Certification:

Members of NADE may participate in a certification program. In order to become certified, the candidate must:

• Submit an application which includes specifics related to various aspects of the candidate's work as a document examiner.
• Pass a written examination given at the annual conference.
• Submit case files from a number of cases in which the candidate has testified as an expert witness in document examination.
• Pass an oral examination in the form of a mock trial based on a case that the applicant was assigned earlier in the certification process.

When the candidate has successfully completed these steps, the certification committee will award the title of CDE. Approximately one-third of NADE's members are Certified Document Examiners, and can be recognized as such by the use of the letters "CDE" after their names.

NADE members who have been certified for ten years and who have contributed to the profession through journal publications and/or conference presentations, may apply for Diplomate status.