IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ!!

• Read ALL instructions below BEFORE you begin filling out your application.
• Failure to follow the instructions outlined below will delay your application.
• Make sure the information on your application is correct and complete BEFORE making your payment.
• Once you have made a payment, you can no longer edit your application.

The requirements for each ABB certification can be found by clicking on the certification tab and selecting the appropriate certification from the dropdown.

Applications are kept open for two years from the date of receipt. Keep in mind that processing and completing applications takes time. All of the documentation for your application must be received in the ABB office in order for your application to be reviewed by the ABB Board. The deadline to have all application materials [notary page, educational transcripts, equivalency evaluations (if required), employment verification forms, and name change documentation (if required)], into the ABB office is usually eight to ten weeks before the next ABB examination. Therefore, please start your application four to five months (16 to 20 weeks) before the next ABB examination date.

Below please find a list of documents required to complete your application:

1. Notary page. You will be prompted upon completing your application to print your notary page. The notary page in the application should be printed, signed and notarized, and mailed to ABB at the address below. If you live outside the United States, take the notary page to a US Embassy to be notarized.

2. Provide transcripts. Official hard copy transcripts must be mailed directly from the educational institution to the ABB office at the address below. ABB also accepts secure encrypted electronic transcripts that require the ABB to log into a website with a password. The email address to send electronic transcripts is abb@abbcert.org. PDFs of transcripts, even if they are forwarded directly from the university/college, are not acceptable. Copies or originals forwarded by the applicant are not acceptable. All international transcripts must be provided in English. Transcripts that are not provided in English must be translated by a translation service approved by ABB. The cost of the translation shall be paid by the applicant.

3. 32 hours of coursework. All applicants are required to document 32 hours of coursework in chemistry or the biological sciences acceptable to the ABB Board. This information is frequently found on your undergraduate transcript. Therefore, it may be necessary to provide copies of your undergraduate and graduate transcripts in order to meet this requirement. All transcripts must be forwarded to ABB as described above.

4. Equivalency evaluation. All international transcripts require a course-by-course evaluation. The equivalency evaluation agency must also receive an official transcript forwarded directly from the educational institution. [Official hard copy transcripts must be mailed directly from the educational institution to the equivalency evaluation agency. The equivalency evaluation agency may also accept secure encrypted electronic transcripts that require the agency to log into a website with a password. PDFs of transcripts, even if they are forwarded directly from the school, are not acceptable. Copies or originals forwarded by the applicant are not acceptable.] The evaluation must be completed by one of the four approved equivalency evaluation agencies on ABB’s list [the list may be found at: https://www.aab.org/aab/Equivalency_Evaluations.asp] and the equivalency evaluation must be mailed directly from the agency to the ABB office to the address above. Copies or originals of the equivalency evaluation forwarded by the applicant are not acceptable.

5. Verify employment. ABB mails employment verification letters to your current and past employers to verify your employment. Please make sure you include the full mailing address of the laboratory, your dates of employment, and the name of the current CLIA laboratory director or a contact person in Human Resources, on your application. ABB does not email or telephone employers. ABB requests a copy of the laboratory’s current CLIA certificate. ABB does not verify employment that occurred more than ten years prior to the application date. If the laboratory is outside the United States, documentation of the position/title of the individual completing the employment verification form is required.

Please note, that if the laboratory is closed it may not be possible to verify your work experience at that laboratory to the Board’s satisfaction. If you received a service letter on the termination of your employment, you may submit that. The service letter must be on company letterhead and be signed and dated by a qualified individual (e.g., laboratory director/Human Resources). However, if the service letter does not contain all of the information required by ABB, it may not satisfy ABB’s employment verification requirements.

Individuals cannot verify their own employment – if you are the director of the laboratory, ABB will contact either Human Resources or the owner of the laboratory. In addition, if you are the director of the laboratory, you must provide documentation to that effect (e.g., CLIA certificate). You may also be required to provide patient cases with the patient names redacted.

6. Document name change. Apply using your legal name. If your transcript(s) or other documentation is not in the name that you applied under, you must document how your name has changed. ABB will notify you of the documents required (e.g., marriage license, divorce decree, etc.)

When you have completed your application, it is reviewed by the ABB Board. The Board review generally takes several weeks to complete. Your decision letter is forwarded to you after the Board has reached a decision.

Print a copy of these instructions to refer to as you complete the application. (PDF)

Proceed to Application for ABB Certification