How ASQ certification differ from other certification bodies?

The American Society for Quality (ASQ) a global body of Quality professionals, with more than 150 years of history offers several quality certifications on various professions starting from Healthcare, Product Design, Reliability, Software development, Supply Chain, Pharmaceuticals etc. It is the largest and most reputed professional body in the world, committed to raising the voice of quality led by global thought leaders like Dr. Walter Shewhart, Dr. Edward Deming, Dr. J. Juran, Dr. Phil Crosby and Dr. Feigenbaum to name a few.

There are several organizations offering certificate courses on six sigma but ASQ offers professional six sigma certification. ASQ adheres to a strict Certification process that tests the application knowledge of the individual based on an approved Body of Knowledge (BoK) developed by a team of quality professionals. ASQ’s Curriculum (BoK) is created collaboratively with FORTUNE 500 companies, viz, BMW, Coca cola, Pepsi, Google, Apple and many more. The assessment (exam) is based on the Blooms Taxonomy of Cognition. The certification is valid for a period of three years from the date of issue and needs to be kept current by either carrying out activities as prescribed by ASQ for recertification units or taking the exam again before expiry.

ASQ Six sigma certifications are recognized and respected globally by leaders and organizations alike. A certification by ASQ is scientific way to measure an individual’s proficiency and knowledge about various tools and their effective application, analysis and synthesis to deal with practical business challenges. The BOK and question bank for the exam are continuously enhanced by constantly seeking inputs from senior and experienced members of ASQ who are veteran quality professionals with decades of experience.

ASQ floats salary surveys among different groups each year and it is an established fact that on an average an ASQ certified professional draws 15-20% higher CTC when compared to professionals without ASQ certification. ASQ Six sigma certification is recognized worldwide and is considered as one of the most sought-after professionals across the globe.

The generic pre-requisites for any professional to earn a Six Sigma Certification typically are completion of a structured Training (though not mandatory) by certified and qualified Leaders, completion of Six Sigma Project(s) and to pass an exam which assesses their BOK and application skill.

Two completed improvement projects with signed affidavits (form available on ASQ India website), or one completed project with a signed affidavit and three years of work experience, in one or more areas of the Six Sigma Black Belt Body of Knowledge (BoK) is necessary for Black Belt certification. The BoK is available on ASQ India’s website (https://asq.org.in/certification). Once the experience and project completion requirement is met then Black belts need to appear for an assessment (exam online) based on the BoK. The exams are conducted at various centres throughout India. An online application form which is available on ASQ India website must be filled in with all details and submitted. There is an exam fees (INR) which has to be paid online. Once the application is reviewed and approved then the individual needs to schedule and take the exam. ASQ exams are delivered through a computer based testing (CBT) by ASQ’s testing partner Prometric. This is offered across 8 testing locations in India. Black belt exams can be scheduled every alternate month through the year. There will be 6 slots open every year. The first slot is now open in Jan 2019. The exam consists of 150 multiple choice questions to be taken in four hours. All the questions are based on the ASQ BB BoK.