Analyst Certification

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Please note: The timeline for application submission for the 2027 Analyst Exam has changed. Links to required Application forms for the next application cycle can be found below.

Analyst Application Timeline

Application form request opens: May 1, 2026

Waivers due: July 1, 2026

Begin accepting Reference Forms: August 1, 2026

Applications open: September 1-30, 2026

Exam: August 2027

Application Submission Instructions

Applicants must submit a request for a fillable Analyst Application Form through a link that will be available on this page starting May 1, 2026. Any applicable waivers are due July 1, 2026. Reference forms will be accepted starting August 1, 2026, submitted directly to applications@theabfa.org. Submission of all other application materials opens September 1, 2026, 12pm CST. Any application materials submitted prior to September 1, 2026, 12pm CST will not be accepted, not including waivers or reference forms. Applications will be closed on September 30, 2026 (5pm CST) or once 40 applications are approved, whichever occurs first. Applications will be reviewed in order of receipt of complete applications (including references). See "2026 Application Waitlist" below for further details.

All application files aside from reference forms must be submitted at the same time, with the applicant name included in all file names.
The Notarized Application Form should be saved as a separate PDF file. Use of an online notary service to complete this form is acceptable.
All other application materials (proof of citizenship/residency, transcripts, and Analyst Training Log) can be saved as a single file, or separate files. Proof of citizenship/residency may be submitted as an image file (e.g., .jpg). All other items should be in PDF format.
The application fee will be due within 2 weeks of receipt of invoice. An invoice will be sent after the application submission is complete.
Application materials should be submitted directly to the Applications Committee via email (applications@theabfa.org).
A confirmation email will be sent upon receipt. If you do not receive a confirmation email within three days of submission, please reach out to the Applications Chair to confirm receipt.

No application materials (other than waivers and reference forms) submitted prior to September 1, 2026, 12pm CST, will be accepted. These materials must be resubmitted after application submission opens. Applications are only considered complete when all materials, including reference forms, are received.

2026 Applications Waitlist

Due to limitations in seating capacities for in-person examinations, the Board of Directors has voted to have a seat capacity of 40 examinees, with the possibility of expanding it above 40 at the Board’s discretion, based on application submissions and exam logistics.

The Applications Committee will review applications on a rolling basis after September 1, 2026 and will continue accepting applications until the September 30, 2026 deadline or until 40 applications are received, whichever comes first. Once 40 completed applications (including reference forms) are received, the ABFA will notify any additional applicants and place announcements on the webpage indicating that any additionally received applications will be put on a “Review Waitlist.” Should additional seats become available, by order of receipt of complete applications, those on the waitlist may be reviewed. Applicants on the waitlist will not be charged the Application Fee until a review spot becomes available. Once the number of approved applications has reached the examination seat capacity, any applicants on the waitlist will be notified that their materials will not be reviewed this cycle and will be encouraged to apply the next cycle.

All application procedures will be reviewed following this application cycle and changes may be made for the following year.

The ABFA Analyst Application will require the following items:

Signed and notarized Application Form that demonstrates current involvement in forensic anthropology. The form will ask questions about education, employment, professional memberships, attendance to national/regional professional meetings, relative publications, names and contact information for references, and a written description of your current involvement in the discipline of forensic anthropology and reason for pursuing ABFA certification. Download an example of the Analyst Application Form here. Applicants must submit a request for a fillable Analyst Application Form through this link: https://forms.gle/mTQqG4mFqEC2Fzzb
Proof of citizenship or permanent residency (e.g., copy of government issued photo ID). Per the PPM, applicants must be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States, or its territories, or have been granted a residency waiver by the ABFA Board of Directors. Applicants must submit a Waiver Request Form directly to the Applications Chair(s) by July 1 (applications@theabfa.org). The ABFA Board of Directors reserves the right to request additional information. Download the Waiver Request form here.
Transcripts demonstrating that, at a minimum, a Master’s degree was conferred in Anthropology, or a related field, with an emphasis in biological or forensic anthropology prior to the application deadline. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, but the Board reserves the right to request official transcripts. The degree must be from an accredited U.S. institution. If the degree is not in Anthropology or is from non-accredited or foreign institutions, the applicant must petition the Board to be granted a waiver. For degrees from non-accredited or foreign institutions, the applicants must provide an evaluation from a member organization of one of the two national associations of credential evaluation services: National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or Association of International Credentials Evaluators (AICE). The applicant is responsible for costs associated with a NACES or AICE evaluation. Applicants must submit a Waiver Request Form directly to the Applications Chair(s) by July 1 (applications@theabfa.org). The ABFA Board of Directors reserves the right to request additional information. Download the Waiver Request form here.

Note - You do not need a degree waiver if:
a. Your Master's degree meets the above requirements, but your PhD does not.
b. Your PhD meets the above requirements, but your Master's degree does not.
An Analyst Training Log demonstrating training activities and engagement in the field of forensic anthropology. All skills listed on this form must be verified for the form to be considered complete. The ABFA Board of Directors reserves the right to contact verifiers for additional information. Download the Analyst Training Log here.
Three Analyst Reference Forms, one of which must be from an active D-ABFA who has direct knowledge of the applicant’s education/training/work and/or who supervises the applicant directly. No more than two referees may be from the same institution. Referees should be able to speak to the Applicant’s character and involvement in forensic anthropology. All abilities listed on the form should be addressed between the three referees (i.e., if one referee marks an item “N/A,” one of the other referees should be able to speak to this item). Referees will submit the completed forms directly to the Applications Chair(s) starting August 1, 2026 (applications@theabfa.org). Download the Analyst Reference Form here.
Application fee: $150, due within 2 weeks of receipt of invoice. An invoice will be sent after the application submission is complete. If an applicant is put on a review waitlist, the application fee will only be invoiced when/if a review spot becomes available.

Analyst Application Review

The Application Committee will conduct a holistic review of each Applicant’s materials using the following rubric (download Analyst Application Evaluation Rubric here). See SOP 4.1 Applications for procedural details. Application decisions require a majority vote from the Board of Directors. The decision of the Board of Directors is final.

Analyst (A-ABFA) Examination

Exam Logistics: Based on the number of Analyst Examinees accepted each year, one or two sessions of the four-hour exam will be offered. If two sessions are offered, examinees are randomly assigned to take the exam during either the 4-hour morning or 4-hour afternoon session. The examinee confidentiality agreement prohibits examinees from disclosing any information about the exam, including to others taking the exam in another session. Any communication between examinees in the morning and afternoon sessions may be grounds for one or both exams to be voided and certificant eligibility revoked.

Exam Structure: The exam consists of approximately 150 questions divided between stationary “written” questions (i.e., to be completed entirely on your test paper sitting in one seat without needing to move) and “stations” with questions associated with physical items, including bones, photos, software output, etc. to evaluate. Half of the examinees will start with the written questions, while the others work on the rotating stations (randomly assigned). Stations do not have to be completed in order, but examinees must attempt all questions/stations in their starting portion (written or stations) before moving on to the other portion of the exam. Examinees will have their entire exam packet with them for the entire exam period and can reference all of the questions at any point. Both portions of the exam may contain multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, matching, and short answer (a few words, phrase, or single short sentence) questions.

Grading: The ABFA Exam Grading Committee does not have access to the list of approved examinees and grades all exams in the blind. At the start of the exam, each examinee will be issued a random identifier that will be used to identify their exam and link the exam score with their name after grading is complete. Any exam question that receives less than a 75% will be reviewed by the Chair and Co-Chair of the EDC and Grading Committees, ABFA President, and VP prior to issuing final exam score notifications. An examinee must obtain an 80% or above to pass for certification.

What is needed (and allowed) in the exam: Examinees must bring a writing implement (pencil or pen - or a couple to be safe!) and a government-issued photo ID to the exam. All measuring equipment and any tools required will be provided. Examinees may bring a water bottle and snacks that will be kept at the front of the room and accessed as needed. Earplugs are allowed, but electronic earbuds/headphones are not permitted. Required hearing aids or other assistive devices capable of connecting via bluetooth are allowed but require prior authorization from the ABFA Board of Directors and notification of the exam proctors for safety reasons.

Studying for the Exam: Exam questions will test one or more of the Analyst Competencies (Multilevel Certification Competencies) listed in the ABFA Analyst Reading List. Analyst Exam competencies may be tested in multiple ways using diagrams, software screenshots, photos, casts, or real bones. Therefore, examinees should be prepared to perform skills in multiple modalities (e.g., identify skeletal features or landmarks on a skeletal diagram, photo of a bone, radiograph, or indicated on physical casts or remains; differentiate human/non-human/non-osseous materials from photos or physical materials; identify and side human bones from photos, radiographs with orientation [e.g., AP], casts, or actual human remains).

The Reading List - Books and Articles: Examinees are not expected to read every Reference from the reading list in its entirety, nor will doing so guarantee that an individual is adequately prepared to sit for the Analyst Exam. Depending on your specific education, training, and experience, you may choose to spend more or less time on the References. In general, entire books are used to develop “general knowledge questions” while specific chapters or articles will be linked to questions more specific to that publication. Examinees should be familiar with key findings and conclusions of articles and chapters; however, exam questions will not address minutiae irrelevant to broader forensic practice. In most cases, questions can be answered using knowledge from multiple sources, combined with exposure gained through education, training, and forensic case experience. Ultimately, the key to studying is to focus on the knowledge, skills, and abilities specified in the competencies. Success on the exam requires education, training, and experience combined with study of the listed materials.

ANSI/ASB and OSAC Documents: Examinees are also responsible for the ANSI/ASB documents published by the Anthropology Consensus Body, as well as published and proposed Forensic Anthropology OSAC Registry documents available 6 months prior to the exam. For example, for individuals taking the Analyst Exam on Aug. 29th 2026, any content on the exam related to these types of documents will reflect the information available on Feb. 28th, 2026.

Biological Profile Methods: All scoring methods examinees are asked to use and measurements they may be asked to perform will come from the publications on the exam reading list. Examinees will not be provided full-length articles at stations; only necessary phase/trait descriptions and tables, as required by each question will be provided. Reference casts will not be provided. Examinees will be provided with written measurement definitions and any required measuring instruments but will not be given measurement diagrams.

Examination Fee: $200

Annual Dues: $250/year