Specialty Certification

Candidates for the CSTE designation must provide evidence of all of the following:

Candidates for the ACISE designation must provide evidence of all of the following:

1. Must have completed a minimum of 36 months' experience on the job with examination duties covering the IS area of B- or C-rated financial institutions or third-party service providers as defined by the FDIC InTREx Program, and service as Examiner-in-Charge on at least three examinations. Private sector experience may be substituted on a case-by-case basis.
2. Satisfactory completion of the following course offerings or their equivalent (courses submitted for equivalency will be considered on a case-by-case basis):
   • CSBS IT Examiner School or
   • FDIC Information Technology Examination Course
3. Attestation of successful job performance and mastery of appropriate job-related skills by a superior within the candidate's organization ("superior" is defined as an individual whose job classification is at the Examiner-in-Charge level or higher). All attestations shall be considered final once signed. A defined response form that outlines the necessary and appropriate skills will support attestation as to a candidate's skill. A high degree of reliance is placed on the attestation forms provided by the applicant's supervisor when granting certification. For that reason, the individual signing the form should be familiar with the applicant's experience, performance, and skills/abilities, and should be confident that the applicant meets all the requirements as noted on the form.

The attestation form addresses the following categories:

TECHNICAL - Provides effective organization to the examination process:

• Effectively adheres to examination procedures and policies,
• Effectively organizes assignments,
• Ensures pre-examination planning and requests are successfully completed in a timely manner, and
• Organizes and effectively documents workpapers according to prescribed procedures.

CONCEPTUAL - Provides effective and accurate evaluation of the Information Systems activities of financial institutions and/or third-party service providers:

• Effectively follows established examination procedures to collect and analyze data
• Develops correct conclusions from collected data.

LEGAL/COMPLIANCE - Effectively demonstrates knowledge of policies, procedures, laws, rules and regulations

COMMUNICATIONS - Provides effective oral and written communications:

• Effectively and clearly communicates with financial institution personnel to obtain information
• Effectively and clearly communicates examination findings to supervisory personnel
• Effectively prepares written comments that are accurate, grammatically correct, logically arranged, and factually support any conclusions drawn.

NOTE: The completed education requirements ensure that an IS/IT examiner seeking certification is and remains current in his/her training in the constantly changing IS/IT landscape. If an examiner is unable, based upon geographic, budgetary, scheduling, or other issues, to complete the required training but is otherwise qualified, he/she is encouraged to request a waiver of the education requirements. The applicant will be required to set forth in detail his/her reasons for seeking certification, and how he/she fulfills the four required competencies listed above.