INCE Examinations

INCE Fundamentals Exam

INCE/USA offers a Fundamentals Examination which may be used in partial fulfillment of the requirements for membership. It is, however, not required.

For more details, see the Membership Information for INCE/USA.

Click here to download the Fundamentals Exam Application Form

INCE Professional Exam

The Professional Examination of the Institute of Noise Control Engineering is generally given, without fee, at INTER-NOISE congresses and NOISE-CON conferences sponsored by INCE/USA.

Click here to download the Board Certification Exam Application Form

The INCE Professional Exam is offered every year in conjunction with either a Noise-Con or Inter-Noise conference. It may be given in other locations depending on the demand. A special fee may be required if the examination is taken in locations other than that listed above. An applicant for Board Certification shall be a Full Member of INCE/USA, and shall be in good standing for at least one (1) year in INCE/USA or an I-INCE Member Society prior to applying for Board Certification.  

For more detailed information about the exam please visit http://www.inceusa.org/about/join-details#BCMEMBER.  The four-page Application Form and five confidential reference forms must be received well in advance of the time that the examination is scheduled. The INCE Vice President for Board Certification has a committee that will review the application to determine if the applicant is qualified to take the examination. Those individuals planning to take the examination can download the Professional Exam Study Guide. All individuals interested in the exam should contact INCE at the address below.

Membership Secretariat Institute of Noise Control EngineeringINCE Business Office 9100 Purdue Road, Suite 200, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46268. Telephone: (317) 735-4063 FAX: (317) 280 8527 Email:ibo@inceusa.org

DESCRIPTION OF THE EXAMINATION

The INCE Professional Examination is an eight-hour, examination covering the principles and practice of noise control engineering. The examination is eight hours long with a one-hour lunch break. The exam is intended to evaluate the practical knowledge of an individual which has been gained from an engineering education and approximately five years of practical experience in noise control engineering. It is not an academic examination. The exam covers the principles and practice of noise control engineering. This includes the application of fundamental acoustics, mechanical dynamics and the psycho-physiological properties of the ear to noise control programs. Specialized areas include instrumentation and measurements, hearing conservation, noise problems in buildings, in transportation systems, in the community and in industry.

EXAMINATION FORMAT

The examination consists of closed-book questions and open-book problems. The morning and afternoon portions of the exam each include 10 questions, all of which must be answered, and eight problems, of which five must be answered.  References and computational aids are allowed in the open-book problem portion, but not in the question portion of the exam. Any reference material may be used. A list of recommended references is given in the Study Guide. Individuals are not permitted to exchange any reference material or computational aids during the examination. Any self-contained computational aid that does not disturb other people and any reference material that is personally brought into the examination may be used, including laptop computers. If a specific reference is used in solving a problem, the source should be cited.

UNIT SYSTEM

SI (metric) units are used throughout the examination.

GRADING

30% of the exam grade is from the question portion and 70% is from the problem portion of the exam. The passing grade is 70%.

FILING FEE

The FILING FEE stated on the four-page Application Form must accompany the form. This fee is for processing the application and is payable in USD by check or credit card.

Note: There is no examination fee for the INCE Professional Examination itself when it is offered in conjunction with an INTER-NOISE or NOISE-CON meeting, or when the examination is administered at a time and place announced in Noise/News International. If the examination is a special offering, a special examination fee will be required to defray the expenses of preparation and administration of the examination.