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The Private Alarm Contractor licensing exam is offered twice a year, every September and March, by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR).
The next examination is scheduled for Wednesday, September 03, 2025. The deadline for submitting your application to the Department is August 06, 2025. However, it is strongly recommended that you get your application into IDFPR sooner than the deadline. The application needs to be submitted through the Department’s new license application process called CORE. The first step is to create an ILogin. A variety of instructional videos and PDFs can be found here: https://idfpr.illinois.gov/core.html. Ignore the large, prominent “Click Here For Licensure” link in the middle of the page and the second system link farther down the page: “Visit our new CORE System Here.” They are just links to videos. Instead, start with creating an ILogin.
To be eligible for an Alarm Contractor license, all of the following must be true:
In addition, the Private Alarm Contractor license requires that the applicant possess a minimum of 3 years (out of the last 5 years) of qualifying full-time experience. The IDFPR considers a “year” to be at least 1,500 hours. Any combination of qualifying experience that totals 3 years will allow an applicant to sit for the examination.
The following experience will count toward the Private Alarm Contractor eligibility requirement:
If you clearly meet the eligibility requirements, complete and pay for the online application with Continental Testing Services. Then, register for our exam prep seminar below.
We offer a formal, 8-hour study-review session before the Alarm Contractor Exam.
This class has been retooled to cover all of the new topics and publications that now appear on the examination: NFPA 72, 730, 731, 101, and 70 as well as the Illinois Private Detective, Private Alarm, Private Security, Fingerprint Vendor and Locksmith Act and Rules. The review class will be held remotely and a Zoom invitation will be sent to you. You must have a good internet connection and a camera to participate in the live Zoom video conference, which will consist of lecture and PowerPoint slides.
Thursday, August 14 and
Friday, August 15, 2025
10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Via Zoom
We have been providing Alarm Contractor preparation seminars for 19 years and have had over 427 successful alarm applicants pass the examination.
Although we cannot guarantee that any one individual will pass the examination on his/her first attempt, we do guarantee that anyone who takes our seminar and does not pass will be allowed to retake the seminar continuously as many times as necessary without charge until he/she passes provided they miss no more than two sessions in a row.
We will also provide brief one-on-one tutoring to those in need of additional help at no additional cost in order to ensure that those who take our class have the best possible chance of passing this exam.
$2,100.00, if taken on the group session dates above. If you are unable to attend one of the group dates and need to make up one of the seminar days, the cost of the seminar is $3,200. If you are unable to attend either of the group dates and need to schedule a private or semi-private session in order to make up the full class, the cost of the seminar is $5,000. Note that a private tutoring session can be scheduled either in advance or following the regularly scheduled sessions.
Our credit card processor Stripe does not refund transaction fees when processing a refund. If you pay via credit card and later request a refund, we will refund your payment amount less the 3% that Stripe keeps. If you pay by check and request a refund, we refund the full amount.
If you feel you need or can benefit from private tutoring, we can customize this seminar such that you receive in an additional 5 hours of specialized instruction and review of your preparation notes. The cost of a private tutoring session is $5,000. Feel free to call to discuss further.
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