Regulatory examination is made more widely available
The Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS) has increased the number of locations and dates on which professionals in health product regulatory affairs will be able to sit the Regulatory Affairs Certification (RAC) examination.
The changes will begin with the autumn 2006 examination period, for which registration is now open, when, for the first time, the test will be administered electronically. Individuals taking one of the three RAC exams – US, EU and Canada – can sit the test on any date between 1 October and 30 November 2006.
“These are substantial improvements for regulatory affairs professionals, who previously had only one day to take the exam and who, at times, had to travel long distances to do so,” said RAC spokesperson Meredith Ellison. “The general content and multiple-choice format remain the same.”
The RAC, a voluntary certification denoting professional and technical abilities in health product regulatory affairs, was developed in 1990 by RAPS and is maintained by the Regulatory Affairs Certification Board (RACB). The EU and Canadian versions were launched in 2001 and 2004 respectively. Candidates who pass the examination are entitled to use the RAC designation after their names.
A RAPS 2003-2004 survey found 33% of professionals “at the specialist level” to have the certification, compared with 20% at the same level in 2002.