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Small Business Counselors Certification
Take the online competency exam.

Small Business Counselors Certification

The Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 mandated the lesser or 5 total or 10 percent of SBDC counselors in each network be certified in international trade. SBA, the ASBDC International Interest Section, and the International Trade Administration created this Intermediate Level certification to help satisfy minimal requirements.

The Intermediate Test includes 75 questions covering a variety of categories:

  • Export Compliance
  • Export Marketing and Sales
  • Export Financing & Payment Methods
  • Global Logistics
  • Export Readiness and Resources
  • Trade Counseling Best Practices

To take the exam you will need to request a link to the certification and passcode, please email CounselorCertification@sba.gov. You will have 70 minutes to complete the exam, and it must be completed in one sitting. You will not be able to start and come back to it later.

To pass the Intermediate Exam you will need to answer 75 percent or more of the questions correctly. If you receive a passing score, you will be able to download and print a certificate. Please contact CounselorCertification@sba.gov if you are unable to access the certificate.

Please note:

  • This Intermediate exam is offered to SBA and TPCC affiliated counselors only. Please clearly indicate your affiliation when requesting a passcode.  
  • You are on the Honor System for taking this exam as it is not proctored. This is not meant to be an open book so please do not consult any resource material while taking the test.  
  • If you do not receive a passing grade, you will be required to wait two weeks before retaking the exam. Requests to re-take the exam should be sent to CertifiedCounselors@sba.gov.

For small business counselors affiliated with a Small Business Development Center (SBDC), successful completion of the Intermediate level exam meets the export and trade counselor certification requirement set forth in the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010.

To get more information about international trade certification for SBA-affiliated small business counselors, please contact your SBDC Lead Center.

For advanced level international trade certification, counselors may want to consider the Nasbite CGBP | Certified Global Business Professional credential.

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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