- What "Passing" Actually Means for This Certification
- The Numbers That Are Verified Right Now
- The 70% Professional Development Assessment Gate
- What the 2017 Candidate Guidelines Tell Us
- Competition Score Thresholds: Your Pre-Exam Pass Mark
- Preparing for Each Part of the Certification Event
- Seven Curriculum Modules That Shape Your Preparation
- Retesting: How Partial Failures Are Handled
- A Short Preparation Schedule Built Around the Modules
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The prerequisite Professional Development Assessment requires an overall score of at least 70% plus a positive recommendation before certification.
- No current public final written-exam passing score, question count, or time limit has been verified for Third-Fourth Level.
- The 2017 candidate guidelines described a 70% minimum in each of four sections plus pass/fail safety checks, but they are historical.
- Competition evidence has its own thresholds: 65% for candidate scores and 62% for student scores at Fourth Level.
What "Passing" Actually Means for This Certification
Search for a single passing score for the USDF Certified Instructor/Trainer; Third-Fourth Level credential and you will be disappointed, because it isn't a single-number test. It's a multi-part certification event run by the United States Dressage Federation (USDF), combining written and verbal examinations with practical riding/training and teaching assessments. "Passing" is therefore a chain of gates: eligibility documentation, a preliminary assessment, and then the certification event itself.
This article separates what USDF currently publishes from what only appeared in older documents. If you are still sorting out the credential itself, start with What Is Instructor/Trainer Third-Fourth Level Certification? and then return here for the scoring picture.
The Numbers That Are Verified Right Now
Here is what the current public USDF pages support, laid out so you can see which figures attach to which stage.
| Item | Verified Figure | What It Applies To |
|---|---|---|
| Professional Development Assessment score | At least 70% overall, plus positive recommendation | Prerequisite assessment before certification |
| Candidate competition scores | Two at 65%+ at Fourth Level Test 3 or higher; one more at 65%+ at any Fourth Level test or higher | Eligibility evidence |
| Student competition scores | Two at 62%+ at any Fourth Level test or higher | Eligibility evidence |
| First-time Third-Fourth testing fee | $1,200 | Certification testing |
| Partial retest fee | $300 each for two riding or two teaching sessions | Retesting |
| Professional Development Assessment fee | $500 (listed October/November 2026 events) | Preliminary assessment, paid separately |
| Annual renewal | $50, plus 16 continuing-education hours | Maintenance, not passing |
Notice what is absent: a current, published numerical pass mark for the final written, verbal, riding, and teaching components. For the full fee picture, see the certification cost breakdown.
The 70% Professional Development Assessment Gate
The clearest current passing standard is attached to the prerequisite Professional Development Assessment. It lasts two or three days and requires an overall score of at least 70% with a positive recommendation before you proceed to certification.
Two details deserve attention:
- It is two conditions, not one. A 70% overall score without a positive recommendation does not move you forward. The evaluators' judgment about readiness matters alongside the arithmetic.
- It is a preliminary standard. The 70% overall requirement describes this assessment. It should not be read as the verified final written-examination passing criterion.
What the 2017 Candidate Guidelines Tell Us
USDF's Instructor/Trainer Program Testing Candidate Guidelines, effective April 1, 2017, remain publicly retrievable. They described four Third-Fourth sections, a 70% minimum in each, and pass/fail safety checks. Practical sessions ran 45 minutes. The written component was closed-book, mixing true/false, multiple-choice, and essay questions, with an expected completion time of 30 to 45 minutes.
These are historical findings. The same document's $650 fee, compulsory sequential-entry rules, and optional precertification have all been superseded by current pages. That is a strong reason not to assume the rest of the document is still operative. The expected completion time was guidance, not a hard time limit, and no revised public guideline has been verified that confirms current timers, book-access rules, or final passing criteria.
Key Takeaway
Use the 2017 "70% in each section plus safety checks" structure as a sensible planning model, but do not treat it as confirmed 2026 policy. Aim comfortably above 70% in every area, and confirm the current rules directly with USDF before your event.
Competition Score Thresholds: Your Pre-Exam Pass Mark
Before you ever sit a written paper, you must document competitive results. This is an eligibility requirement, but in practice it is the first score you have to "pass." The evidence comprises five scores from three judges at USEF-licensed/USDF-recognized competitions:
- Two candidate scores of at least 65% at Fourth Level Test 3 or higher.
- Another candidate score of at least 65% at any Fourth Level test or higher.
- Two student scores of at least 62% at any Fourth Level test or higher.
The three-judge requirement means you cannot assemble the set from a single judge's marking style. Student scores matter because the credential certifies you as someone who produces results through teaching, not just through your own riding. The wider eligibility list (USDF membership, minimum age 18, First Aid certification, SafeSport, the Code of Ethics, completed modules and quizzes, four years of teaching/training experience, and five professional recommendations) is covered in the requirements and eligibility guide.
Preparing for Each Part of the Certification Event
The current fee form lists Third-Fourth Teaching, Riding, Verbal, and Written categories, with two teaching sessions and two riding sessions. Because no current numerical criteria are public for each, preparation should target consistent, well-above-threshold performance in all four categories rather than trading strength in one for weakness in another.
Riding and Training
Expect to demonstrate correct training of horses at the level you are certifying. Your own Fourth Level scores are the best public proxy for readiness, so a candidate squeaking past the 65% mark may want more seasoning before applying.
Teaching
Two teaching sessions mean evaluators see you work with riders more than once. Consistency of method, clarity of communication, and accurate diagnosis matter more than a single polished moment.
Verbal
The verbal examination tests whether you can explain the reasoning behind your decisions in plain, correct language. Practice answering aloud, since written fluency does not automatically transfer to speaking under questioning.
Written
The 2017 guidelines described true/false, multiple-choice, and essay questions in a closed-book format. Whether that format holds today is unverified, but preparing for all three question styles is the safe approach. Our difficulty guide explores where candidates typically feel the most pressure.
Seven Curriculum Modules That Shape Your Preparation
USDF's Professional Development page lists seven required online-learning modules. These are preparation curriculum for this certification pathway, not seven officially weighted examination domains, and no weighted blueprint has been verified. Even so, they are the clearest map of what USDF expects you to know. A complete walkthrough is in the exam domains guide.
Lungeing the Horse and Seat Lessons
Safe, effective lungeing and the use of lungeing to develop a rider's seat.
- Equipment fit and handler positioning
- Structuring a seat lesson so the rider can focus on position
- Reading the horse's way of going on the circle
Principles of Teaching
How to plan, deliver, and adjust instruction for different riders.
- Lesson structure and goal-setting
- Clear, timely feedback
- Adapting to rider temperament and ability
Classical Training
The progression of training that underlies correct dressage.
- Why the training sequence is ordered as it is
- Recognizing gaps in a horse's foundation
- Connecting Third and Fourth Level movements to basics
General Education: The Rider's Aids
The correct use, timing, and coordination of the aids.
- Weight, leg, and rein aids and their interaction
- Diagnosing aid misuse in a student
General Education: Sports Psychology
Mental skills that support rider performance and learning.
- Managing nerves and confidence
- Building motivation and focus in students
General Education: Seat and Position
The rider's alignment and its effect on the horse.
- Correct position and common faults
- How position problems show up in the horse's movement
Dressage Judging Terms and Concepts of Correct Training
The vocabulary and standards judges use to evaluate work.
- Understanding scoring language and collective marks
- Linking judge comments to training corrections
Reading matters alongside the modules. The Training-Fourth Level Reading List organizes preparation under Riding, Lungeing, and Teaching, and the FAQ identifies the USDF Lungeing, Teaching, and Training manuals as basic curriculum. A separately linked reading-list PDF is dated April 1, 2023, and some required-versus-recommended classifications differ from the current HTML list, so use the current web version as your reference. For a structured plan, see the study guide.
Retesting: How Partial Failures Are Handled
The fee structure suggests the program is designed to let you retest parts of the event rather than restart from scratch. Partial riding or teaching retesting costs $300 each for the two sessions. That makes a narrow shortfall (say, one teaching session) far cheaper to repair than a full re-sit at the $1,200 first-time rate.
The practical implication is to arrive strong in every category. A retest is affordable, but it adds travel, scheduling, and delay. Details on how many attempts are permitted and under what conditions should be confirmed with USDF, as no public pass-rate series was verified; the pass rate article explains what data is and is not available.
A Short Preparation Schedule Built Around the Modules
A schedule is only useful if it follows the credential's own structure. This one front-loads the modules that feed the others and saves integration for the end.
Foundations
- Seat and Position, then The Rider's Aids, since both underpin teaching diagnosis
- Begin the USDF Training and Teaching manuals
Training and Teaching Core
- Classical Training and Principles of Teaching
- Draft sample lesson plans for a Third and a Fourth Level rider
Lungeing and Judging
- Lungeing the Horse and Seat Lessons; practice explaining your setup aloud
- Dressage Judging Terms and Concepts of Correct Training; match judge comments to corrections
Integration and Rehearsal
- Sports Psychology applied to your own students
- Mock verbal questioning and timed written practice in multiple question styles
For a compact reference to review in the final days, the cheat sheet condenses the must-know facts, and you can test recall with the practice tests on the main site.
After You Pass: Keeping the Credential
Passing is not permanent without maintenance. Certification requires current Participating Membership, 16 continuing-education hours submitted by November 30, applicable First Aid requirements, current SafeSport, and the annual Code of Conduct. The annual renewal covers January 1 to December 31, 2027, costs $50, and requires the fee, continuing-education information, and Code of Conduct by November 30, 2026. This is separate from certification and assessment fees. Whether the credential is worth the combined investment is examined in the ROI analysis; no certification-specific salary premium has been verified.
Frequently Asked Questions
The only currently verified passing standard is for the prerequisite Professional Development Assessment: an overall score of at least 70% with a positive recommendation. A current numerical passing criterion for the final written, verbal, riding, and teaching components has not been verified in public documents.
It is historical. The 2017 guidelines described a 70% minimum in each of four sections plus pass/fail safety checks, but other parts of that same document (fees, sequential entry, precertification) have been superseded, so confirm current rules with USDF before relying on it.
No revised public guideline verified for this article states the current question count or time limit. The 2017 document described a closed-book written component with true/false, multiple-choice, and essay questions expected to take 30 to 45 minutes, but that was an expected completion time, not a confirmed current limit.
You need five scores from three judges: two candidate scores of at least 65% at Fourth Level Test 3 or higher, one more candidate score of at least 65% at any Fourth Level test or higher, and two student scores of at least 62% at any Fourth Level test or higher.
The current fee form lists partial riding or teaching retesting at $300 each for two sessions, compared with $1,200 for first-time Third-Fourth testing. Confirm the specific retest conditions with USDF.
Because USDF can revise guidelines, treat this article as a map of what is verified today and verify the final-event criteria directly before you commit. To sharpen recall while you wait on those answers, work through the practice questions on our main site alongside the module list above.
- Instructor/Trainer Third-Fourth Level Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt
- Instructor/Trainer Third-Fourth Level Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows
- Instructor/Trainer Third-Fourth Level Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling
- How Hard Is the Instructor/Trainer Third-Fourth Level Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026