http://www.vbacertification.com
We are happy to report that the popularity of the VBA Certification Exam is growing. In fact, it is growing so rapidly that we have had to implement a change in the way Part 2 is graded. We hope these changes will result in a better turnaround process as well as a better grading system for our Certified VBAs.
In the past, people downloaded Best Case software, prepared a bankruptcy petition and emailed the Best Case file to us. Next, we scheduled a live conference and graded the bankruptcy petition skills of the VBA.
One of the major problems with this process was that some people did not use Best Case software. They were forced to learn another software program versus the one they were using. We do not believe it is fair to force a VBA to test on software they are not familiar with. Besides, we only need the print out of the bankruptcy petition itself. It does not matter to us which software program you use for the Exam.
Secondly, scheduling conflicts prevented us from meeting with the VBAs and conducting the meetings at convenient times. In many instances, we would go back and forth with scheduling conflicts for 1 or 2 weeks while the VBA waited for their grade. Also, due to heavy call volumes, Victoria Ring would try to schedule Part 2 VBA reviews in the evenings. Due to time zone changes, the evenings could be very late for some VBAs and early mornings were also a problem.
The Solution
The solution to these problems has now been solved. VBAs can now use any bankruptcy software program they want to take their VBA Certification Exam and VBAs will no longer need to schedule a meeting to review Part 2 of the Exam. Instead, VBAs will prepare the petition in the software program they are most comfortable with. When finished, they simply print the bankruptcy petition as a PDF and the actual Federal Forms and Schedules are graded on 40 specific areas.
After the grading of Part 2, an average score is obtained by adding up the score for Part 1 and Part 2; then dividing by 2. Also, a 10% bonus award is granted on Part 2 if the VBA successfully can send the document by email in PDF format. The reason this step provides bonus points is because in the real world, a VBA will normally email a PDF to the attorney for review. We need to ensure the VBA has this skill and this step in the grading process will verify that.
VBA Scores Appearing on the Front Page of the NAVBA Website
A complaint we had with VBAs who passed the VBA Certification Exam is that their score was listed on the front page of the NAVBA website. This is okay for people who achieved a score of 90% or higher; but if a VBA earned a lower score, they were not happy that it appeared for the entire world to see.
For a better understanding, let me explain the reason why the VBA Certification Exam scores appeared there in the first place. In the beginning I listed people who passed the Exam in alphabetical order. But people complained. They wanted to be listed near the top and would name their company something like AAA Petitions just to be there. I felt this was creating unnecessary competition and tried to come up with a solution.
Next, attorneys were calling, asking me who scored the highest on the VBA Certification Exam. I could not remember off the top of my head the scores for everyone, so I had to tell them to go through the list. Naturally, the attorney started at the top of the list and those who were near the bottom were never contacted for work. Again, the system was unfair and I knew I had to come up with a solution.
That is when I decided to start listing VBAs in the order of their score on the VBA Certification Exam. But now, this has caused a problem for those scoring lower than 90%. In fact, we actually have people who try and manipulate their score just to get near the top. For example, some people will take up a great deal of our time, arguing with us that the answers we have are wrong. Even after explaining why their answer was wrong, they will try to force us to give them bonus points, or they will change their answer and try to manipulate credit.
It is amazing what people will do for a score when the solution is simple: Study and improve your skills, then take the test. However, some people feel it necessary to cut corners because they believe they are going to make money much faster. It is unfortunate they do not realize that attitudes like this actually lower their score. We believe that people who take short cuts with their own self-interests in mind will not be caring to debtors and will be inflexible when working with attorneys. Both of these qualities are very important to have as a virtual bankruptcy assistant.
The Solution I Have Implemented
To solve these problems I have decided to list the name, link and point score only, if the person achieved a grade of 90% or higher. Anyone who scores lower than 90% will still be listed on the NAVBA website but their exact score will not be mentioned and they will be listed in a separate area. Hopefully, this will prevent these past problems and help to keep the VBA Certification Exam an honest evaluation of the skills of a virtual bankruptcy assistant.
I am in the process of redesigning the front page of the NAVBA.ORG website now to implement these changes. In the meantime, take a moment and download the new VBA Certification Exam at:
http://www.vbacertification.com There is no cost to download and review it.
Thanks to all of you who are in various stages of your virtual bankruptcy assistant career. Do not hesitate to email me or call the office if we can help you in any way. Our organization is growing very strong and very large. I am proud of the accomplishments many of you have made and I wish all of you continued success.
Victoria Ring
