Certification - Frequently Asked Questions

Payment is required before accessing the application. Once you pay, log into your NDA portal account to access the CDS application or CDT application. Click here for the CDS Application How To Guide.

View the CDT or CDS page to view the list of required documentation. You need to submit the required supporting documentation with your application. Incomplete applications will not be accepted, and review of your application will be delayed.  

NDA complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act to accommodate candidates with special needs. Candidates with documented visual, physical, hearing, or learning disabilities that would prevent them from taking an examination under standard conditions may request special testing accommodations and arrangements. For the exam administrations, special needs must be documented in writing by the candidate’s doctor or other qualified professional on official letterhead. This written documentation must accompany the exam application. Please note that requests for accommodation must be received at least 30 days before the application deadline.

You must notify NDA of your desire to transfer your exam into the next test window within a minimum of 5 business days prior to the scheduled exam. If you do not meet this timeframe, then your transfer cannot occur, and you will be subject to the rescheduling fee.

There are 110 questions on the CDS exam.

The CDS exam is two hours and thirty minutes.

The application fee for NDA members is $595.00 and for non-NDA members, the fee is $755.00

The exam was developed to assure employers that candidates holding the CDS certification possess the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities to work across all fields of the demolition industry.

All questions on the exam are multiple choice. There will be one correct answer, and three plausible, but incorrect answers.

There are 60 questions on the CDT exam.

The CDT exam is 1 hour and 30 minutes.

The application fee for NDA members is $300 and for non-NDA members, the fee is $450.

All questions on the exam are multiple choice. There will be one correct answer, and three plausible, but incorrect answers.

Official results will be emailed to candidates approximately six to eight weeks from the close of the testing period/window. Please note that the close of the testing window may be up to three weeks after an individual’s testing date.

Note: To ensure the confidentiality of exam results, actual scores will only be released via email to the candidate's email address on file with NDA. Scores will NOT be sent to employers, other individuals, or organizations under any circumstances. Names of candidates who do not pass the examination are confidential and are not revealed under any circumstances, except by legal compulsory process.

To ensure industry best practices for certification programs, NDA determines the passing standard for the CDS and CDT by a process of statistical equating. Equating requires data on actual candidate performance to determine the passing standard, the scores cannot be released until after all candidates take the test.

Each candidate taking the exam is judged against a predetermined standard rather than against other candidates. The predetermined standard is set by a committee of subject matter experts working with testing experts to ensure the validity, reliability, and legal defensibility of the exam. Scaled scoring will be used on all exam forms. Scaled scoring involves a mathematical conversion of the number of items that a candidate correctly answers transformed so that there is a consistent scale used across all forms of the exam.

The exams are protected by copyright and the certification is seeking to be an accredited program in the future through ANAB/ISO17024. To protect the integrity of the exam and assure fairness to future candidates, the questions on exams, including answers to questions, may not be shared by NDA Certification Board, Test Development Volunteers and/or candidates who may have already taken the exam.

No, NDA will be offering digital badge certificates. Those who pass their certification exams will receive a digital badge from Credly, our digital badge platform, they can add to their online profiles and email signatures. In Credly, certificants will be able to download a PDF certificate they can print at their own convenience. Click here for a step-by-step guide.

Candidates that did not successfully pass the exam are eligible to retest for a discounted rate of $445 (CDS) and $250 (CDT). Candidates are granted a one-year eligibility period to pass the exam. During the eligibility period, candidates have up to three attempts to pass the exam. A candidate may not retake an examination in the same testing window as the original attempt. After the third attempt, candidates must wait a year from the date of the last exam appointment to reapply for certification. At the fourth attempt, candidates will be required to complete the initial certification process again, including application, supporting documentation, and initial exam fee. 

The CDS and CDT certification is valid for three years. The certification cycle begins at the time of notification of successful completion of the certification exam and continues through March 31, every three years.

Recertification is required to ensure that certificants maintain a level of continued competence through ongoing enhancement of knowledge and skills in the field. Continued competence is defined by NDA as demonstrating knowledge, skills, or ability to proficiently perform as a certified demolition supervisor throughout the certificant’s professional career. Recertification of the CDS promotes continued competence throughout the certificant’s career in the demolition industry by requiring submission of continuing education units every three years.

More information on continuing education units will be released at a later date.