Council-Certified Indoor
Environmentalist
What is the CIE certification?
The Council-Certified Indoor Environmentalist (CIE) is a certification for professionals that evaluate the indoor air quality in all building types. The certification is offered by the American Council for Accredited Certification (ACAC). Our company, Indoor Sciences, offers a preparatory course for this certification. If you investigate air quality problems such as mold, VOCs, allergens, dampness, poor ventilation, and sick building syndrome, the CIE is great certification to substantiate your knowledge and experience.
There are many other certifications related to indoor air quality, but only the ACAC certifications are independently accredited. Your ACAC certification will garner respect from peers and clients alike.
What are the CIE prerequisites?
Not everyone qualifies to become a Council-certified Indoor Environmentalist (CIE). The ACAC requires applicants to have 2 years of field experience in indoor air quality. They reduce the experience requirement to 1 year if you have a college degree in science, engineering, or related field. If you are new to the field and have less experience, you may want to target the non-accredited CRIE certification which requires no experience. Or if you have 8 years of experience, you should consider the most popular ACAC certification, the CIEC.
Experience is documented by filling out project sheets which are part of the CIE application. If you have questions about your experience meeting the requirements, we suggest you contact the ACAC at 888-808-8381.
What is the exam like?
The CIE exam is offered through computerized testing centers found around the world. There is also a newer option to take the exam online with a proctor viewing you through a webcam.
The following are important details related to the CIE examination:
- All multiple choice questions with four possible answers
- 100 total questions
- Passing grade is 75%
- Duration: 3 hours
- Closed-book exam
How do I prepare for the CIE exam?
Thousands of students have prepared for the CIE certification by taking our Indoor Environmentalist Course, which is sometimes referred to as the “CIE Course”. In fact, we guarantee that students taking our course will pass the CIE! Indoor Sciences is a training provider of the Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA) and has been hired by governmental agencies and clients around the world to teach this class. Because this is an accredited certification, we do not receive a copy of the exam. However, for over 15 years we’ve had a high degree of success helping students pass the CIE exam on the first try.
The Indoor Environmentalist Course, which prepares you for the CIE exam, is both offered as an online and onsite course. For more information including pricing and upcoming training dates, visit the Indoor Environmentalist Course.