Candidates for the Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA) credential can now take the exam every month of the year except in June and December. It was previously offered five times a year.

CMCA certification signifies that managers, having passed NBC-CAM's national exam, have shown that they possess the fundamental knowledge and expertise to manage condominium, cooperative and homeowner associations. Almost 6,500 professionals have earned CMCA certification since the program's inception in 1995. Active CMCAs are listed at www.nbccam.org/hiring/search.cfm.

The computer-based CMCA examination is now offered in four cycles: January/February, April/May, July/August and October/November. Each CMCA candidate chooses the cycle during which he or she wishes to take the examination and has two months to complete it. The pencil and paper version of the exam is offered three times a year—in March, September and at CAI's National Conference and Exposition. The 2007 conference is April 25-28 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. To learn more, go to www.caionline.org/events/conference/.

To obtain CMCA certification, managers must complete a 16-hour classroom course, the Essentials of Community Association Management, and pass the National Certification Examination. Certified managers must adhere to the CMCA Standards of Professional Conduct and take continuing education courses for recertification. CMCA recipients who don't comply with the Standards of Professional Conduct are subject to disciplinary action, up to and including suspension or revocation of the credential.

With the dramatic increase in association-governed housing, there is an expanded need for education in community association management. The number of community associations in the United States has grown from 10,000 in 1970 to more than 286,000 today.

NBC-CAM is the first and only national organization created solely to certify community association managers and to help consumers identify managers who have demonstrated fundamental competency and knowledge in this profession. NBC-CAM was founded by Community Associations Institute (CAI) to establish guidelines for acquiring and demonstrating fundamental knowledge of community association management. An affiliate of CAI, NBC-CAM operates as an independent entity. For more information, go to www.nbccam.org/.

CAI is a national membership organization dedicated to helping homeowner and condominium associations meet the expectations of their residents. We accomplish this mission by providing information, tools and resources to homeowners and professionals who govern and manage common-interest communities. Our 28,000-plus members include community managers, volunteer homeowner leaders and businesses and professionals who support associations. More information can be obtained at www.caionline.org or by calling toll-free (888) 224-4321.