The American Guild of Organists was chartered in 1896 by the Board of Regents, University of the State of New York, to administer a comprehensive series of examinations for professional certification. The AGO currently offers five levels of professional certification:
Service Playing Certification (SPC)
Colleague Certification (CAGO)
Choir Master Certification (ChM)
Associateship Certification (AAGO)
Fellowship Certification (FAGO)
General Resources for Examinations
Complete Professional Certification Requirements for 2023
Revised Hymn Booklet
The new 2023 Hymn Examination booklet is now available. The 2013 Hymn Examination booklet is no longer valid. For a list of the contents (titles and tunes), please click HERE. To download the 2023 Hymn Examination booklet you must contact the Certification Program Administrator to obtain passwords (Email: exams@agohq.org; Tel.: 212-870-2311, ext. 4303). Once you have obtained the passwords, please return to this page and click HERE to access the page with the downloadable files of the 2023 Hymn Examination Booklet.
Exam Locations 2022 (The 2023 exam locations will be posted here at the beginning of January, 2023.)
New Composer Diversity for 2021 (PDF)
Music Teachers National Association Certification
AGO members may apply for MTNA certification at the MTNA member price. For complete information, click here.
