Free Advice

Do you know the ins and outs of the NROI re-certification policies? Here are a few pointers to help enlighten you.

First, always remember that help (no, not that kind of help) is always an email away. Second, yes the test availability will time out after 30 days or so–procrastinators beware! But, no worries, an email to dnroi@uspsa.org will get your test reset for another 30 days. Once you begin the exam, there is no time limit, so you can answer a few questions and walk away for a bit, then return when it’s convenient for you. Third, you can print the exam and do it on paper, if you prefer analog test taking. I am a pencil and paper guy myself, so I understand. But, you must hit the “print” button before you begin the exam digitally, or else the print function is lost.

The USPSA database will send a reminder out when you have a test available, normally 30 days prior to your NROI certification expiration date. On rare occasions, this doesn’t happen, or it goes to spam or somewhere into the ether. Don’t panic! If you miss the reminder, or simply forget, or life gets in the way and you don’t recertify prior to your expiration date, NROI policy allows for up to 6 months to recertify by taking the short, 20 question exam. After 6 months, the system will revert to the long, 50 question exam, and after a year has passed, will tell you that you must attend a seminar to become recertified. If you think you have an exam due, but didn’t see a reminder, you can check by going to https://uspsa.org/exam. If you have one due, it will be available.

And, we don’t really consider you “expired” as a range official until that year has passed. Even so, if you have been active as an RO within that time period, but just didn’t take the test, we do give a little leeway. Entering the Level II or III matches you worked during that time aids in gaining a little more time on being able to test to recertify rather than attend a seminar.

While taking the exam digitally, note that each question has instructions on how to enter and format the rules citations correctly, and that punctuation counts. The exam is digitally scored, and the system doesn’t overlook a misplaced period or misused comma, dash, or slash. Some machines, (the one I’m on does it), will enter an extra period if you hit the space bar at the end of a rule number. For example, I enter 1.1.5, then hit the space bar, and get 1.1.5., which will be marked incorrect. Again, all is not lost when the computer tells you you failed. Email dnroi@uspsa.org and I can take a look at your exam and manually grade it. If that’s the problem, then no problem. You will be marked as passed and recertified for another year.

Each question also notes what rules should be used, such as USPSA Competition, or SCSA, or Multigun. A lot of the email I get stating that the rule cited was correct and the computer marked it wrong falls under the “wrong rule set” heading, so be careful. If you are currently USPSA NROI certified and hold an SCSA endorsement, your exam will have 25 questions on it: 20 USPSA and 5 SCSA, and the SCSA will always be the last 5. Same for MG endorsed range officers. Be careful when answering these questions that you are in the right rule book.

Finally, everyone gets three initial attempts at the exam before it’s not available any more. If that happens, email me, dnroi@uspsa.org, and I will reset the exam for another 3 attempts. If you are having trouble finding answers or rules, email me or rules@uspsa.org, and we will point you in the right direction, but we won’t give you the answer. If you are word searching the digital rule book, go to every rule that the system finds, not just the first one with that word in it. Depending on what the question is asking you, the right rule may not be the first rule you find.

The goal of NROI is to certify and retain certified range officials, so we will do everything we can to make that happen. We want you to pass, and won’t set you up for failure. Help is just an email away.