Wastewater Visibility News
Changes to the Georgia Certification Exam Registration Process
January 27, 2026
Georgia Association of Water Professionals and Wastewater Visibility News
Sharing this update from the Georgia Association of Water Professionals (GAWP) with important changes to the certification exam process by the Professional Licensing Boards Division of the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office.
(January 9, 2026) The Board updated its rules last year to change the exam registration process to require that applicants apply for certification and provide proof that they meet the requisite training, education, and experience requirements before being made eligible to test. This change was largely made due to concerns around exam security and to ensure that all candidates meet the criteria for certification before sitting for the exam, both of which impact the integrity of the exam.
To implement these changes, updates had to be made by both PSI and the Professional Licensing Board’s Division. Effective 1/2/26 the appropriate updates have been made by PSI, but as of today the Professional Licensing Board’s Division is still working on making the appropriate updates in the GOALS licensing system. Currently, the certification application in GOALS still says that passing exam scores are required to apply. The GOALS vendor and project team are working to update all initial applications to remove the passing score requirement to submit the application, but the Board has not been told when GOALS will be updated to reflect the change. It would have been ideal for these changes to be made for deployment at the same time as the changes to the eligibility process, but that’s beyond the Board’s control. Applicants DO NOT have to wait until the GOALS update is completed to apply, but they will have to upload something to the document section for “Passing Exam Scores” to allow them to submit the application. I would suggest a document that says, “I had to enter something here to submit the application to be made eligible to take the exam.” Please note that all other required documents must be uploaded appropriately with the application, and submitting incomplete applications can result in delayed processing and even applications being withdrawn, forcing the applicant to reapply.
Going forward, applicants for certification will need to submit an application for the appropriate certification type to the Board. Applications are processed by Board staff in the order in which they are received. After their application has been processed, the applicant will be notified of any application deficiencies, which they can respond to through their GOALS account. After deficiencies are addressed and the application is deemed complete, the applicant will be made eligible to test by Board staff under the new eligibility process effective 1/2/26 and will receive notification from PSI on the steps to register for the exam and schedule a test date. After taking and passing the exam, PSI sends exam scores directly to the Professional Licensing Board’s Division which enters the results and notifies Board staff that the application can be updated (applicants do not have to send the Board their passing exam scores or list WPI/PSI as a third party on their application).
If you have any questions, these should be directed to the Board staff at the Professional Licensing Board’s Division at Trades3@sos.ga.gov.
Georgia Association of Water Professionals
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