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Prevention Credentialing Process
Overview
In order to become a Credentialed Prevention Professional (CPP) or Credentialed Prevention Specialist (CPS) in New York state, you must: (1) meet specific competency and ethical conduct requirements; (2) meet specific work experience requirements; (3) meet minimum education and training requirements; and (4) pass the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC) Prevention examination. All the stated requirements are overseen and/or coordinated by OASAS.
If you hold a CPS certificate, you may obtain a CPP certificate without being required to pass another IC&RC Prevention examination. You will be required to submit a credential upgrade packet which verifies that all CPP requirements have been satisfied, along with a credential upgrade fee.
Application 
The first step in the credentialing process is the submission of a CPP/CPS Application to the the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services' (OASAS) Credentialing Unit. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis and will remain active for five years from the date of postmark.
Upon receipt by the OASAS Credentialing Unit, your application will be reviewed to ensure that the minimum eligibility requirements have been satisfied. Based on the findings of the review, your application will be determined to be either approved or incomplete.
Approved Applications
When your application is approved, you will be eligible for admission to the examinations administered during the five-year period that your application is active. Admission to each examination will require submission of an examination fee. You will be mailed an approval letter and directed to complete and return to the OASAS Credentialing Unit a CPP/CPS Examination Registration Form and examination fee.
Incomplete Applications
If your application is determined to be incomplete, you will be mailed a CPP/CPS Application Review Summary identifying any deficiencies. Once you have satisfactorily addressed the identified deficiencies, your application will be approved.
If you are unable to address the identified deficiencies by the end of the five-year period that your application is active, your application will not be approved. In order to be considered to become a CPP or CPS in the future, you will be required to submit a new application, associated documentation and an additional application processing fee.
Examination Eligibility
An applicant is eligible to take the examination upon submission of an application and approval of the educational requirement associated with the CPS.
Examination
The IC&RC prevention examination is comprised of 150 multiple choice questions derived from the prevention practitioner tasks identified in the 2007 Job Task Analysis.
The examination is administered at least one time per year in New York State. Based on the geographic locations of eligible candidates, examination locations may vary. Upon completion of the exam, you will receive a preliminary score. If you pass the examination, you may not consider yourself credentialed until you have received the official results of your examination and are issued a certificate.
Applicants who do not pass the examination will remain eligible to retest once every 60 days during the active period of their application.