BACKGROUND:
=============
I am trying to understand the market space and size for ?Mandatory
Professional Exam" certification and tests.

?Mandatory Professional Exam? means, something that an individual has
to do to keep / maintain his job. It is not something just nice to
have to add on resume. Examples of Mandatory Professional Exam are:
- Financial - Series 7 
- Legal ? State Bar Exam 
- FAA 
- Real Estate 
Etc. 

Example of something nice to have, which I don?t care about are: Java
certification, networking, driving license etc.

I understand that there are number of solution providers to help
prepare and pass these exams. They fall in categories of publishers,
tutoring/preparation agencies, software companies. Some of the example
companies are:
- Kaplan
- Pearson 



THE INFORMATION I AM LOOKING FOR:
==================================

ABOUT EXAMS:
------------

What are the top 10 ?Mandatory Professional Exams? in USA by volume
(number of people appearing per year), where question makeup is mostly
non-descriptive (example: select one of the following, true/false,
select all of the following, fill in the blanks, etc)? If the exam is
conducted at state level (example bar exam), please provide
information for top 5 states.
 
Please provide the following details: 
	- High level overview of the exam; how often, when, where?
	- Who conducts the exam, the agency?
	- Who takes this exam?
	- What is the current number of certified people for each of the exams? 
	- How many people appear per year for this?
	- What is the cost of appearing in exam?
	- How many attempts a person is allowed or permitted?
	- What are the key sources / links to get additional information? 
	- What is the potential average time to prep for exam?
	- How long the exam is valid or need to be retaken (if any) 
	- What is the complexity of exam? This can be defined as: 
		- Number of time the person on an average appear to pass the exam 
		- Amount of time person spend on an average to prepare for exam 
	- What are the top 5 study aids for the people who take the exam, by
revenue, by number of people?
	
ABOUT PLAYERS IN MARKET PLACE:
------------------------------

Who are the key players is each of the identified tests / exams?
	- What are they offering?
	- What is the market penetration?
	- What is good and bad about their offerings?

If possible I am looking for an answer in a spreadsheet format. The
priority order for exam details is:
- Highest cost (# of people x cost of exam)
- Most complex (# of attempts by people x length of time it takes to prepare)

I understand there is a possibility some answers may be hard to find,
or too much time consuming please ask for clarification, or suggest
what information can be made available.

Thanks

prithba-ga.
You might look at your question again and recognize just how many
different searches will be involved in trying to answer it, and then
read the FAQs on pricing and consider if the question could be broken
down into several questions.
Maybe you don't need such a sweeping view of the subject or so much depth.

There is just no end of professions that require licensing, usually
with an examination of some type:  bus drivers and drivers of other
vehicles, the whole medical profession, engineers, pilots,
construction industry, ....

http://www.ncees.org/licensure/licensing_requirements/
http://spinotew1.commerce.state.il.us/dfsim.nsf/0/43b805216d9f3cd88625663a00721790?OpenDocument
http://www.myflorida.com/dbpr/pro/cilb/cilb_index.shtml
http://www.constructionweblinks.com/Industry_Topics/Licensing__Industry_Topics/Maryland__Licensing/maryland__licensing.html

Myoarin