October has been declared “Certified Professional Secretaries Month” by Gov. James Thompson.

“I congratulate all Illinois secretaries who have earned this distinguished rating and all who are striving for the honor,” Thompson said in his Sept. 6 proclamation.

The two-day CPS examination is issued by Professional Secretaries International. It is given the first Thursday and Friday in November and the first Friday and Saturday in May.

The topics covered in the exam include behavioral sciences in business, business law, economics and management, accounting, office administration and communication, and office technology.

The test is open to anyone with one year of secretarial experience, any full-time employee, college or university student or business educator. Secretaries must re-certify within six years of taking the last exam.

Secretaries that have taken the examination are recognized with “more responsibility or higher salary,” said CPS member Betty Schraeder.

Illinois is ranked fourth among states with certified secretaries. As of May, 1,516 secretaries have passed the CPS exam. There are an estimated 29,430 secretaries in Illinois.

The employer will recognize the secretary as being well-rounded and demonstrating a proficiency in the six areas of the examination, said Patricia Burch, CPS Kishwaukee Chapter president.

There are about 29 CPS chapters in Illinois. The Kishwaukee Chapter has 28 members, about eight of which are from NIU. The chapter meets once a month between September and June and participates in state and international meetings that include educational seminars and speakers.

Kishwaukee Community College has review classes for the CPS examination for anyone interested. The class is not required to take the exam, but it can help, Burch said. There are eight students in the Business Law review class that meet on Tuesdays from 6:30 p.m. to 9:15 p.m.

The Economics and Management class will begin Nov. 8 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. on Wednesdays for six consecutive weeks. Each class reviews a certain section of the CPS examination. For more information contact Kishwaukee Community College at 825-2086.