Certification Program

The Handcrafted Soap Makers Guild is developing and implementing a soap maker certification program. The Guild undertook this activity to encourage and promote the highest professional standards among HSMG members. The Program also presents criteria by which members can measure their soap making knowledge and skill, creates a centralized repository for industry-standard information and resources, and provides a communication venue for members to share their expertise.

The Certification Program benefits the handcrafted soap making industry as a whole by establishing an industry-wide standard of excellence in soap making. Achieving these certifications will benefit the member as it demonstrates dedication to professional standards and builds credibility with customers.

General Overview

There are two testing tracks: Cold Process/Hot Process (CP/HP) and Melt and Pour (MP). Each track has three levels of testing: Basic, Advanced, and Master. The General Plan of the Certification Committee details the different levels and topics to be covered at each level. The exams are offered only to HSMG members and are voluntary.

Each exam has twenty questions with multiple choice answers. A score of 85% or higher is necessary to pass. This means a minimum of seventeen of the twenty questions need to be answered correctly.

Preparing for the Exam

The Certification Committee has finalized the exam questions and practice exams composed of the actual exam questions are available online. When you take a the CP/HP Practice Exam or the MP Practice Exam, the database randomly selects twenty questions from the over 200 questions that have been written, and immediately grades your answers. You can take the practice exams as many times as you want; each exam will have a different set of questions and answers.

As the Certification Program develops, materials will be available to study for the exams. However, for the first level of exams, the Basic Soapmaker, the idea is that a professional level soap maker should be sufficiently familiar with the concepts being tested to answer them without having to “cram” or extensively study additional materials for the exam.

For this first level, a document containing the Level 1 Terms and Definitions has been provided. Review of this list is a good starting point before proceeding to the practice exams. Also, References and Resources Lists for Basic Soapmaker (Level 1), Advanced Soapmaker (Level 2) and Master Soapmaker (Level 3) are available as a guide for futher study.

Each track, CP/HP and MP, have a common core of questions relating to labeling, safety, and good manufacturing practices. The remaining questions are specific to that type of soap making and thus different for each track. For the CP/HP Basic exam, some arithmetic is required on the exam so a calculator is needed.

In the Guild’s website Member Forum, under HSMG Projects & Activities, there is a forum for the Certification Program. Please post questions and feedback here. The Certification Committee will monitor this forum and provide answers.

Exam Schedule

The Basic Level exams for CP/HP and MP will be conducted for the first time at the 2008 Annual Conference. The exam date and times are: Sunday April 27 from 5:30 to 6:30 pm and Tuesday April 29 from 7:15 to 8:15 am. Exam registration will be independent of the conference registration; it is set for Sunday April 27 from 4:00 to 5:30 pm. Additional registration times will be made available.

There is a $25.00 fee for this exam. You may pay the fee at the conference, but you may also sign-up and pay in advance using our on-line shopping cart. Members that are paid in advance for Certification Testing will have a shorter time during registration as everything will be ready for them. Advance sign-up and payment is not required, but is recommended. Click here to go to the shopping cart and sign up.

As the exam is 1 hour long and in order to start promptly at the stated time, please arrive 15 minutes before the start of the exam. Bring a pen or pencil, and a simple arithmetic calculator. Books, computers, other electronic devices (cell phones, PDAs, etc), and papers other than those supplied by the Proctor, will not be allowed to be used.

After the Annual Conference, members will be able to take the exams on a proctored basis. A proctored exam is one where an approved person (a “proctor”) oversees the administration of the exam. The proctor receives the exam, administers it, and returns the completed exam for grading. The procedure for a proctored test will be posted when it is finalized.

The original plan was to have the Advanced exams also available at the 2008 Annual Conference. After spending a great deal of effort on the Basic exams, the Certification Committee believes it is best to receive feedback on this first level before proceeding with the second level.