Within ten months of becoming an approved applicant in ASA, you must take ASA’s ethics exam, based on ASA’s "Principles of Appraisal Practice and Code of Ethics," a booklet that is available to you online to use as you take the open-book ethics exam online.

The exam contains 36 multiple-choice questions. To prepare for the exam, learn the principles and the code of ethics inside and out. To obtain a copy of the ethics exam, contact ASA’s membership department at (800) ASA-VALU or view it on this website at http://www.appraisers.org/join/code_ethics.cfm.

The 15-hour Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) course is required for accreditation. You can take a course offered by an ASA chapter or you can take the course at home by ordering ASA’s audiocassette home-study version of USPAP.

The home-study format accommodates everyone’s schedules, students and instructors alike. Everyone saves time and money by not having to travel to a course site. In addition, the course counts as much toward ASA accreditation and reaccreditation as the traditional class-room course does. Students should note, however, that while this course is approved for ASA accreditation and reaccreditation, it may not be approved for state certification. Students should check with their individual states.

Students may choose between two home-study options to fulfill their USPAP requirement:

• Total Package Option

The Total Package Option (members $250; nonmembers $295) includes, the USPAP manual and step-by-step instructions on how to proceed with the course after receiving the package. Students take this full USPAP course by listening to the tapes and reading the manual and then arranging to take the exam by proctor. (The instructions enclosed in the package explain all the details.)

• Exam Only Option

The Exam Only Option (members $175; nonmembers $225) allows a group of students to purchase one program that they can all share. However, students must register individually and make their own arrangements to take the exam. All students, regardless of the package they purchase, must sign an original statement attesting that they:

1. listened to the course,
2. read the materials, and
3. took the exam on their own without collaborating with anyone.

Please note that photocopies or faxes of the original statements cannot be accepted. Any questions about the USPAP Home-Study Course should be directed to Rshida Meth at the ASA National Office by calling (800) ASA-VALU or (703) 478-2119. To order the course, call National Cassette Services at (800) 541-0551, ext. 223.

Reminder: Individuals applying for accreditation will not receive their designations without taking and passing the 15-hour USPAP course and exam within the five-year period that you apply for accreditation. Designated members must also follow the existing USPAP guidelines for their reaccreditation period. Applicants are also reminded that they have only ten months from their Associate approval date to complete the USPAP requirement.