Quality Auditor Certification
Step 1. Is this the right certification for you?
Here are the minimum expectations, requirements, experience and exam specifics for a Quality Auditor Certification. If you already know that this is the certification you want to pursue, move on to exam preparation.
Education and/or Experience
You must have eight years of on-the-job experience in one or
more of the areas of the Certified Quality Auditor Body of Knowledge.
A minimum of three years of this experience must be in a decision-making
position. “Decision-making” is defined as the authority to define,
execute, or control projects/processes and to be responsible for the outcome.
This may or may not include management or supervisory positions.
If you were ever certified by ASQ as a Quality Engineer,
Reliability Engineer, Software Quality Engineer or Quality Manager, experience
used to qualify for certification in these fields applies to certification
as a Quality Auditor.
If you have completed a degree* from a college, university or technical
school with accreditation accepted by ASQ, part of the eight-year experience
requirement will be waived as follows (only one of these waivers may be
claimed):
- Diploma from a technical or trade school—one year will be waived.
- Associate degree—two years waived.
- Bachelor’s degree—four years waived.
- Master’s or doctorate—five years waived.
*Degrees/diplomas from educational institutions outside the United States
must be equivalent to degrees from U.S. educational institutions.
Minimum Expectations for a Certified Quality Auditor:
- Must possess the knowledge and ability to effectively conduct different types of audits in a professional, ethical and objective manner using and interpreting applicable standards/requirements, with an awareness of potential legal and financial ramifications.
- Must be able to effectively plan, develop, communicate and execute an audit within a defined scope, including resource scheduling, conducting necessary meetings in performance of the audit and using appropriate auditing techniques.
- Must be able to verify, document and communicate audit results, develop an audit report and evaluate the effectiveness of corrective action/follow-up.
- Must possess interpersonal skills to resolve conflict, conduct interviews and make presentations effectively.
- Must be able to participate in, lead and facilitate teams. Must understand how quality principles relate to business processes and be able to explain the importance of aligning the audit function to the organization.
- Must be able to select and use a wide variety of quality and auditing tools and techniques in practical applications.
Examination
Each certification candidate is required to pass a written examination
that consists of multiple-choice questions that measure comprehension
of the Body of Knowledge. The Quality Auditor examination is a one-part,
150-question, five-hour exam and is offered in English.
Examinations are conducted twice a year, in June
and December, by local ASQ sections and international organizations.
All examinations are open-book. Each participant must bring his or her
own reference materials. Use of reference materials and calculators is
explained in the seating letter provided to applicants.
Please Note: The Body of Knowledge for certification
is affected by new technologies, policies, and the changing dynamics of
manufacturing and service industries. Changed versions of the examination
based on the current Body of Knowledge are used at each offering.
Are you ready to get started? Prepare for the exam. >>>
