HUD Housing Counselor Exam
We have all the information you need to get ready for your certification exam and access to more HUD Counseling Resources.
Learn moreCertification Exam Overview
HUDHousingCounselors.hud.gov partners with Kryterion Inc. to provide exam proctoring services online and at test centers. HUD test takers can only access Kryterion's Webassessor site through HUDHousingCounselors.hud.gov.
Development Standards
The certification examination was developed according to professional standards recognized by the testing industry and designed and constructed to be free from bias and measure only approved examination content. The following steps were taken to achieve these goals:
- Test content was defined by a diverse panel of subject matter experts who determined the knowledge and skills required to perform the services of a competent housing counselor regardless of the counselor's cultural background or socioeconomic status. Test content is periodically updated by diverse groups of subject matter experts trained to write, review, and/or edit effective test items and to avoid potential bias.
- Subject matter experts are intentionally selected to represent a culturally and geographically diverse cross-section of the housing counseling profession. Under the guidance of a psychometrician, subject matter experts are trained to recognize potential sources for bias; to consider the appropriateness of the question subject matter; and to assess the clarity of the language used to ensure that potential bias was avoided, including cultural and linguistic bias.
Certification Requirements
Housing counseling required by HUD programs must be provided only by certified housing counselors who work for organizations approved to participate in HUD's Housing Counseling Program.
In order to be certified, an individual must:
- Pass a standardized written examination covering six major topic areas.
- Work for an agency approved to participate in HUD's housing counseling program.
Note: You can take the certification exam without being employed at a HUD-approved agency, but to become certified, you must pass the exam and work for a HUD-approved agency.
Training — Access & Requirement For Certification
Completion of training is optional and is not required to become certified. However, to increase certification exam passing rates, candidates are highly encouraged to study the course content.
To access the training, you must be signed into your account on HUDHousingCounselors.hud.gov.
Once you are signed in, select "Training Center" at the top of the page. If you are already signed in, you can access the Training Center launch page directly.
Training is available to anyone who creates an account. You can choose from two study methods: an interactive online training course (no sound) or a downloadable Study Guide in PDF format.
Compliance
See Housing Counseling: New Certification Requirements Final Rule on the HUD Exchange for more information. On August 5, 2020, HUD published an Interim Final Rule on the Federal Register website to announce a delay in the deadline for housing counselors to become HUD certified. The new final compliance date was August 1, 2021.
Review Managing Certification After the Final Compliance Date and HUD Exchange FAQs related to compliance for more information.
Retakes
There is no limit on retakes for the Certification Exam. However, each retake must be purchased at the stated exam fee. You can take the Certification Exam as many times as necessary to achieve a passing score. If you receive a notice about maximum attempts, please call 210-489-1461 or create a support ticket. Hours of operation are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time Monday–Friday except Federal holidays.
Exam Options
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Learn moreUnderstanding The Role Of Agencies
The role of the HUD participating housing counseling agency in HUD Certified Housing Counselor Application Process is to verify counselor employment in FHA Connection and to update FHA Connection when counselor employment status changes.
HUDHousingCounselors.hud.gov also acknowledges the important role agencies play in supporting counselors as they prepare for certification. To best support your counselors through the certification process, please consider the following important information:
- HUDHousingCounselors.hud.gov user accounts are owned by the user. Changes to the account or exam schedule can only be initiated by the user regardless of exam payment source. Access to user accounts and related information is not permitted by third parties unless authorized by the user.
- Counselors should be encouraged to create their user account with an email address they can access from anywhere at any time.
- Registration for the HUD Housing Counselor Certification Exam must be completed through each counselor's HUDHousingCounselors.hud.gov user account. There is no method to register and pay for a group of candidates in a single transaction.
- Agencies should avoid creating HUDHousingCounselors.hud.gov user accounts for those who do not plan to take the exam.
- Counselors should log into their user account and initiate requests for help on their own behalf at Support.
For questions about this information, please visit Support or call 210-489-1461 Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. except federal holidays.
The purpose of HUDHousingCounselors.hud.gov is to help counselors prepare for the HUD Housing Counselor Certification Exam and provide access to the exam. After passing the exam and transferring the results to FHA Connection, counselor certification activities shift from HUDHousingCounselors.hud.gov to FHA Connection.
Counselors maintain their certification status by updating personal information on the HUD Certified Housing Counselor Database Update/Renewal page on FHA Connection. Exam results and counselor application information are stored permanently on FHA Connection. Counselors should become familiar with FHA Connection to understand which steps are required to update and maintain personal information, including changing employers.
It is important to note that agencies are required to validate the end of a counselor's employment. If a counselor is between agencies, hiring agencies will NOT be able to find the counselor in the database if the previous agency has verified their end of employment in FHA Connection. After the counselor's end of employment has been verified, they no longer meet the criteria for certification.
In order to demonstrate to hiring agencies that a counselor has been previously certified, it is recommended that counselors maintain a copy of their most recent certificate which names the counselor and the agency. Certificates are available to download and print from FHA Connection only while a counselor's employment at an approved housing counseling agency is validated in FHA Connection. Each time a counselor's employment is verified at a new agency, a certificate is available to print with the new agency's information displayed.
A certificate is not available to print during periods when the counselor is not employed by an approved agency or when the counselor is employed by an approved agency but their employment has not been verified in FHA Connection.
Please visit the HUD Exchange for more information. If you require assistance with FHA Connection Contact housing.counseling@hud.gov and include "FHAC" in the subject line of your message.
HUD’s Office of Housing Counseling