An IPMA level-C certification is an international recognition of your experience in successfully managing projects. It shows you possess the competences described by the IPMA Individual Competence Baseline® and have provided evidence that you consistently apply them, taking responsibility in a project leadership role. It shows you are a professional and your clients can rely on you to manage their projects in a predictable way.
An IPMA Level-C certification requires that the candidate has acted in a project management role within a moderately complex project environment within an organization. Eligibility criteria include that the candidate has earned a minimum of three years' experience as a project manager within the last six years on projects of moderate complexity, or a minimum of three years' experience in a responsible project management role assisting the project manager on complex projects.
This certification examines both project management knowledge and competence.
The Certification Process
This certification follows IPMA's International Certification Regulations. Two independent assessors will review a candidate's application form, resume, knowledge and experience self-assessment, project experience summary report, exam answers, and feedback from references before conducting a 90-minute oral interview to clarify answers and to inquire more deeply into the candidate's understanding, experience, and success in certain competence elements.
To achieve a Level-C certification, candidates must demonstrate sufficient evidence of 80% of the competence elements in a moderately complex environment. To demonstrate sufficient evidence against a specific competence element, a candidate shall demonstrate a minimum of 50% of the key competence indicators identified in the Individual Competence Baseline.
About the Exam
This three-hour exam is composed of 28 short essay questions and is broken into two parts with a short break in between each. Candidates will have on average 6 minutes to answer each question. The questions will each cover a difference competence element and assessors will review the answers for associated competence indicators aligned with each competence element. Answers that adequately address a minimum number of competence indicators in an element will lead to "passing" that element.
Upon completion of the exam, it will be submitted to a pool of assessors for marking and candidates will receive an email with their results typically within 2-3 weeks and a digital certificate, if the candidate passes both parts of the exam.
How to Apply
To apply, individuals must submit a completed application and self-assessment of their knowledge of the competence elements in the Individual Competence Baseline. Additionally, applicants must pay a fee of $1,795 for members or $2,180 for non-members. The fee is broken into three payments: 25% upon application, 25% before writing the exam, and 50% before the oral interview. The assessment process is designed to comply with IPMA's International Certification Regulations.
Validity and Recertification
An IPMA Level-C (Certified Project Manager) certification will remain valid for a period of five years, which will be indicated on the certificate issued by the association. Validity can also be checked in our Directory of Certified individuals and in the IPMA Register of Certified Professionals.
During the period of validity, certified individuals earn the right to call themselves Certified Project Managers and use the letters CPM or IPMA-C after their names.
Nearing certification expiry, an individual may renew their certification. For a full description of the process and requirements, please refer to IPMA's International Certification Regulations (ICR). Our fee for renewing an IPMA Level-C certification is $510 for members and $765 for non-members. If you are interested in re-certification, please contact certification@pmac-agpc.ca.