For organists who have already received the Service Playing Certificate or have service playing proficiency, Colleague certification is the next logical step. The CAGO examination consists entirely of your performances, and the examination is like a recital or the musical part of a service of worship, where the organist is expected to perform each item creditably. This examination is designed to test the candidate’s mastery of all aspects of the organist’s art, since this is the demand that is placed upon the professional church musician. Membership in the AGO is not required for Colleague certification; however, there is a $115 surcharge for nonmembers.
For additional details, see the AGO Professional Certification Requirements for 2025. The CAGO exam is given twice a year: in May and November. The specific dates are published each year in the Professional Certification Requirements. Any chapter of the AGO can administer the exam for you (contact a particular chapter). Currently, the test is recorded, and the recordings are sent to AGO Headquarters for evaluation. Candidates usually receive the results two to three months after taking the test; if unsuccessful, they have five years to successfully compete the section they missed.
2024-2025 Examination Dates, Deadlines, and Fees
The next exams are currently planned for Nov. 15, 2024 and May 16, 2025. Beginning with the May, 2025 examination, three sections will be required for achieving Colleague certification. Examination fees: full exam, $300; single section, $150. Student rate: full exam, $225; single section, $125. Surcharge for non-AGO members: $115. Application deadlines are September 15, 2024, for the November 15, 2024 CAGO exam and March 15, 2025 for the May 16, 2025 CAGO exam.
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 The 2013 Hymn Examination booklet is no longer valid.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 register for an exam. After your register, please 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.
Please note that the booklet will be updated due to copyright issues. Only a few hymns will be replaced, all other material will remain valid. Please see this page when the certification requirements are released for more information.
Grading Criteria for AGO Certification
Repertoire: Awareness of stylistic period; imagination and musical excitement; phrasing and articulation; rhythm; tempo; note accuracy; registration.
Sight-reading: accuracy of notes and rhythm; keeping a steady beat without hesitations; tempo is moderate, not rushed or halting.
Hymn playing: Accuracy; rhythm; sensitivity to text via registration and articulation; leaving space for breathing; consistent spaces between stanzas; harmonizations that enhance singing but do not get in the way of singing or message of hymn text.
Transposition: Accuracy of notes and rhythm; keeping a steady beat and maintaining voice lines and voice leading.
Accompanying: Accuracy of notes and rhythm; attention to text and breathing places for singers; care in registrations so that support is provided without being aggressive; awareness of dynamics, tessitura, voice leading, and interpreting accordingly.
Harmonization/Modulation: Good voice leading, ease with keyboard harmony, and a sense of rules of counterpoint; form: use of motive, sequence, four- and eight-measure balanced phrases, having a “plan” without meandering.
Following directions is a key factor.
Past Colleague Exams and AGO Educational Resources
The colleague exams are practical and taken at the organ; there are no written solutions.
2024 Colleague Exam (Fall)
2024 Colleague Exam (Spring)
2023 Colleague Exam (Fall)
2023 Colleague Exam (Spring)
2022 Colleague Exam (Fall)
2022 Colleague Exam (Spring)
2021 Colleague Exam
2020 Colleague Exam
2019 Colleague Exam
2018 Colleague Exam
2017 Colleague Exam
2016 Colleague Exam
2015 Colleague Exam
Study Guide for AGO Colleague Certification
2024 Manual of Procedure Certification
For more information contact AGO Headquarters by email or at 212-870-2311, ext. 4303. Purchase this year’s repertoire at Lois Fyfe Music or Cliff Hill Music.
