Step 1: Sample Résumé and Cover Letter Review 

NCRW STUDY GUIDE QUIZ

After you have registered for the Sample submission process, you will receive a confirmation email with information on completing the NCRW Study Guide Quiz.

The Certification Commission recommends that you read the NCRW Study Guide thoroughly before writing and submitting your sample resume and cover letter for grading. Too many certification candidates fail the writing sample segment on their first attempt—many because they disregard basic grammar rules and “strategy” concepts that are outlined in the NCRW Study Guide.

The NCRW Study Guide is a resource created by the Certification Commission and updated annually with details on best practice in resume writing and strategy. The quiz is based on content found in the NCRW Study Guide, and candidates must receive a 100% score to submit a sample submission. This is an open-book quiz; please use the NCRW Study Guide as a reference while completing the quiz. If a candidate does not receive a 100% score, they must review the NCRW Study Guide and retake the quiz.

Once a candidate has received a passing score on the NCRW Study Guide Quiz, they will be provided details on submitting their sample submission for review.

FORMATTING FOR SUBMISSION

Your sample submission should contain three documents that are in compliance with
the NCRW Study Guide (available only to members) and The Gregg Reference Manual:

1. A self-authored ATS-compliant resume in Word
2. The same self-authored ATS-compliant resume in PDF
3. A self-authored cover letter for the same client in Word

Our graders require all three documents to perform a fair review of your materials. If you don’t include all three files, you will be asked to re-submit and the review process will be delayed. 

Before uploading your files, remove all identifying information from Word’s properties (i.e., your name and the client's name). If you wrote the documents for an actual client, feel free to revise the achievements to make them even stronger.

RESULTS

While the sample submission process is limited to members pursuing certification, part of the feedback is a “Ready” or “Not Ready” recommendation to help you determine if you are prepared to pass the NCRW Examination.

One NCRW grader will review your samples using the same criteria used when grading NCRW exams. Recommendations are returned within four weeks from the date of submission.

A “Ready” recommendation is required to move on to the NCRW Exam. However, some writers may find it helpful to submit multiple samples if the grader recommends that the writer is "Not Ready" (a $75 fee applies to each submission).