Become a Certified Professional Editor (CPE)

I passed the “harder” exam and failed the proofreading exam. It’s funny because I know I’m not the best proofreader. I didn’t take the exam last year because my baby was due right around the exam date.

It’s hard because people immediately think that editors are proofreaders, but it is the skill I’m weakest at.

I can however take the biggest piece of garble and turn it into a story. The best part of this is that for the most part, the author will read it and say, “Yeah, that’s what I wrote.” He will say that even if only three words remained in the same place!

So I think I’ll practice very hard in 2013 and try to finish this ceritifcation!

Wrote the two, three-hour exams yesterday. Did the best I could. If I don’t pass, I’ll wait until a new certification committee coms in that doesn’t long for the days of Gutenburg.

It’s a new world out there!

If do pass, and get my CPE YAY! Good for me!

The exam is in two weeks. I’m excited and studying the materials. It’s an odd test because either you know it, or you don’t. The exam is really like a morning of work at my old job (my new one isn’t focussed on editing). So I’m finding it a bit hard to concentrate on making it real.

I think this morning I’ll sit down and do half a test and check my answers. I’m excited to finally be through this process.

So I’ve ordered and printed the books needed for the exam. All I have to do is study and register for the last two. If I pass (I’ll pass), I will get my certification at the conference in Vancouver in May. That will be fun.

So I passed the hardest exam in the session but not one of the easiest. I think I may “challenge” the results as I used Chicago proofreading marks and not Canadian marks. Nevertheless I have two exams down and am officially a “Certified Professional Structural and Stylistic Editor.” So in November I will take the two last exams and hopefully I will find out I passed next March!

So I did the second of four exams today. It was supposed to be hardest of all four but I didn’t struggle as much as I did with the proofreading exam.

Good luck to me and thank you to everyone who cheered me on and sent me your wishes. Now, I wait for the results in March and take the last (if I passed) exam next November!

The third of four exams is tomorrow. I did the second one on Saturday and it was SO hard.

This exam has a very low pass rate, but I’m trying to concentrate on how similar this exam is like my job every day! Taking the exam is confidential so no one will know who I am and how I did. In fact, in March when I get my results I will only know if I passed or failed.

What I do every day is all over for anyone to see the errors. The problem with editing is that no one notices all the fantastic things you’ve done, only the things you’ve missed. You can take a dog’s breakfast and turn it into Kobe beef—but it still won’t please the vegetarians!

I did the second of four exams on Saturday—it was tough! But nevertheless, I think I caught everything. I needed every second of the exam time.

I don’t find out if I passed or failed until March 2010 ! That’s a long time!!!

In 12 hours I’ll start the exam to be a certified professional proofreader - it’s the first of three that I need to complete. Monday is the big one, Structural and Substantive Editing. The last course has a 30% pass rate - I’m a bit scared.

But realistically, I’ll never be readier than I am after working on these skills 40 hours a week for a year!

So I registered for the only two tests I haven’t taken. Proofreading and Substantive Editing. I ordered the study package for the Substantive Editing course and it came in (YAY!) Now I just need to study and by next year when they offer the Copy Editing exam, I’ll get it done and be a CPE!

Hurrah!