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| What
is Accreditation? |
| The
designation Accredited in Public Relations (APR) signifies a
high professional level of experience and competence. The purpose
of the APR accreditation is to unify and advance the profession
of public relations by identifying those who have demonstrated
broad knowledge, experience and professional judgment in the
field. The program seeks to improve public relations practice,
and promote standards of excellence for all PR practitioners. |
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| Preparation
Course |
| The
chapter offers a preparation course for members interested in
preparing for the APR exam. The six-week course is offered in
January-February of each year, at a date and time convenient
to the candidates in the course. The cost for the course is
$50, made payable to West Michigan PRSA. The course is taught
by that year's chapter accreditation chair. Contact WMPRSA for
more information or watch for updates in the newsletter. |
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| Readiness
Review |
| Candidates
for the exam must first pass a 'readiness review' by three accredited
members of their local chapter. The peer review confirms a candidate's
skills, knowledge, years of experience and commitment to the
profession. In West Michigan, this readiness review will take
place at least once each year, usually within a month or so
after the prep course has been completed. Upon passing the readiness
review, candidates have one year in which to take the written
exam. Watch for announcements in the WMPRSA newsletter about
the next readiness review. |
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| What's
on the Written Exam |
The
exam changed in 2003 from an essay format to a multiple choice
exam. While the nature of the exam has changed, the content
is still a rigorous test of a candidate's knowledge and experience
in public relations. Key knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs)
tested include:
- Research,
planning, implementing, and evaluating programs (30%)
- Ethics
and law (15%)
- Communication
models and theories (15%)
- Business
literacy (10%)
- Management
skills and issues (10%)
- Crisis
communication management (10%)
- Media
relations (5%)
- Using
information technology efficiently (2%)
- Advanced
communication skills > (1%)
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Where
to Take the Exam |
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The
exam can now be taken at a candidate's convenience at any of
the 300 computer-based Prometric Inc. testing centers in North
America. You can find a testing center and schedule your exam
on Prometric's Web site: www.prometric.com. The Prometric center
in West Michigan is: 3910 BURTON ST. S.E.; CO-LOCATED W/ SYLVAN
LEARNING CTR; GRAND RAPIDS, MI 49546; (616)957-0368. |
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For
Additional Information: |
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Visit
the national accreditation site at www.praccreditation.org
for details. Or, contact
Katie M. Woodruff, APR at
katiewoodruff@sbcglobal.net or by phone at
616.915.8505 |
