>>But that would be like a doctor who stopped staying current on new techniques 5 years ago. Would you go to that doctor? Or, would you go to somebody who stayed current.

Bad example. Most doctors took their exams *years* ago. Staying current on new techniques has nothing to do with exams.

Exams that do not form a hurdle before practice have most value in showing that somebody has the fortitude to stick at a task for more than a few minutes and has reasonable comprehension skills. I would suggest that both of the above are useful skills in the view of any prospective employer. If the exam/accreditation is in an area that relates to the role, so much the better; but that is icing on the cake. For people like those discussing the exam here, their profile is clearly sufficient that they do not *need* extra letters to raise their status. Perhaps they are doing the exam for personal satisfaction, as an independent, concrete affirmation of the skills they know they can offer, and as a "sanity check" that there are no areas where some extra practice might increase their ability to serve clients.