How to Become a Parliamentarian (NAP)

This lesson outlines the steps to working your way up the ranks to become a parliamentarian with the National Association of Parliamentarians (NAP).

There are four levels of membership in the National Association of Parliamentarians. They are Provisional Member, Regular Member, Registered Parliamentarian, and Professional Registered Parliamentarian.

For more information on the various levels, click this link.

Based on the membership statistics of NAP, there are approximately 4000 Regular Members, 570 Registered Parliamentarians, and 350 Professional Registered Parliamentarians.

The first step is to join a unit (chapter) of the National Association of Parliamentarians. There are chapters all over the U.S. and the world!

Click this link to find a unit near you.

It is highly recommended to join a unit because you can meet other people interested in parliamentary procedure and join study groups and receive other benefits. Units typically meet once per month from September to May. This can really help keep you motivated and on track. The dues for joining a unit, are usually pretty low, as low as $10 annually.

NAP does have a membership exam, and when you pass it, you will be able to say that you are a full member of NAP! The questions for the membership exam are based on the book Robert's Rules In-Brief 3rd Edition. You should read and study this book before taking the membership exam.

Click this link to order the book spiral bound.

Click this link to order the paperback version.

It takes a couple days to work through this book and study it.

The Regular Membership Study Guide is publicly available. Under lesson files up at the top of this page, you can download the study guide.

More information about the test and the member application, including an alternative distance learning class you can take to become a member, can be found by clicking this link.

The first half of the study guide contains topics for study. The second half contains a bank of 100 questions. These are the actual questions for the membership test. The membership test contains 40 questions from the bank, and you must earn a 70% to pass. You can take the test online with the new NAP proctor system.

The membership application is also under lesson files above, or find more information at the above link. When you pass the membership exam, you will likely become a member of an association (like a State Association) which will have a few more dues and some other benefits.

You should also purchase Robert's Rules 12th Edition (RONR) (see below) to begin referencing the main manual of parliamentary procedure.

Becoming a Registered Parliamentarian is a much lengthier and tougher process than becoming a member, but it is worth it for those who wish to master parliamentary procedure or to earn money being a parliamentarian.

To become a Registered Parliamentarian, you will need to order and read Robert's Rules of Order 12th Edition. I strongly recommend reading Robert's In-Brief before you tackle this book. Regular members should also purchase Robert's Rules 12th Edition because it is the official manual of Parliamentary Procedure that most (but not all!) organizations use.

You can order it at this link spiral bound.

Or you can order it paperback at this link.

Or if you prefer you can order it hardbound at this link.

Under lesson files above, there is a checklist on the steps to becoming a Registered Parliamentarian. You must pass 7 fairly tough quizzes, complete a few assignments, and serve as a parliamentarian in a simulation.

Further details about the RP Application can be found at this link.

Further details on what is tested and what you should study can be found at this link.

The final and highest level of NAP membership is Professional Registered Parliamentarian. PRPs are able to assist organizations big and small and can handle very difficult or complex meetings, either as a presiding officer or parliamentarian. A new process for becoming a PRP is still being completed, and it will be similar to the RP process, but the quizzes and assignments will be more challenging.

More information about the PRP process can be found at this link.

So how long will all of this take? The answer is it depends on your experience and how much time you can dedicate to studying.

You could become a regular member within a month if you spent the appropriate time reading Robert's In-Brief and studying the practice guide. Others like to take their time and tackle one chapter per month. There is no wrong way to do it!

Becoming a Registered Parliament is a longer process. NAP offers a 1.5 year time frame to complete all of the assignments, however most should be able to complete all of them in a shorter time frame depending on how much they read RONR and how much time they can dedicate to the assignments and studying. The time to completely read and study RONR 12th Edition should not be understated. It will likely take months to work through the entire book.

You must be an RP for one year before you can begin the PRP process. The PRP process will likely take the same amount of time as the RP process. You learn similar areas of knowledge as the RP test, just at a more complex level of difficulty.

Are you ready to get started! Please let us know if you have any questions in the comments below, and always check the links above at the official https://www.parliamentarians.org website for the most up to date information.