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More than 200 Take 2003 Exam
About NCQLP Exam Takers
Intern LCs in 2003
Future NCQLP Tests

More than 200 Take 2003 Exam

Last November, 203 lighting practitioners sat for the National Council on Qualifications for the Lighting Professions (NCQLP) exam.

Of these, 159 passed: 147 became full LCs and 12 are new Intern LCs, according to Mary Jane Kolar, NCQLP executive director.

That brings the total number of LCs to 1,119, she said.

"The first NCQLP test was given in 1997. Since then, it has gained recognition as a baseline standard. More and more people are aware of it, and more people talk about having gotten business because of it," she said.

NCQLP is a non-profit corporation founded in 1991 to serve and protect the well-being of the public through effective and efficient lighting practice. Through a peer review process, the NCQLP establishes the education, experience and examination requirements for certification in the lighting industry.

The LC test was first given in 1997.

About NCQLP Exam Takers

The professions of LC exam-takers in 2003 were as follows:

34.7% lighting designers/consultants;
18.4% electrical engineers;
10.9% manufacturers;
9.5% manufacturers' representatives and
9.5% sales representatives.
"There's some evidence that more companies are encouraging their manufacturers' reps to become LCs," Kolar says. The experience levels of LC exam-takers are:

23.8% have 3-5 years experience
28.6% have 6-10 years of experience
31.3% have 11-20 years of experience
16.3% have more than 20.
Education levels of LC exam-takers are:

16.3% high school graduates
11.6% hold associates' degrees
51.7% earned a bachelor's degree
20.4% hold an advanced degree
The primary professional affiliations of LC exam-takers are:
59.9% are members of the IESNA
10.2% the IALD
6.1% IEEE
2.7% AEE
2.79% AIA
2% NAILD
.7% IIDA
Intern LCs in 2003
This year, 16 graduate and undergraduate students in lighting took the LC examination as participants in the NCQLP Intern Program. Twelve were successful. "That's about the same percentage as with people who are actually practicing in the field of lighting," points out Kolar.

An accredited college offering a minimum of 12 credit hours in lighting or lighting related courses can apply to be a part of this program.

This year, students were represented from the following colleges:

Penn State University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Parsons School of Design.
University of Nebraska
University of Kansas
Future NCQLP Tests

The 2004 test will be given on November 6.

The NCQLP board is working toward computerizing the test, with the possibility of giving it more frequentl, Kolar said. The earliest those changes would go into effect is 2005.