Certification policies

1.Fees

• $499 to get certified. It covers the curriculum, the exam, your background check and your first year.
• $199 a year after that, charged automatically on your renewal date until you cancel.
• Discount codes can be entered at checkout.

2.Refunds and cancelling

• You can get a full refund within 14 days of paying, as long as you haven't started the certification exam. After that, the certification fee isn't refundable.
• To stop your renewal, email hello@sportsadvisorsboard.com before your renewal date. Your certification stays active until the end of the year you've paid for. Renewal fees already charged aren't refunded.

3.The exam and retakes

• The exam opens once you've viewed every curriculum slide and answered every scenario.
• Each attempt has 20 questions drawn at random from all six modules. Scenario questions count double. You pass at 80%.
• If you don't pass, you can take it again. Each attempt draws a new set of questions, and there's no extra fee.
• You confirm before submitting that you completed the exam yourself. A certification earned otherwise can be revoked.

4.Background checks

• Checks are run by an independent provider, only with your consent. The provider sends you its own disclosure and authorization forms first.
• A certification is issued only once your check comes back clear.
• If something comes up, the Board reviews it individually; it doesn't automatically rule you out. You'll receive a copy of the report and a chance to respond, as the law requires, before any decision.

5.Certification and renewal

• A certification lasts one year from the date it's issued.
• Renewal requires the annual fee and, when the Board asks for them, an updated background check and any new required training.
• If a certification isn't renewed, it lapses: the profile leaves the public registry and the stamp, ID and QR code must no longer be used. You can renew later to restore it.

6.Suspension and revocation

The Board can suspend or revoke a certification for:

• breaking the code of conduct;
• false or missing information in an application or at renewal;
• a background check result or sanction that the Board decides is disqualifying;
• misuse of the stamp, a certification ID or the exam.

Before a decision, the Board tells the advisor what the concern is and gives them 14 days to respond. In serious cases the Board can suspend a certification right away while it reviews. A suspended or revoked advisor is removed from the public registry, and fees aren't refunded.

7.Concerns and complaints

Anyone can raise a concern about a certified advisor by emailing hello@sportsadvisorsboard.com. Tell us who it's about and what happened. We'll acknowledge it, review it with the advisor, and let you know the outcome where we can.

8.Changes to the program

The curriculum, exam and these policies are updated as rules change. Changes apply from the date at the top of this page; certified advisors are told about significant ones by email.