IPMA USA Project Management Certification

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 Short Answer Question paper.
• Level D - Multiple Choice Question paper and Short Answer Question 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.

Your training organization specified that they wish to view candidate results before releasing. If you would like your results sooner, you may contact your ATO directly and request your results that way. After they have released them, you will be able to create/view your Digital Badge and download your Digital Certificate in your Credly account in the Certificates section of your portal.

Since 2018, we are no longer registered for AXELOS qualifications and are unable to provide the certificates.  

If you received your AXELOS qualification before this time, you can contact customer service and upon providing your candidate number, ask if a copy of your certificate still exists in our system. 

Alternatively, you can reach out to IT PeopleCert directly with this request quoting your candidate number.  

If you do not have your candidate number, we can provide it to you. Additionally, we are happy to provide a letter of verification for any exams sat with us.

Using a company device in which you do not have administrative rights and access to download additional software tends to cause issues when sitting your exam via ProctorU, as outlined in the Candidate Guidance Agreement.  

If you wish to sit your exam via ProctorU again, you will need to pay a reschedule fee of £32 (which you can do in the Candidate Portal) before you can select a new date and time.  

Alternatively, you can reschedule your exam via our AIPP service, where you can take your exam over Zoom without downloading any additional software. Please note there are fewer exam slots available through AIPP.  

Full details of our Proctoring options can be found on our Proctoring Page. 

When you pass an exam – you will instantly have the option to claim a digital badge as representation of your new certificate. Your badge can be embedded on an email signature, website, digital CV, or shared via LinkedIn.  

Access the downloadable guide for more information on how to claim your digital badge.