Apparently as of October 2018, the NCRA will be putting in place a part retention policy with regard to their tests. Previously, if you passed all parts of the RPR or other similar test, you got to keep those parts indefinitely for the life of the membership. Such a policy was inclusive of everyone and respectful of people’s time and difficulty with tests.
Let’s face it. Everyone in this field is already part of an elite minority that can get somewhere in the ballpark of 225 words per minute down. The testing is at 95 percent accuracy. To add yet another barrier, a three-year requirement, is elitist, shortsighted, and utterly incomprehensible considering the dire need for reporters to be attracted to the NCRA and not repulsed.
Full disclosure, I got all the parts except the Q&A in 2011. I’ll have two choices, finish the RPR or let the parts lapse. I’m going to let the parts and my membership lapse. My advice is honestly for people to join me. Join your state associations and be done with NCRA. Let this be called out for what it is: Squeezing the members they have to get them to test more, and hiding behind CAPR to do it.
I’m a strong proponent of unity in this field. I generally believe in our collective. But to take what we are and make it any harder to achieve than it is today is unacceptable. So if you believe in sending the message that this is unacceptable, I encourage you to join in allowing the membership to lapse unless the move is reversed, and I hope that you will donate what your membership would’ve cost direct to your state association. Perhaps from stronger local position, we can keep this field strong.
As a crucial final note, you should not let membership lapse without writing NCRA and saying why you are doing so or considering doing so. Our leaders have no chance to lead if they do not hear from us. 12030 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 400, Reston, VA 20191.
A copy of my letter below:
“Hello. My name is Christopher Day. I’m member 966208 and have been a member over the last eight or nine years. I’ve recently read about NCRA’s change in retention policy. I truly believe that changing policy from indefinite retention for the lifetime of a membership to a three-year policy comes off as exclusionary and a money grab. I feel it’s asking more of members and stacking the bar ever higher against them.
What we do is difficult. NCRA has spent considerable time and resources on getting more people into this field, and thank goodness for that. But to simultaneously make the bar for entry more difficult is not a supportable move. To hide that decision behind CAPR is not something I’m going to condone.
I am allowing my membership to lapse and urging others to unless the retention policy for testing remains indefinite. I’d sacrifice my own test legs and donate an extra year of membership fees just to keep the retention policy open for everyone else. That’s how strongly I feel about this change. I’m fairly certain I will not be alone in my assessment. Again, please reconsider this move. It is not a good one.”
Edit July 2018. It’s been brought to my attention one contrary viewpoint is that this is more or less being thrown on NCRA by CAPR or ACCET and while I empathize if that is indeed the case, they need to fight it. It just so happens a three-year retention policy will create more testing for legs people have already passed so NCRA just happens to be accepting the recommendation. I’m not buying what’s being sold.
Edit on August 1, 2018. I retracted my vow let membership lapse. I may or may not. I am giving the matter serious thought and have a hard time reading the NCRA’s intentions. Read more here.