National Association of State Boards of Geology
1
(ASBOG®)
examinations
and the licensing of geologists
2
Williams
John W.
Department of Geology, San José State University, San José, CA 95192-0102
The National Association of State Boards of Geology (ASBOG®)
facilitates the coordination of individual State Boards responsible for
licensing geologists. 28 states and one territory require licensure of
geologists for professional geologic practice for the public. ASBOG®
through its committees, evaluates and recommends guidance on issues
of common interest to these boards. Included among these topics are:
Criteria for registration
Education
Work experience
Testing – preparation of national examinations as one way to
measure minimum competency
Examination waivers
“Grandfathering”
Reciprocity
ASBOG® examinations:
 Fundamentals of Geology (FG)
 Practice of Geology (PG)
A number of colleges and universities have elected to use the
Fundamental Examination (FG) as an Exit Examination as one element
of undergraduate curriculum evaluation.
30
Protection of the public health, safety, and welfare;
FG and the PG examinations are administered twice yearly on the
same day across the US. These first were given in Oct, 1992.
FG: 130 multiple-choice questions to test the examinee's basic,
academic knowledge of geology, including geologic subject matter and
interpretative skills.
 Completion of appropriate work experience supervised by a qualified
registrant or licensee. Length of work experience required varies from
state to state, but averages about 4 years.
1www.asbog.org/
2Professor
of Geology and Past President of ASBOG
Many state licensing boards have implemented a Geologist-inTraining (GIT) program. A GIT has a degree in geology and has
passed the FG, but lacks the required geologic experience for
becoming a Licensed Professional Geologist.
10
Based on comments and observed practices in states with geologic
licensure, the following trends have been recognized:
5
PG: 100 multiple-choice questions to test geologic knowledge gained
from work experience.
Subject matter content of
examinations (% of questions)
Content Domains
Year
Candidate success on examinations
FG% PG%
General Geology: Field Geology,
Geophysics, Imagery, Modeling,
and Graphical Methods
Mineralology, Petrology, Petrography
Sedimentology, Stratigraphy, and
Paleontology
Quaternary Geology, Geomorphology,
and Surficial Processes
Structure, Tectonics, and Seismology
Hydrogeology and Environmental
Geochemistry
Engineering Geology
Economic Geology and Energy Resources
TOTALS
17
Employers of geologists are more likely to hire a geologist who is
1956
1962
1968
1974
1980
1986
1992
1998
2004
1958
1964
1970
1976
1982
1988
1994
2000
1960
1966
1972
1978
1984
1990
1996
2002
18
90
80
80
74
73
70
4
6
10
5
14
14
9
22
Many employers are basing employee evaluations and
advancement of their geologist employees on their current and/or
potential licensure status.
85
80
15
14
a Geologist-in-Training or a Licensed Professional Geologist.
100
67
70
60
70
64
65
62
64
70
66
66
63
60
68
73
73
75
64
59
58
57
54
52
53
54
55
52
60
58
70
68
61
59
61
50
68
71
79
78
56
57
57
58
61
60
57
63
60
57
59
57
58
53
40
30
20
10
9
7
100
20
16
100
0
O
ct
-9
A 2
pr
-9
O 3
ct
-9
A 3
pr
-9
O 4
ct
-9
A 4
pr
-9
Se 5
p9
A 5
pr
-9
Se 6
p9
A 6
pr
-9
Se 7
p9
A 7
pr
-9
Se 8
pM 98
ar
-9
Se 9
pM 99
ar
-0
Se 0
pM 00
ar
-0
Se 1
pM 01
ar
-0
O 2
ct
M 02
ar
-0
O 3
ct
M 03
ar
-0
O 4
ct
M 04
ar
-0
O 5
ct
M 05
ar
-0
6
 Passage of two nationally administered competency examinations
(and, if required, state-specific or specialty examinations);
Attended field camp;
Taught physical or historical geology labs;
Historically has been a high-achiever in geological course work.
15
Percent Passing
 A minimum of 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours in
geoscience/geological course work and a college degree in the
geosciences/geology;
Students taking the FG as an Exit Examination appear to perform
better if s/he has one or more of the following:
20
0
Generalized basic requirements
for geologic licensure
Mississippi was the first state to use the FG as an Exit Examination for
curriculum review and assessment. All of Mississippi’s universities
and colleges offering four-year degrees in Geology use the ASBOG®
FG as an Exit Examination for graduating seniors. Kentucky schools
Number of States/US Territories With Geologist Licensure by Year
also use the FG as an Exit Examination. Other colleges and
universities are considering this use of the FG.
25
The examinations and the
examination process
Restriction of practice of geoscience/geology to those who have
passed competency examinations and have appropriate
geoscience/geologic work experience.
Based on the rate at which states are enacting licensure laws, by the
year 2020 or earlier, all 50 states may have licensure.
Goals of all workshops:
 Maximize the fairness and quality of the examinations
 Develop exams that reflect “state of the art” testing
techniques
Common aspects of geologic
licensure laws
Restriction of the practice of geoscience/geology to those either so
designated and/or to those who have completed a appropriate academic
requisites from an accredited college or university;
More states are considering either introducing or re-introducing
licensure legislation (e.g., Oklahoma, in January 2007; Michigan and
Louisiana, in the near future). Tennessee has proposed changing its
Title Act to a Practice Regulation.
ASBOG® examination workshops conducted twice yearly follow
guidelines in the “Standards for Educational and Psychological
Testing,” by the American Educational Research Association, the
American Psychological Association, and the National Council on
Measurement in Education.
Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), a committee of professional
geologists, prepare and validate the examinations. These SMEs
constitute the Council of Examiners (COE), a cross-section of
geologists by geologic specialty, employment sector, and geographic
area. This process ensures that the examination questions apply to a
wide range of geographic regions and professional practice settings.
Observations
28 states and one territory have licensure related to the practice of
geology for the public.
No. of States
Introduction
States and territories affiliated with ASBOG®
Administration Date
Fundamentals of Geology (FG)
Practice of Geology (PG)
1983 Thistle Landslide, Utah, the
most costly U.S. landslide to date