Below is a chart showing the courses and exams leading to certifications in this country. The AMGA is responsible for running these programs in the US. This chart will give you some idea of the amount of training a USMGA endorsed guide must go through. Once a guide has passed a certification exam in a discipline he or she is eligible for a USMGA endorsement in that discipline.

Not every guide candidate has to follow this progression exactly. It's possible with enough climbing and guiding experience to sometimes skip over a course or one of the first level exams. Also, endorsed guides who were certified in another country may have followed a different course structure. This education process generally takes years of training and hard work to complete and the end result is a better guide. The exams serve as a form of quality control, ensuring that the guide has been well trained, meets the standard, and is ready to guide the public.

Click on course/exam blocks for more info