IPMA USA Project Management Certification

IPMA certifications are based on the global competence standard: ‘International Competence Baseline (ICB)’. This standard is defined by the IPMA and describes the competences that project, programme and portfolio managers should possess. Download the ICB here.

The certification process involves several steps for the assessment of a candidate and is described in detail in the International Certification Regulations (ICR). Download the ICR here.

For a candidate to be awarded an IPMA certificate, they must have successfully completed each of the assessment steps within 18 months from the date of acceptance of their application.

Candidates are allowed to retake a specific stage of the qualification only once, before having to start the qualification from the beginning.

For levels A, B and C (and also re-certification), the referees providing the reference statement need to be able verify the applicant’s eligibility in relation to the level and domain of certification for which the candidate is applying for.

Referees may be contacted by APMG to solicit additional evidence.

In the event that a candidate is unsuccessful at any of the stages listed below, they are allowed to retake only once before having to restart the qualification from the beginning.

Assessment stages that can be retaken once:

• Level A - Report and interview
• Level B - Report, oral examination and interview
• Level C - Report and examination
• Level D - MCQ paper and SAQ paper

We recommend you allow a suitable interval for revision before re-sitting the assessment stage.

Candidates may either re-sit through an APMG accredited provider or book an open/public examination.

Re-certification is due five years after initial certification for all levels and domains. It is the responsibility of the certificate holder to initiate the re-certification process through application up to a maximum of six months from their certificate expiry date. An extension may be provided up to 12 months from the certificate expiry date, with justification.

Before applying for re-certification, you may wish to consider whether a higher level of certification is now better suited to your career development and experience. In that case, you should apply in accordance with the regulations for the relevant certificate.

All levels require a minimum of 35 hours’ evidence of Continual Professional Development (CPD) per annum (175 hours total) since the last (re-)certification.

Applications for re-certification will be considered by a suitably qualified assessor at the relevant level. The assessor may decide to recommend:

• re-certification without the provision of any further information.
• that you be called to interview with two assessors.
• rejection of your application (if the evidence you supply is insufficient or inappropriate).

You are required to submit to the following documents as part of the re-certification application: application form, CV, full self-assessment, CPD log demonstrating you have completed 35 hours of CPD per annum and two referee statements.

You will need to submit your re-certification application and supporting documents to APMG. We will contact you in advance of your certification expiry date with further details. Your application will be processed and the team will contact you with regards to payment of the appropriate fees.

To support candidates in understanding how they will achieve competency elements and key competency indicators found in IPMA’s International Competence Baseline document, the standards have been translated into syllabuses which better reflect UK qualifications. As part of this translation, competency elements were grouped together to form learning outcomes with key competency indicators being grouped to form assessment criteria. Candidates will provide assessment evidence through the various assessment methods. Due to the translation from standards to qualifications, competency elements and key competency indicators will be met providing candidates provide sufficient evidence of learning outcomes and assessment criteria in the syllabus.

• Provisional results: After completing the Foundation examination, candidates may receive provisional results either orally from the invigilator or on-screen at the end of an online exam.
• Official results: Once processed, official results, including a PDF breakdown of marks by syllabus area, are available in the APMG Candidate Portal. Results are issued as the total number of marks achieved.
• Processing time: Exam papers are usually marked immediately after the exam. APMG formally processes and confirms results via the Candidate Portal within 2 working days of receiving completed papers.
• Outstanding payments: In exceptional cases, results may be withheld until full payment has been received.

Once you’ve been notified that you’ve passed your exam, you will have the option to create a digital badge in APMG's Candidate Portal.

Visit APMG's Candidate Portal, view your exam results and select 'Create Badge'.

This takes you to the Credly website where the digital badges are hosted. You will be guided through the Credly account creation process.

Once you have created an account with Credly, log into the account and accept your pending badge.

Candidates will be able to claim their digital badge and electronic certificate from the APMG Candidate Portal within two business days of their exam result being issued.

If you are sitting the examination through an Accredited Training Organization, the cost of the exam is generally included in the course fee. Please ensure you confirm with your training provider that the exam is included in these costs. 

If you have selected a self-study option, please note that APMG-International uses a global pricing model for all exams. The examination fees for candidates attending a public exam centre are determined by the location where the exams are administered.

To find out the costs in your region, please refer to our examination portal or contact the APMG-International Service Desk (servicedesk@apmg-international.com).