Certified Professional Technical Communicator (CPTC™)

Technical communication is a broad field and includes any form of communication that exhibits one or more of the following characteristics:

• Communicating about technical or specialized topics, such as computer applications, medical procedures, or environmental regulations.
• Communicating by using technology, such as web pages, help files, or social media sites.
• Providing instructions about how to do something, regardless of how technical the task is or even if technology is used to create or distribute that communication.

The CPTC Foundation scheme will assess whether an individual can recall, recognize, and demonstrate comprehension of the theories, concepts, models, genres, and approaches outlined in 9 key areas. The areas are: Project Planning, Project Analysis, Content Development, Organizational Design, Written Communication, Visual Communication, Reviewing and Editing, Content Management and Production Delivery.

The Body of Knowledge used for the Foundation exam is Technical Communication Today, Fifth Edition by Richard Johnson-Sheehan. All of the answers can be found in this text book, so obtaining a copy and studying it is a good preparation for individuals taking the exam. Preparation courses or other training for the CPTC Foundation examination is not currently available. We expect to have accredited training organizations in early 2016.

APMG International administers public and online exam sessions. Click here to book an exam.

If you are a member of STC you can take advantage of a discounted exam price. All you need to do is provide APMG with your member ID at the time of booking your exam for the discount to be applied. The cost of the exam for STC members is $250 and for non-member it is $495.

There are no prerequisites for the CPTC exam.

The course is based on Technical Communication Today, Fifth Edition by Richard Johnson-Sheehan.

The exam is currently only available in English.

For individuals self-studying it is almost impossible to say. As all candidates have different experience and amount of time available for study, it varies from person to person. We suggest you buy the manuals and have a look through for yourself before deciding how long you need to spend learning.

What is the structure of the CPTC Foundation examination?

A summary of the structure of the CPTC Foundation examination is below:

• 50 multiple choice questions
• 40 minutes duration
• Closed book
• 70% pass mark (35 marks out of 50)

The CPTC Foundation certification does not expire. However, for it to remain current, certificants are required to stay current in the field as demonstrated by achieving a certain number of Continuing Education Units (CEU) over a 24 month period. The CEU requirements can be found on the STC web site at http://www.stc.org/education/certification/certification-main. Additionally, STC will keep a list of current certified practitioners on its web site so that employers can easily verify currency.

The CPTC Foundation examinations can be marked on location with provisional results provided immediately after marking.

Your official results will be sent directly to you via the relevant APMG-International office approximately 7-10 days after the date of your exam.

A foundation certificate will be dispatched to you approximately 2 weeks after we have received your exam paper back into our offices.

Please note that if you have taken your examinations via an ATO, certificates will be dispatched based on the preferences that the ATO selected when booking the exam. The ATO can select either an e-certificate or hard copy and whether this type is sent to the ATO or directly to the candidate.

If you have not received your certificate shortly after the above time frames please contact our Customer Interaction Team – servicedesk@apmg-international.com .

Individuals who have passed the CPTC Foundation exam are permitted to use the green CPTC Foundation logo to demonstrate they hold this certification.

CPTC™ is a registered trade mark of the Society for Technical Communication.

If you do not pass the CPTC Foundation exam, you can re-take it at any time – there is no waiting period - and there is no restriction on the number of times you can take the exam. Please note that the full examination fee will be payable each time.