NIMS credentials are recognized throughout the United States and Internationally. Schools, education centers, and colleges use NIMS skills standards to align curriculum to industry practices and rely on NIMS credentials as an industry-recognized validation of student comprehension and performance.

Below are answers to frequently asked questions for entities considering adding NIMS credentials to their approved lists. Further questions can be directed to support@nims-skills.org

 

Who endorses NIMS?

NIMS has a stakeholder base of over 6,000 companies in partnership with five major industry trade associations: The Association for Manufacturing Technology, the National Tooling & Machining Association, the Precision Metalforming Association, and the Technology and Manufacturing Association. These partners have invested funds for the development of NIMS standards and credentials. 

NIMS Credentials are featured on National O*Net and Career One Stop Lists, as well as many individual State Education lists, including, but not limited to Arizona, California, Florida, Ohio and Texas.

 

Is NIMS a member-based organization?

No - NIMS is not a membership-based organization, and no affiliation is required in order to attain or maintain credentials.  As a courtesy to customers, NIMS offers discounted rates for accredited organizations and bulk rates for large purchases.

Do NIMS credentials expire?

Most NIMS credentials do not have expiration dates, as they are modular competency-based assessments to demonstrate a set of skills in industries that do not require licensure. However, NIMS performance standards review process is democratized to all industry professionals and dynamically updates based on the pace of change from respective industries. NIMS updates its credentials when a pattern of change is detected. Some organizations that mandate NIMS credentials for hire or wage progress include recertification requirements internally to exercise their workforce skill sets.

NIMS standards are continuously evaluated for relevance through surveys. To learn more about how Subject Matter Experts can survey NIMS standards, see our “Survey Me” page.

How many times can a candidate retake the credentialing exam?

Candidates have two opportunities to pass the credentialing exam before being locked out for 30 days. With a single test pass, further attempts require an additional purchase. Credential subscriptions do not require another purchase.

Is a specific curriculum or course required to access NIMS credentials?

NIMS is a testing body and does not have a curriculum for credentialing.  Training organizations and curriculum developers use NIMS standards to ensure their services meet industry expectations. Some of these providers are featured on our site, with no particular emphasis on which a candidate seeking a credential should use. 

How do individuals access NIMS credentials?

Individuals must be registered as a credentialing candidate by a Registered NIMS organization. To explore organizations in your area, refer to the NIMS Network Map.  

There are no pre-requisites for candidates to access NIMS credentials. Specifically, there is no minimum age, and no minimum level of degree attained (high school, associates, bachelor’s or otherwise).

While previous experience might warrant less training by the education provider, it is not considered during the evaluation. Therefore, there is also no minimum number of hours worked required to either gain access to or earn the credential.

How does NIMS ensure exam designs are unbiased?

NIMS routinely analyzes its industry credential theory exams to check for discrimination within the stems and/or distractors of each of questions. We also routinely utilize a process to set cut scores based on industry professional input.

What are NIMS proctoring requirements?

All of NIMS exams are online and proctor required. The student cannot access the exam without a code from the proctor.  Every candidate has the same time limit and comparable testing conditions. NIMS requests that instructors do not proctor the exam to allow for a impartial proctored environment.

How does NIMS ensure exam security?

NIMS does not provide access to exam questions/answers to candidates or even instructors, unless actively testing. NIMS does provide a detailed explanation of the knowledge area that the candidate was successful/unsuccessful in that they and the account administrator have access to evaluate upon completion of exam.