What Is AGMT Certification?

What Is AGMT Certification?

AGMT stands for Architectural Glass & Metal Technician - a credential built specifically for glaziers and metal-and-glass installers who work on commercial curtainwall, storefront, entrance, and sealing systems. It is not a general construction certificate and it is not a management or governance credential of any kind. It exists to verify that a technician can read glazing documents, select the correct materials, and physically execute weathertight, structurally sound glass-and-metal assemblies on real buildings.

Two governing documents currently define the program: the January 14, 2026 Candidate Handbook and the September 15, 2025 KBT Study Guide. Anyone preparing for the exam should treat these as the primary source of truth, and this site's own AGMT Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt walks through how to use them efficiently.

Who Administers AGMT and Why It Matters

Administrative Management Systems, Inc. administers the AGMT program, with oversight from the AGMCC. That structure matters for candidates because it means the exam content, scoring thresholds, and eligibility rules are standardized and documented rather than left to individual employers or regional glazing contractors. When a fabricator, glazing subcontractor, or general contractor asks whether a technician "is AGMT certified," they're asking whether that person has cleared this specific, centrally administered process - not a company-issued badge.

If you're still getting oriented to the credential itself before diving into exam mechanics, the companion pieces What Is AGMT?, AGMT Meaning, and What Does AGMT Stand For? cover the terminology from different angles.

The Two-Part Exam Structure: KBT and PBT

AGMT certification hinges on two distinct assessments, and candidates need to pass both to earn the credential. The primary focus of this site is the knowledge-based test (KBT), but understanding how it fits alongside the practical component is essential context.

Knowledge-Based Test (KBT)

The KBT is a closed-book, Prometric or test-center exam consisting of 125 graded four-option multiple-choice questions administered in 2 hours. Additional unscored beta items may appear alongside the graded questions, so candidates shouldn't assume every question they can't confidently answer indicates a real weakness - some are simply being field-tested for future exams. The passing score is 92 out of 125 (73.6%). The KBT is offered in English and Spanish, and a non-scientific calculator is supplied at the test center, so there's no need to bring your own.

For a deep breakdown of exactly what that passing threshold means in practice, see AGMT Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.

Performance-Based Test (PBT)

Certification also requires passing all three PBT sections, which measure hands-on installation skill rather than recall:

• Curtainwall - 3 hours 30 minutes, passing score 462/600
• Storefront/Entrance - 2 hours, passing score 321/425
• Sealing - 45 minutes, passing score 79/100

Passed practical sections are retained within the handbook's retake period, so a candidate who clears Curtainwall but not Sealing doesn't have to redo everything - only the failed section within that window.

The Seven KBT Knowledge Domains

The KBT is built from seven weighted content domains. Knowing the weighting tells you where to invest study hours - a technician who studies every domain equally is leaving points on the table.

The remaining domains - Glazing Theory (11%), Construction Documents and Layout (11%), and Tools/Equipment of the Trade (9%) - round out the exam. Each carries meaningful weight even though it's smaller than the top four. A candidate who ignores Construction Documents and Layout, for instance, risks missing questions on reading elevations, schedules, and shop drawings that show up regularly on the KBT.

For the complete breakdown of every domain with study priorities, read AGMT Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 7 Content Areas. And if you're trying to gauge overall difficulty before committing to a study plan, How Hard Is the AGMT Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 and AGMT Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows are worth reading early.

Eligibility Requirements to Sit the Exam

AGMT is not an entry-level credential. To qualify, candidates need:

• 7,500 glazing work hours completed within the previous five years
• OSHA 10 certification, or qualifying Canadian safety training for candidates outside the U.S.
• A signed candidate agreement

There's a notable exception: applicants with at least 7,000 hours may test early, but they must document completion of the full 7,500-hour experience requirement within 12 months of passing the PBT. This lets experienced technicians who are close to the threshold get on the testing calendar without waiting for their hours to fully accrue.

Full eligibility details, including documentation expectations, are covered in AGMT Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.

AGMT Fees and What They Cover

Effective July 1, 2026, the fee structure for a first-time candidate is:

That $1,400 is the baseline before any extras. If a retake is necessary, the KBT retake costs $250, while PBT retakes are priced by scope: $550 for one section, $900 for two, or $1,000 for all three. Because passed practical sections are retained within the handbook's retake period, most candidates who fail only re-pay for the specific section they need to retest.

For the full cost picture - including how renewal fees factor into the long-term investment - see AGMT Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.

Certification Term and Renewal

AGMT certification is valid for four years. Renewal isn't automatic - it requires three things:

• A current KBT (retaken and passed within the renewal window)
• 32 continuing-education hours, split into 16 hours per two-year segment of the certification term
• Either 4,000 work hours logged during the certification term, or a PBT retest if that hour threshold isn't met

The standard renewal package is priced at $600. This structure rewards technicians who stay actively employed in glazing work - the continuing-education split ensures learning is spread across the full term rather than crammed in at the end.

Who Earns the AGMT Credential

AGMT certification is aimed squarely at working glaziers and installers on commercial building envelope crews - the technicians who fabricate and install curtainwall systems, storefront and entrance assemblies, and the sealants and gaskets that keep those systems weathertight. Glazing subcontractors, architectural metal and glass fabricators, and general contractors managing envelope scopes are the typical employers looking for this credential when hiring or promoting field technicians.

Because the credential verifies both bookwork (via the KBT) and hands-on skill (via the three PBT sections), it functions as a signal that a technician can be trusted on complex commercial jobs without close supervision. If you're weighing whether the time and fee investment pays off relative to your career goals, Is the AGMT Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and AGMT Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis dig into that question directly. For a sense of where certified technicians actually get hired, AGMT Jobs and AGMT Training are useful starting points.

A Realistic Approach to Preparing

Because the KBT domains carry very different weights, a sensible prep schedule allocates time proportionally rather than evenly. A technician with limited weeks before their scheduled exam might front-load the heaviest domains first, since those questions appear most often.

Once you've got a study rhythm going, it's worth reviewing AGMT Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling to make sure your prep timeline lines up with an actual test-center slot, and keeping a copy of the AGMT Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts handy for last-week review.

You can also run through timed practice questions modeled on the real KBT format at AGMT Exam Prep to get comfortable with the 2-hour, 125-question pace before test day.

Frequently Asked Questions