CSDR^® Assessment & Certification Center

The AA-ISP and its Accreditation Board establish and maintain a set of requirements, standards, skills, competencies, and final exam testing components that must be met for CSDR^® Certification eligibility. The final exam itself is administered via a proctored, 3rd party testing organization, which assesses if an individual is capable of performing the tasks required to be successful as a Sales Development Representative (SDR).

The rigorous CSDR^® certification process sets a high bar that students can be measured by, educators can teach to, and hiring companies find value in.

Components of Certification

As part of the final exam, students must demonstrate the critical skills and competencies required to be an effective Sales Development Rep. Some of these areas include how to properly conduct:

Call Introductions
Use of Relevant Information and Pre-Call Research
Discovery Process, Needs Analysis, etc.
Value and Benefits
Active Listening
Objection Handling
Communication Skills
Soft Skills

Testing has been created and proctored to establish:

Reliable Testing Measures
Industry Standard Procedures
Conflict of Interest Management
Impartiality
Objectivity of Certification Activities

Assessment Prep

Prior to sitting for the assessment, each student is provided preparatory information via email including:

Sales Scenario
Exam Example: Audio & Transcript Provided
Exam Scorecard
Assessment Scheduling Link

Candidates who do not pass the final exam may schedule a second exam after a 2-week "waiting period." This allows time to review the coursework and focus on the areas which were identified as needing attention from the original exam scorecard.

Requirements to Take the Certification

To maintain a high bar for industry standards around SDR skills and competencies, the AA-ISP requires certain education and/or experience before applying for SDR Assessment and Certification.

Students must have completed and be able to show ONE of the following:

AA-ISP’s CSDR^® Course Completion - View Course Details Here
Minimum of 32 hours of SDR or Inside Sales specific third-party online or instructor led training. (This may include college “sales” programs)
6 months or more employment experience in an SDR or equivalent role