USA Table Tennis Referee Certification

USATT examines and qualifies Certified, Regional and National Referees. All exams are updated following any changes in the laws and regulations. Upon applying to take the exam and paying the appropriate fee, the candidate will be sent all appropriate references.

Please note before reviewing certifications: Referees and candidates must be a) current USATT members ($25.00), which may be purchased through Simply Compete; b) must be SafeSport compliant (details listed below certifications); and c) submit umpire exam fees to the USATT PayPal account: admin@usatt.org.

The revisions listed below are effective August 5, 2024.

1. USATT Umpire
2. At least 18 years old
3. Payment of $25 fee
4. The candidate is provided Referee study materials, which contains the current USATT Tournament Guide and other references
5. Pass a 2-part exam consisting of:
1. Written exam of 25 questions, including two tie-break exercises. Each question is worth 4 points
2. An unsupervised 32-player draw worth 10 points
3. 75% of 110 points required to pass
4. Satisfactory completion of the tie-break and draw exercises required to pass
5. If total score is good, candidate can redo the tie-break and/or draw
6. Re-exam after a failure – 6 months and pay the exam fee.

1. Certified Referee for at least one year.
2. USATT Umpire with at least 7 matches umpired
3. Has refereed at least 5 tournaments as a Certified Referee
4. Provide referee resume’
5. Approved by the Exam Coordinator to take exam
6. Payment of $25 fee
7. Candidate is provided advanced referee information that includes all references and other information. Pass an exam consisting of:
1. 20 RU-level multiple-choice questions, 1 point each
2. 20 referee situations, multiple choice and essay, 3 points each
3. 32-player draw with seeds, direct entries, and qualifiers. Includes tie-breaks, 20 points
4. 75% score to pass with a minimum of 65% for each portion.
8. Re-exam after a failure – 9 months and having refereed an additional two tournaments.
9. Pay the exam fee.

1. USATT Regional Referee for one year.
2. ITTF International or USATT National Umpire
3. Extensive experience as a referee, including experience as a referee at 3 and/or 4 Star tournaments
4. Experience at the national level as a Chief Umpire or Deputy Chief Umpire
5. No exam fee
6. Candidate is provided ITTF Rules Manual and Handbook for Match Officials
7. Nomination by the URC
8. Pass a 4-part exam consisting of:
1. A draw done at home. Consisting of a 64-player draw with seeds, direct entries, and qualifiers. Includes tie-breaks
2. A time schedule done at home
3. A written exam at the Nationals, 25 essay questions, 4 points each
4. An Oral Exam at the Nationals (subjective evaluation)
5. Passing score of 85%
9. Re-exam after a failure – Determined on a case-by-case basis.
10. Exam given only at the Nationals or U.S. Open

Proctors for all exams must be either a referee of the exam level or higher or a responsible person who is not a family member and not associated with table tennis.

1. Zero Star – any umpire.
2. 1-2 Star – Certified Referee or higher.
3. 3-4 Star – Regional Referee or higher.
4. 5 Star – National Referee or International Referee. US Open – International Referee.

To take the SafeSport certification course, log in or create your USATT account on Simply Compete. Click the "Safe Sport Education" tab on your dashboard to access the SafeSport training courses. Refresher courses may be taken for Safe Sport certification renewal.

Submit $35.00 to the USATT PayPal account: admin@usatt.org and contact USATT after payment is completed. A background check link will be activated on your USATT account membership dashboard. *** Umpire and Referee certification exam fees may also be submitted to the USATT PayPal Account.

All USATT Certified Officials must complete mandatory SafeSport Certification and a Background Check.

More Details

For further information on SafeSport Compliance and Officials Certification, contact tina.ren@usatt.org.