The IBCLC examination is offered twice a year, in April/May (in English only) and in September (in all IBLCE languages).
The schedule for application and administration of the 2021 IBCLC examination is as follows:
| Apply for the April/May 2021 examination: Dec. 8, 2020 – Jan. 20, 2021 |  | April/May 2021 IBCLC examination dates: Apr. 27 – May 6, 2021 |
| Apply for the September 2021 examination: Apr. 19 – May 28, 2021 | | September 2021 IBCLC examination dates: Sept. 15 – 24, 2021 |
The schedule to recertify by CERPs is:
Apply to recertify by CERPs:
Apr. 19 – Sept. 30, 2021
There are several new eligibility criteria for both initial candidates and recertifying IBCLCs beginning in 2021:
- For a summary of these changes: Watch this short video.
- Initial candidates: Learn more your eligibility requirements in the Candidate Information Guide.
- Recertifying candidates: Learn more about recertification requirements in the Recertification Guide.
Announcement about Live Remote Proctoring (LRP) still to come: IBLCE will announce later this year if we will offer the examination via LRP in 2021. IBLCE received a COVID-19 exception to use LRP where available in 2020 from its third-party accreditor, and we are waiting for a decision by the IBCLC programme accreditor to determine if this exception will continue in 2021.
Please visit IBLCE’s COVID-19 Resource Centre regularly for application and examination updates.
Follow IBLCE on social media for reminders about when application windows open and close and the latest IBLCE news (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram).