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The Examination
CPPB Certification
In 1997 NIGP initiated a study to "assess the proportion of specific tasks
performed by public purchasers and the associated common skills that are the
underpinnings of the public procurement profession". To achieve this task, NIGP
staff, a subject matter expert committee, and various dedicated others, have
developed a valid and relevant survey tool consisting of one hundred and one
procurement tasks and skills. The finished survey was sent to a random sampling
of 2,500 public purchasing professionals in a variety of geographic areas and
work settings of governmental levels in the U.S. and Canada.
Based on the findings of the 1997 study, the
CPPB Body of Knowledge was produced. The CPPB BOK determines how the
CPPB examination is structured.
The CPPB examination is a 240 multiple-choice, pencil and paper examination
designed to assess a candidates knowledge and understanding of subject matter
contained in the CPPB Body of
Knowledge. The BOK is an essential component to any test preparation
plan since it dictates the examination content.
Candidates are allotted a 4-hour maximum time frame in which to test, however
the total allotted time is not continuous. The full examination is divided into
two smaller sections of 120 questions. For each section, the candidate is
permitted 2 hours of testing time. A 15-minute break separates the two testing
sections.
For the written examination, the candidate is presented with a multiple-choice
question for which he/she must choose the best answer out of four possible
options. There are no "trick" questions and the candidate will not find options
such as "all of the above," "none of the above," "both A and C."
Examination questions are written by your peers (current UPPCC certified
individuals) and reviewed and approved by the UPPCC Board of Examiners (BOE).
The certified individuals volunteer to serve as Subject Matter Experts (SME)s
at UPPCC Item (Question)Writing Workshops held annually at the NIGP Forum and
at other industry events. Questions generated at Item Writing Workshops that
are approved for testing by the BOE are input into a question database. All
examinations are a representation of selected questions from this central
database.
Competency (passing) is 70% or above for all UPPCC examinations. Once CPPB
candidates are successful on the written examination and all of the eligibility
requirements are fully met, the CPPB certification is conferred.
CPPO Certification
The revised CPPO examination is the result of the job analysis study that was
commissioned by NIGP in 1997. This study assessed the proportion of specific
tasks performed by public purchasing managers and the associated common skills
that are the underpinnings of the public procurement profession. To achieve
this task, NIGP staff and a subject matter expert committee developed a valid
and relevant survey tool consisting of one hundred and one procurement tasks
and skills. The finished survey was sent to a random sampling of 2,500 public
purchasing professionals in a variety of geographic areas and work settings of
governmental levels in the U.S. and Canada.
Based on the findings of the 1997 study, the
CPPO Body of Knowledge was produced. The CPPO BOK determines how the
CPPO written examination is structured.
Written Examination
The CPPO written examination is a 240 multiple-choice, pencil and paper
examination designed to assess a candidates knowledge and understanding of
subject matter contained in the
CPPO Body of Knowledge. The BOK is an essential component to any test
preparation plan since it dictates the examination content.
Candidates are allotted a 4-hour maximum time frame in which to test, however
the total allotted time is not continuous. The full examination is divided into
two smaller sections of 120 questions. For each section, the candidate is
permitted 2 hours of testing time. A 15-minute break separates the two testing
sections.
For the written examination, the candidate is presented with a multiple-choice
question for which he/she must choose the best answer out of four possible
options. There are no "trick" questions and the candidate will not find options
such as "all of the above," "none of the above," "both A and C."
Examination questions are written by your peers (current UPPCC certified
individuals) and reviewed and approved by the UPPCC Board of Examiners (BOE).
The certified individuals volunteer to serve as Subject Matter Experts (SME)s
at UPPCC Item (Question)Writing Workshops held annually at the NIGP Forum and
at other industry events. Questions generated at Item Writing Workshops that
are approved for testing by the BOE are input into a question database. All
examinations are a representation of selected questions from this central
database.
Competency (passing) is 70% or above for all UPPCC examinations. Once CPPO
candidates are successful on the written examination, they may then move onto
the second phase of testing which is the CPPO Oral Panel Examination.
Oral Examination
CPPO candidates should schedule the oral administration immediately following
successful completion of the written CPPO Examination. The oral examinations
are administered by a three member panel of active CPPOs. Thirty-three (33)
questions will be asked of the candidate. The candidate is allotted a maximum
of ninety (90) minutes in which to complete the oral examination. There are no
scheduled breaks during the testing.
Because of this type of examinations dependency on currently certified CPPO
individuals, it is often necessary for the candidate for CPPO to travel to
designated areas where panel members exist.
The panel will assess the candidate’s understanding and application of
professional purchasing and materials management; the candidate’s experience in
governmental or other public organizational structures; the candidate’s ability
to communicate with peers, subordinates, and superiors, and the candidate’s
ability to recognize and respond to both typical and atypical problems and
situations.
Each question carries a weight of 5 points. Each panel member rates the
candidate’s response on a scale of 0-5 (5 being the highest and 0 being the
lowest). The calculated average of all ratings is used to calculate an overall
score for the candidate. As in the written examination, the candidate must
receive a minimum score of 70% in order to pass the oral examination. Once the
candidate successfully completes all three phases (eligibility, written
examination and oral examination) the CPPO will be conferred. |
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