Professional Testing

DMACC offers the ACCUPLACER assessment (reading, writing and math) for outside organizations.

Locations: ACCUPLACER is offered at all DMACC testing centers, however, some testing centers require an appointment. Limited Remote ACCUPLACER tests are available.

• Testers are required to show a valid, government issued photo ID.
• The tester will take three assessments: Reading, Writing, and Mathematics.
• There is a $20 proctor fee to take all three assessments.
• If a tester does not meet the minimum score and wants to retake one, two, or all three assessments, they can re-take the individual assessment(s) where a better score is needed.
  • There is a $20 proctor fee for retakes, for one, two, or all three assessments taken at the same time.
  • There is no waiting period required between attempts; the tester can re-test the next day.
• If a tester is unable to complete all three assessments on the same day, they may return to the same testing center within a 14-day period to complete their assessment.

DMACC offers AMBDI testing on behalf of the Forensic Specialties Accreditation Board.

Locations: Ankeny and Des Moines/Urban. Appointment is required. 

Examinees must notify ABMDI of the testing center location for exam materials to be mailed.

• Examinees are required to show a valid, government-issued photo ID.
• The exam is 240 multiple choice questions, and there is a four-hour time limit.
• Examinees are not permitted to use their own reference materials.

DMACC offers the Assessor/Deputy Assessor Exam on behalf of the Iowa Department of Revenue (IDR).

Location: Ankeny. Appointment is required. 

• Once you have met the required educational requirements, complete an application and send the PDF to ed.dov.eq@iowa.gov.
• Call the Ankeny Testing Center at 515-964-6595 to make an appointment after an IDR representative approves your application.
• Testers are required to show a valid, government-issued photo ID.
• Testers can bring their own basic or scientific calculator, or the testing center can provide one.
• There is a $20.00 charge per test.
• The Assessor Exam is 117 questions with a time limit of four hours. The Deputy Assessor Exam is 75 questions with a time limit of three hours.

DMACC offers the CNA written comp exam at specific DMACC testing centers by appointment only. All scheduling of test appointments and remittance of payments must be completed through the Continuing Ed Registration Page. DMACC testing centers cannot schedule appointments for written comp testing.

Locations: Ankeny, Boone, Carroll, Des Moines/Urban, and Southridge.

Once you have selected a testing center, go to the Continuing Ed Registration Page to register and pay for the exam, or call DMACC registration at 515-964-6800.

• Examinees are required to show a valid, government-issued photo ID.
• The exam consists of 100 multiple choice questions with a time limit of 2 hours, with a 70% passing score.

DMACC offers Wastewater Treatment, Water Treatment, and Distribution Operator Certification Examination on behalf of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Locations: Des Moines/Urban and Southridge. Appointment is required.  

• Examinees are required to show a valid, government-issued photo ID.
• There is a time limit of 3 hours, with a 70% passing score.
• All materials required for testing will be provided by the testing center.
• Examinees are not permitted to use their own reference materials.

DMACC offers the National Firefighter Selection Inventory (NFSI) written exam on behalf of the Central Iowa Fire & EMS Testing Consortium. This general knowledge exam is for those interested in becoming a firefighter and requires no prior knowledge of fire or EMS.

Locations: Ankeny, Des Moines/Urban and Newton. Appointment is required. 

• Examinees must create an account before scheduling with the testing center.
• Examinees are required to show a valid, government-issued photo ID.
• The exam time limit is 2.5 hours.
• There is a $20 proctoring fee for the testing center and a $25 exam fee to IO Solutions. Examinees are required to have a credit/debit card to pay the fee online to IO Solutions.

Related Links:

Information about the NFSI Written Exam (Central Iowa Fire and EMS Testing Consortium)

NFSI Exam Study Products (IO Solutions Webpage)

DMACC offers Jurisprudence, Infection Control, and Radiography exams on behalf of the Iowa Dental Board.

Locations: Ankeny, Carroll, Des Moines/Urban, and Southridge. 

• Examinees are required to show a valid, government-issued photo ID.
• There is a $20 proctor fee per test.
• There is a 60 minute time limit, and the passing score is 38/50.
• Examinees taking the Jurisprudence Exam are permitted to bring approved jurisprudence pages into the testing room. The materials can be printed from the Iowa Dental Board website: Jurisprudence for Dental Professionals. Highlighting is allowed, but notes are prohibited. No other materials can be brought into the testing room.

DMACC offers professional licensing exams for Plumbing, HVAC/Refrigeration, Mechanical, Hydronics, and Sheet Metal. These exams are coordinated with Kirkwood Community College on behalf of the Iowa Department of Public Health.

Des Moines/Urban campus:

• Master Plumber/HVAC
• Journeyperson Plumber/HVAC

Other locations: Ankeny, Newton and Southridge. Appointment is required. 

• A passing score is 75%. Examinees will need to contact the Board Office to submit a Post-Examination Licensure Application.
• Before arriving at the testing center, examinees pay for the exam through Kirkwood by calling 319-398-4482 or 319-398-5529 during office hours.
  • After payment, examinees will receive an email from Kirkwood with a username and password.
  • The subject of the email will be: “[Exam Name] online Class Log-in Information”.
  • The examinee must bring this login information to the testing center.
• Approved reference materials are permitted in the testing room. The test is based on 2021 materials, but materials from other years are acceptable. Go to Kirkwood’s State Disciplines Page and then under “Process on Exam Day” click on “2021 References” for a complete list of approved materials.
  • Highlighting and permanent tabbing are permitted.
  • Handwritten notes and post-it notes are not permitted.
• To re-take the exam on the same day, examinees will need to call Kirkwood to pay for a new exam.
  • Payments will take 1 hour to process.
  • Examinees will use the same login information for retests.

DMACC offers testing on behalf of Kryterion Inc. Exams are scheduled through Kryterion and proctored at DMACC Ankeny. Refer to the test sponsor’s guidelines to identify exam requirements.

• Examinees are required to show a valid, government-issued photo ID.
  • The name on the ID must match the name on the confirmation email.
• A secondary form of identification with or without a photo is required.
  • Examples include: a Bank card, Wholesale/Retail membership card, Health Insurance card, Employee/Student ID card, Marriage/Birth Certificate, Concealed Carry Permit, Utility Bill, Vehicle Registration or Green Card/Visa.
  • Social security cards are not accepted.
• Examinees are required to bring their exam verification code with them.

DMACC offers testing on behalf of The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. Examinees must call DMACC Continuing Education at 515-256-4912 to register to take this exam.

Lead Abatement Contractor and Lead Inspector/Risk Assessor exams are proctored at the Ankeny and Southridge testing centers, and a testing appointment is required. 

• Examinees are required to show a valid government-issued photo ID.

DMACC offers testing on behalf of Meazure Learning. Exams are scheduled through Meazure Learning and proctored at the Ankeny and Des Moines/Urban testing centers. Refer to the test sponsor’s guidelines to identify exam their requirements.

• Examinees are required to show a valid government-issued photo ID.
  • The name on the ID must match the name on the confirmation email.
• Examinees are required to bring their exam registration email with them which contains:
  • An exam password.
  • A detailed explanation of testing center check-in requirements.

DMACC offers pesticide applicator testing on behalf of the Iowa Department of Agriculture (IDALS).

Locations: Ankeny, Boone, Carroll, Des Moines/Urban, Newton, and Southridge. 

• Examinees are required to bring their QUIA account username and password to the testing center.
  • Create an account.
• Examinees are required to show a valid, government-issued photo ID.
• Examinees are responsible for knowing their exam category.
  • Examples include: Core, 3OT, 7A, etc.
• There is a $20.00 proctor fee per exam.

Related links:

IDALS Study Guides

In some cases, DMACC may need to refer testers to other organizations.

• CDL written exams for a driving permit are scheduled with the Iowa DOT. Refer to DMACC’s Transportation Institute webpage for more information.
• For WorkKeys or NCRC testing contact Iowa Works at 515-281-9619 or desmoinesiowaworks@iwd.iowa.gov.
• For EMS Professional Certification, contact Pearson Vue at 515-446-9619.

DMACC offers testing for other organizations by request.

Contact the testing center of your choice for availability, scheduling, and hours/location.