grading. However, we plan to keep the exams open longer to reconcile this. We encourage you to visit the following resources in preparation for registration:

Certification Exam Prep

Certification Exam Practice Test

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your patience during this transition.

 

The Certification Exam: In Demand and On Demand!

By The ATA Chronicle | May 17, 2022

ATA recently launched its second year of offering the certification exam online. In 2021, we began partnering with ExamRoom.AI, an international remote testing platform, to allow candidates to take the exam from home. After some initial hiccups, this proved to be a successful and popular collaboration. In all, 150 candidates…

Read More

Exam Registration FAQs

How to Prepare for the Exam

Exam-taking strategies, articles, checklists, and additional advice have been gathered from successful candidates and exam graders. Read more here.

Take a Practice Test

The practice test is an excellent way to measure your readiness for the exam. It consists of an exam passage from a previous year and is designed to provide a practical introduction to the nature of the exam and how errors are marked. Read more here.

New to Translation?

This exam is not for you! If you are not yet an experienced, professional translator and are looking for ways to get started in the field, check out our resources for newcomers.