Tax-Exempt & Governmental Plan Administration (TGPC-1)
Click Here to Access Exams and Quizzes
*Upon registering for a TGPC-1 examination, you will receive a downloadable PDF version of that exam in your confirmation email in addition on the instructions page once you access the online examination.
2012 TGPC-1 Syllabus
Certificate Program
Course Overview
Exam Details
Required and Supplementary Reading
Supplementary Study Tools
Examination Waivers & Grandfathering Rules
Exam and Publication Errata and References
Earn College Credit for ASPPA Examinations
Certificate Program
ASPPA has designed the Tax-Exempt & Governmental Plan Administration Certificate program to meet the needs of pension plan professionals. Successful completion of the certificate program also counts toward the requirements for the Tax-Exempt & Governmental Plan Consultant (TGPC) credential. The TGPC-1 exam is administered online in open book multiple choice format. Upon successful completion of the TGPC-1 exam, ASPPA will automatically issue the Tax-Exempt & Governmental Plan Administration certificate.
Course Overview
The Tax-Exempt & Governmental Plan Administration (TGPC-1) course focuses on the administration and compliance requirements of 403(b), 457(b) and other plans maintained by tax-exempt and governmental entities. These issues include but are not limited to eligibility, vesting, contributions types and limits, nondiscrimination rules, allowable investments, contract exchanges, transfers and plan documents.
The TGPC-1 exam focuses on the administrative aspects of 403(b) and 457 plans. Topics covered include: 403(b) Plans, 457 (b) Plans, Compliance Requirements, Contributions: Allocation Formulas, Types and Limits, Governmental Plans, Reporting and Disclosure, and Ethics and Professional Responsibility. Please refer to the TGPC-1 syllabus for specific learning objectives and exam topic weightings.
Exam Details
The TGPC-1 exam is an open-book online exam and consists of 75 multiple choice and true/false questions. Upon completion of the exam, you will receive an immediate score and feedback report. A score of 64 or more out of 75 is a passing score (85%).
Registration for the TGPC-1 exam will be open from January 3 to December 13, 2012. To register, a candidate must have an account with ASPPA, to set up an account click here. Candidates can register online or download the TGPC-1 registration form and send via mail or fax to 703.516.9308.
Once registered for the TGPC-1 examination, you can access your exam from the Access Exams and Quizzes link on the right side of this page. You may complete a portion of the exam, save it, and return to the exam at another time to complete it. The TGPC-1 exam must be submitted online by December 13, 2012, midnight, Eastern Time (11pm Central, 10pm Mountain, 9pm Pacific).
Exam Fees - The non-refundable registration fee for the TGPC-1 exam is $195.
Estimated hours needed to study - Study time depends greatly on the experience level of the student. The average candidate reports it takes 40-60 hours study time per examination.
For information on the Examination Waivers & Grandfathering rules, please click here.
Required and Supplementary Reading
The TGPC-1 required reading is available for purchase from the online bookstore or you can download the publications order form. The required reading is:
- The Source: 403(b) and 457(b) Plans, 3rd Edition by Kristi Cook, JD and Ellie Lowder. Arlington, VA: ASPPA, 2011: $250 list price, and a member discount price of $225 in the ASPPA bookstore.
Additional Required Reading (provided in the TGPC-1 syllabus):
- Miller, Girard. “Time to Drop DROPs.” www.governing.com. June 4, 2009. http://www.governing.com/column/time-drop-drops.
- Joyner, Jr., Leon F. “The DROP Feature of Defined Benefit Plans.” Government Employees Benefits Update, February 1996. Reprinted by permission of The Segal Group, Inc., parent of The Segal Company, c2009. All rights reserved.
- fyi: Pension Protection Act–Impact on Governmental Plans,Volume 29: Issue 65, September 8, 2006. Buck Consultants, an ACS company.
- ASPPA Code of Professional Conduct
Recommended Reading:
It is the candidate’s responsibility to review all of ASPPA’s exam policies and procedures which can be found
on Candidate Corner.
Supplementary Study Tools
Tax-Exempt & Governmental Plan Administration (TGPC-1) Webcourse - For more information, click here.
2012 TGPC-1 Practice Exam – available for $45 [register online or download the certificate program examination registration form]
Exam and Publication Errata & References
For updates to ASPPA’s publications and examinations please click here. Stop by regularly as new updates may have been posted.It is recommended that the candidate check the errata before preparing for and sitting for an ASPPA examination.
Earn College Credit for ASPPA Examinations
The American Council on Education’s College Credit Recommendation Service (ACE CREDIT) has evaluated and recommended college credit for most ASPPA’s examination programs. Candidates may be able to receive college credit for successful completion of most ASPPA examinations (includes current and previous (no longer offered) examinations. Please note: for ASPPA’s certificate program online examinations, RPF-1, RPF-2 and TGPC-1, in order to obtain college credit, candidates will need to take the examination online and a proctor will be required. The examination must be completed within 3 hours and it is not open-book. For more information such as which exams credit is awarded, how to obtain credit, etc. please click here.