Step 2: Take the Exam

Your Chapter Professional Development Officer is your best local resource, whether you are seeking advice on how to prepare for the AICP Certification Exam or want to meet other individuals who are studying for the exam — they may even know study groups in your area.

Review the exam content outline to understand the scope of the exam.

The percentages indicated for the major exam topic areas approximate the number of questions addressing that topic in the exam question pool. Balance your exam preparation accordingly.

Given the breadth of information covered by the exam, studying for multiple months is recommended.

Set your schedule — when, where, and how often to study — plus the resources you'll use.

The AICP Certification Exam has been developed to be taken by a national audience and focuses on a wide array of planning topics. When developing your plan, concentrate on planning knowledge, principles, and practices that are applied nationally, rather than those unique to a region, state, or locality.

The videos linked below were recorded in December 2024. They cover the nine major topic areas, each encompassing several categories.

• Introduction: Series Overview, Study Tips, and FAQ
• Research and Assessment Methods (11% of exam content)
• Fundamental Planning Knowledge (15% of exam content)
  • Fundamental Planning Knowledge (Part 1)
  • Fundamental Planning Knowledge (Part 2)
  • Fundamental Planning Knowledge (Part 3)
• Communication and Interaction (13% of exam content)
• Plan and Policy Development (15% of exam content)
• Plan Implementation (12% of exam content)
• Administration and Management (6% of exam content)
• Leadership (6% of exam content)
• Areas of Practice (12% of exam content)
  • Areas of Practice (Part 1)
  • Areas of Practice (Part 2)
  • Areas of Practice (Part 3)
• AICP Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct* (10% of exam content)
  *All ethics questions are based on the Code of Ethics adopted in 2022.

The above recordings can be viewed as a playlist here:

Below are updated PowerPoints (from December 2024) that should be reviewed with the above recordings.

• Introduction
• Research and Assessment Methods
• Fundamental Planning Knowledge
  • Fundamental Planning Knowledge Part 1 (History of planning, patterns of human settlement, planning theory, core values of planning)
  • Fundamental Planning Knowledge Part 2 (Related professions; natural, social, and economic systems; technology to advance planning; information technology)
  • Fundamental Planning Knowledge Part 3 (Foundational legal principles)
• Communication and Interaction
• Plan and Policy Development
• Plan Implementation
• Administration and Management
• Leadership
• Areas of Practice
  • Areas of Practice Part 1 (Comprehensive plans, subarea plans, current planning, rural and small town planning, regional and multijurisdictional planning, transportation planning)
  • Areas of Practice Part 2 (Equity and advocacy planning, economic development, housing planning, food planning, health planning, urban design, historic and cultural resource planning)
  • Area of Practice Part 3 (Sustainability and resilience planning, infrastructure and services, hazard mitigation and resiliency, natural resources planning, facility and services planning, parks, recreation, and open space)
• AICP Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct

Some PDOs offer additional study materials for their chapter members, and most are free of charge! The depth of these offerings varies, with some chapters offering multi-session prep courses.

Chapters

Florida

• https://florida.planning.org/professional-growth/aicp-exam-preparation/
• https://www.gotostage.com/channel/ef7b74d285104a6b84060974f64b5996

Georgia

• https://georgiaplanning.org/aicp-exam-reviews/

Maryland

• https://apamaryland.org/professional-development

Michigan

• www.planningmi.org/aicp

Interest Groups

Asian and Islander Pacific Interest Group (Please note that you must be a member of this interest group to join their study group.)

• https://www.apiplanning.org/events-projects/aicp-study-group

Other Groups

Texas A&M University (courtesy of Ivis García, Associate Professor, Landscape Architecture & Urban Planning, College of Architecture)

Urban Planning Foundations: An Overview of Planning Theory and History Through the Lens of AICP Preparation, including:

• Podcast: The course podcast is available on Spotify, where you can listen to all of the episodes.
• Podcast Scripts
• Quizlet: Practice with these flashcards
• Slides, exams, and more!

The following resources are useful starting points:

• Selected Resources: AICP Certification Exam
• Chapter Presidents Council Exam Prep History Timeline
• AICP Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct*
  *All ethics questions are based on the Code of Ethics adopted in 2022.
• Planning and Law Division Foundational Land-Use Law Cases
• APA Policy Guides
• PAS Reports
• Planning magazine
• American Planning History Since 1900
  This free resource was developed for individuals interested in the planning field. Although it is an engaging and useful resource, be aware that it is not a comprehensive list of historical milestones in planning.

In addition, check out APA chapter websites (contact your PDO).

In addition to studying concepts and facts, it is important to feel comfortable with the testing experience itself. Practice exams will familiarize you with the structure and flow of exam questions and help identify areas of knowledge that need additional study. Do NOT use example questions as the sole source of facts and knowledge you need to pass the exam, and keep in mind that non-APA source questions may not closely approximate the structure of actual exam questions.

• Prometric offers a tutorial demonstrating computer-based testing. (Use keycode ABCD1234 to access.)
• Read about the AICP Certification Exam Development Process.