- What Is GA-PDA Certification?
- Who Actually Needs This Exam
- Eligibility Routes and the GOALS Application
- Exam Format and Fee Mechanics
- The Five Weighted Domains
- Financial Responsibility Options
- Renewal Cycles You Must Track Separately
- Building a Domain-Weighted Prep Timeline
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The PSI Private Detective Licensure Examination has 75 scored questions, a 90-minute limit, and a 70% passing threshold.
- Company and designee applications go through GOALS and require Board approval before you can schedule with PSI.
- Legal, Ethical, and Professional Standards carries 30% of the exam - the single largest domain.
- Eligibility lasts one year and allows up to three attempts before you must reapply.
What Is GA-PDA Certification?
GA-PDA certification refers to the licensure pathway administered under the Georgia State Board of Private Detective and Security Agencies, with the Private Detective Licensure Examination itself delivered by PSI Services. This exam is aimed squarely at the person who will serve as the detective-company designee, sometimes referred to as the Authorized Business Agent - not the general employee who completes an in-house training course final. If you are building or operating a licensed private detective agency in Georgia, or acting as the qualifying agent for one, this is the credential you need to understand from day one.
Because several unrelated credentials also use the letters "GA-PDA," it's worth being explicit here: everything on this page describes the Georgia private detective company-designee exam specifically. For a broader definitional overview, see What Is GA-PDA? and GA-PDA Meaning.
Who Actually Needs This Exam
The PSI licensure exam is required for the individual who will hold the designee role tied to a licensed private detective agency's company license. Typically this is an agency owner, a managing partner, or a designated qualifying agent responsible for the business's compliance. It is not the same as sitting for an employee-level training course final, and it is not automatically satisfied by completing basic detective training.
People pursuing this credential generally fall into a few groups:
- Entrepreneurs launching a new private detective agency in Georgia who need a qualified designee on file.
- Experienced investigators transitioning from field work into an ownership or management role.
- Law enforcement veterans moving into the private investigation sector who plan to hold the company designee position.
- Criminal-justice graduates who meet the degree-based eligibility route and want to run or co-run an agency.
If you're weighing whether this career path and license are worth pursuing given the time and cost involved, Is the GA-PDA Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 walks through that decision in more detail, and GA-PDA Jobs covers where this license opens doors.
Eligibility Routes and the GOALS Application
Before you can schedule the PSI exam, the Board must approve linked company and designee applications submitted through GOALS. This sequencing matters: you cannot simply register with PSI on your own initiative. Approval comes first, then scheduling.
Georgia recognizes three qualification routes for the designee role:
- Experience route: Two years as a licensed private detective working with a licensed agency, defined as at least two years at a minimum of 30 hours per week.
- Law enforcement route: Two years of qualifying law enforcement experience.
- Education route: A four-year criminal-justice or related degree from an accredited university.
Background checks and other statutory qualifications apply regardless of which route you use. Note also that the separate 70-hour basic detective training requirement is a distinct obligation - it does not substitute for the PSI licensing exam itself. For a full breakdown of every eligibility nuance, see GA-PDA Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
Key Takeaway
Submit your linked company and designee applications in GOALS well before you want to test - Board approval is a prerequisite for scheduling, and it is not instantaneous.
Exam Format and Fee Mechanics
Once approved, candidates schedule the computer-delivered exam through PSI. Here's what the test day actually looks like:
- 75 standard multiple-choice questions, scored.
- 90-minute time limit for the scored portion.
- 70% passing threshold.
- PSI may insert five to ten additional unscored experimental questions; time spent on these is excluded from your 90-minute allowance, so you're not penalized for them on the clock.
- Closed-book format; a silent, nonprinting, nonprogrammable calculator is allowed.
- $125 PSI fee per attempt - separate from company application, fingerprinting, training, and financial-responsibility costs.
Eligibility to test lasts one year from approval and permits up to three attempts within that window before you must submit a new application. Bring the exact admission identification specified in the current bulletin and follow the approved test-center appointment instructions precisely - mismatched ID or a missed appointment window creates avoidable delays.
For the full cost picture across the entire licensure process, not just the PSI fee, see GA-PDA Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown. To understand exactly how the 70% threshold translates into missed questions and scoring logic, read GA-PDA Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass. Scheduling windows and appointment logistics are covered in GA-PDA Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.
| Exam Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Administering body | PSI Services, under Georgia State Board of Private Detective and Security Agencies |
| Question count (scored) | 75 multiple-choice |
| Unscored experimental items | 5-10, time excluded from limit |
| Time limit | 90 minutes (scored portion) |
| Passing threshold | 70% |
| Fee per attempt | $125 (PSI only) |
| Eligibility window | 1 year, up to 3 attempts |
| Format | Closed book; nonprogrammable calculator allowed |
The Five Weighted Domains
The Board-linked PSI bulletin, last updated September 29, 2020, lays out five official weighted content domains that reflect current Georgia laws and rules. Understanding the weighting is essential to allocating your study time efficiently - this is not a test where every topic deserves equal attention.
Domain 1: Legal, Ethical, and Professional Standards - 30%
The largest domain by a wide margin, covering the statutory and regulatory framework private detectives operate under, licensing law, ethical obligations, and professional conduct standards.
- Board rules and statutory authority
- Ethical obligations to clients and the public
- Licensing scope and limitations
Domain 2: Observation/Surveillance - 15%
Field skills related to lawful observation techniques, documentation of surveillance activity, and the practical constraints investigators operate within.
- Surveillance planning and legal boundaries
- Documentation standards for observed activity
Domain 3: Rules of Evidence and Evidence Handling - 23%
The second-largest domain, covering chain of custody, admissibility concepts, and proper handling procedures that protect both the case and the investigator.
- Chain-of-custody requirements
- Evidence collection and preservation practices
Domain 4: Interviewing/Interrogation - 21%
Techniques and legal boundaries around gathering information from witnesses, subjects, and other parties during an investigation.
- Interview methodology and question framing
- Legal limits on interrogation practices
Domain 5: Case Management, Administration, and Reporting - 11%
The smallest domain but still tested, covering file management, report writing, and administrative responsibilities tied to running cases within a licensed agency.
- Report structure and required documentation
- Case file administration practices
Together, Domains 1 and 3 account for over half of the scored questions, which is why legal/ethical knowledge and evidence handling deserve the most repetition in your review. For a deeper dive into each domain with sample question styles, see GA-PDA Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 5 Content Areas. If you're trying to gauge overall difficulty before you commit to a study plan, How Hard Is the GA-PDA Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 and GA-PDA Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows are useful companion reads.
Financial Responsibility Options
Separate from the exam itself, agencies must demonstrate financial responsibility as part of licensure. The Board accepts any one of three paths:
- A $25,000 surety bond.
- $1 million in general liability insurance.
- A certified audited statement showing net worth over $50,000, subject to Board review.
This requirement sits alongside - not instead of - the PSI exam, and it's a common source of confusion for first-time applicants who assume passing the exam alone completes their obligations.
Renewal Cycles You Must Track Separately
Once licensed, two very different renewal calendars apply depending on your role, and mixing them up is a compliance risk:
- Company licenses renew June 30 of odd-numbered years.
- Private detective employee registrations renew separately on August 31 of odd-numbered years, requiring 16 hours of biennial continuing education. A first-renewal exemption applies for newly registered employees.
Keep company renewal, registered-employee continuing education, and any firearms-related obligations tracked as distinct items - they do not share a deadline, and treating them as one calendar entry is a mistake that can lapse a license unintentionally.
Building a Domain-Weighted Prep Timeline
Because the domains are unevenly weighted, a flat "study everything equally" plan wastes time. A more efficient approach allocates review blocks proportional to each domain's share of the 75 scored questions, with heavier emphasis early on the two largest domains.
Legal, Ethical, and Professional Standards
- Review statutory framework and Board rules in depth - this domain alone is 30% of the exam
- Build a quick-reference list of ethical obligation scenarios
Rules of Evidence and Evidence Handling
- Focus on chain-of-custody procedures and documentation requirements
- Drill practice questions specific to evidence admissibility concepts
Interviewing/Interrogation
- Study legal boundaries around interview and interrogation practices
- Review question-framing techniques tested in scenario-style items
Observation/Surveillance and Case Management
- Cover the two smaller domains together since they total only 26% combined
- Take full-length timed practice runs to simulate the 90-minute limit
For a structured week-by-week study guide built entirely around this exam's real format, see GA-PDA Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt. To reinforce recall in the final days before your appointment, a condensed reference like GA-PDA Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts can help consolidate the highest-weight facts. If you want to test your readiness under realistic timed conditions before your PSI appointment, practicing at our practice test platform is a practical way to check whether you're comfortable finishing 75 questions inside the 90-minute limit.
Salary expectations after licensure vary by role and market, and are covered separately in GA-PDA Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis - worth reading once you've confirmed your eligibility route and are committed to the process. And if agency-side training requirements are still unclear as you plan your path, GA-PDA Training outlines how the 70-hour basic training requirement fits alongside this exam.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. This PSI-administered exam is for the company designee/Authorized Business Agent role. Employee registration involves a separate 70-hour basic training requirement and does not require passing the PSI licensure exam.
There are 75 scored multiple-choice questions with a 90-minute time limit. PSI may add five to ten unscored experimental questions, but time spent on those is excluded from the 90-minute allowance.
You need 70% correct on the scored portion of the exam to pass.
Your eligibility lasts one year from approval, and within that window you may attempt the exam up to three times before you must submit a new application.
Yes. You must submit linked company and designee applications through GOALS and receive Board approval before scheduling your exam appointment with PSI.