Winner of the 2007 ILAPA Gold Award in the Planning Program, Project, or Tool Category, Planning Prep was created in 2002 by Illinois planners Trevor Dick, AICP and Devin Lavigne, AICP. The website’s purpose is to assist planners across the country with preparing for the American Institute of Certified Planners certification exam.

The idea for the Planning Prep site was conceived in response to our experience in preparing for the AICP exam. While preparing for the exam, we discovered that we were continuously searching the Internet and other materials for more detailed information on current planning topics. Throughout our studying efforts, we compiled a comprehensive list of planning related resources which later served as the foundation for an interactive website that could assist hopeful planners in preparing for the certification exam.

Since its launch in December 2002, more than 600 planners have used the site - 76 from Illinois. In addition to links provided by the APA/AICP, most of the individual State Chapters across the country have listed Planning Prep as a study source, and promote the site to their members preparing for the certification exam. Planners from all fifty states and from other countries including Canada, England, China, Hong Kong, and Australia have joined the site and become Planning Prep members. It is estimated that Planning Prep members exceed the national pass rate for the AICP exam by more than 20%.

The core teaching tool of Planning Prep is its “question area”. The Planning Prep site provides nearly one-thousand planning related questions that test a member’s knowledge of the field and application of planning principles. Detailed responses and explanations, along with links for further research, are provided for each question providing a valuable learning experience for the user. In addition to the practice questions, the Planning Prep site provides seven practice exams, thousands of planning related links, and discussion forums that allow members to communicate with one another.

In 2005, we began working with the APA-IL to moderate the Illinois Chapter AICP Examination Preparation Course and have led the course twice annually since then. The combination of the training course with the online study materials have been a success. Each year, Illinois planners have been well above the national pass rate. In May 2006, Illinois had a pass rate of 81% compared to the national pass rate of 61%. In November 2006, Illinois had the highest pass rate in the country, 90%, compared to the national average of 66%.

Planning Prep currently operates under a fee schedule of $120 per year. However, we are currently transitioning Planning Prep into a free site to increase its availability to all planners either studying for the examination or for those who could use the site as a refresher course for continuing education credits. Using the success of Planning Prep and the Illinois Chapter Training Course as a springboard, there are plans to offer the training course to each State Chapter of the APA beginning this year.

If you are interested in attending the APA-IL AICP Examination Preparation Course, please contact Ms. Roseann O’Laughlin, AICP, Professional Development Officer at .

To view the website, visit http://www.planningprep.com