Practical Exam Site - Requirements

Practical Exam Sites must be safe and suitable to conduct Practical Exams and have access to the people and equipment needed to conduct the exams. Each site must have a Practical Exam Site Coordinator. The exams themselves need to be conducted by a CIC Certified Practical Examiner and Proctor. Below is a summary of site requirements.

Safety Area

Exam Site

The exam site must meet the following requirements.

  1. No overhead power lines should be within:
    1. 81' of the crane when set up for Telescoping Boom under 21 Ton exams
    2. 120' of the crane when set up for Telescoping Boom 21 – 75 Tons exams
    3. 175' of the crane when set up for Telescoping Boom Over 75 Tons exams, Lattice Boom Carrier exams or Lattice Boom Crawler exams


    Practical Course
  2. There should be sufficient space available for the practical exam course
    1. A 51' radius for 135 degrees of arc for Telescoping Boom under 21 Ton exams
    2. A 90' radius for 135 degrees of arc for Telescoping Boom 21 – 75 Tons exams
    3. A 145' radius for 135 degrees of arc for Telescoping Boom Over 75 Tons exams, Lattice Boom Carrier exams or Lattice Boom Crawler exams


  3. Entire exam course must be relatively level.


  4. The crane(s) being used for the exam must be able to be set up on ground within 1% of level grade.


  5. Ground under crane and outriggers should be compacted and appropriate floats or pads should be used as needed.


  6. Exam course must be located out of sight from welcome and waiting areas.

Candidate Waiting Area

Waiting area must be:

  1. Neat and orderly with adequate seating and lighting
  2. Near restrooms 
  3. Out of sight of practical exams
  4. Dedicated to candidates waiting for their exams  
  5. Set up with the designated pre-exam materials.

Practical Exam Site Coordinator

The site must identify a person to be the Practical Exam Site Coordinator. See Responsibilities for more information.

Once a site is approved by CIC, the Site Coordinator will access the Practical Site Coordinator Handbook, that provides full details on all site requirements. The Site Coordinator is required to read and follow the process in this handbook.

Certified Practical Examiner

Practical Exams require a Certified Practical Examiner and proctor. The site does not need to have a designated Certified Practical Examiner on site, but will need to secure one to conduct exams. The site may choose to certify a Practical Examiner to conduct the exams or may contact an examiner that is already certified. CIC provides a complete list of Practical Examiners once the site is authorized.

Proctors do not need to be certified and can be identified by the Practical Examiner or site. The proctor's role is to support the Practical Examiner.

Course Material

Sites will need to ensure that they have the appropriate materials for the exam and a crane with a suitable boom length to conduct the exams. See Site Prep for additional information.