Alarm Contractor Exam Prep

The Exam

The Private Alarm Contractor licensing exam is offered twice a year, every September and March, by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR).

The next examination is scheduled for Wednesday, September 03, 2025. The deadline for submitting your application to Continental Testing Services is July 23, 2025. However, it is strongly recommended that you get your application into Continental Testing Services sooner than the deadline.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for an Alarm Contractor license, all of the following must be true:

• Minimum 21 years of age.
• No felony convictions in the last 10 years.
• Not currently suffering from alcohol or substance abuse.
• Possess good moral character.
• Not been dishonorably discharged from the military.

In addition, the Private Alarm Contractor license requires that the applicant possess a minimum of 3 years (out of the last 5 years) of qualifying full-time experience. The IDFPR considers a “year” to be at least 1,500 hours. Any combination of qualifying experience that totals 3 years will allow an applicant to sit for the examination.

The following experience will count toward the Private Alarm Contractor eligibility requirement:

• A 4‑year degree or higher in electrical engineering or a related field or a business degree from an accredited college or university will count as 2 years.
• Working as a full-time manager (PERC) for a licensed private alarm contractor agency or for an entity that designs, sells, installs, services, or monitors alarm systems.
• Successful completion of a national certification program will count for 1 year. There is no definition regarding what constitutes a national certification program. Presumably, a NICET, CPP (ASIS) or similar certification will count.
• Any experience in the surveillance camera or CCTV field prior to January 1, 2004 may count for the full three years. However, this path to eligibility is not clearly defined.

If you clearly meet the eligibility requirements, complete and pay for the online application with Continental Testing Services. Then, register for our exam prep seminar below.

The Exam Prep Seminar

We offer a formal, 8-hour study-review session before the Alarm Contractor Exam.

This class has been retooled to cover all of the new topics and publications that now appear on the examination: NFPA 72, 730, 731, 101, and 70 as well as the Illinois Private Detective, Private Alarm, Private Security, Fingerprint Vendor and Locksmith Act and Rules. The review class will be held remotely and a Zoom invitation will be sent to you. You must have a good internet connection and a camera to participate in the live Zoom video conference, which will consist of lecture and PowerPoint slides.

Where and When

Thursday, August 14 and
Friday, August 15, 2025
10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Via Zoom

Our Guarantee

We have been providing Alarm Contractor preparation seminars for 19 years and have had over 427 successful alarm applicants pass the examination.

Although we cannot guarantee that any one individual will pass the examination on his/her first attempt, we do guarantee that anyone who takes our seminar and does not pass will be allowed to retake the seminar continuously as many times as necessary without charge until he/she passes provided they miss no more than two sessions in a row.

We will also provide additional one-on-one tutoring to those in need of additional help at no additional cost in order to ensure that those who take our class have the best possible chance of passing this exam.

Seminar Cost

$2,100.00, if taken on the group session dates above. If you are unable to attend one of the group dates and need to make up one of the seminar days, the cost of the seminar is $3,000. If you are unable to attend either of the group dates and need to schedule a private or semi-private session in order to make up the full class, the cost of the seminar is $5,000.

Our credit card processor Stripe does not refund transaction fees when processing a refund. If you pay via credit card and later request a refund, we will refund your payment amount less the 3% that Stripe keeps. If you pay by check and request a refund, we refund the full amount.