Become Certified

The Examination

In order for candidates to begin to formulate a preparation/study plan for testing, it is essential that the candidate first understand how the exams themselves are developed and how individual test questions will appear on the exam.

About UPPCC Examinations/Format

There is only one (1) examination required for each certification. Both examinations consist of 175 multiple-choice questions covering the ten (10) domain areas identified in the 2008 UPPCC Body of Knowledge. Each test question presents the candidate with four (4) options of which only one option is correct. Candidates are permitted a total of 3.5 hours in which to complete the examination.

Examination Development

Individual exam questions are developed by UPPCC certified members of the profession. These individuals are members of the UPPCC Item Writing Committee. Item Writing Committee members receive professional training on how to construct quality test questions for the certification exams. The test questions that are generated are reviewed by a second group of professionals. The members of this second group, the Item Review Committee, receive professional training on how to review test questions. Only questions approved by the Item Review Committee are eligible for selection for an actual examination. The members of the Board of Examiners (BOE) develop the examinations from a bank of approved questions.

The Board of Examiners (BOE) builds each examination selecting the appropriate number of questions from each of the ten (10) content areas of the 2008 UPPCC Body of Knowledge.

Questions generated for the CPPB exam are designed to test candidates on the Body of Knowledge as it relates to the role of a buyer. Conversely, the CPPO exams are designed to test candidates on the Body of Knowledge as it relates to the role of a manager and/or supervisor.

The exams consist primarily of situational, process-oriented questions. Situation questions require a candidate to be able to apply knowledge to responding appropriately to real world situations and problems. Click here, for additional information regarding this topic.

New examinations are developed for each testing window so that the tested content remains current to today's profession.

Scheduling an Examination

The UPPCC notifies all applicants within 4-6 weeks following the application submission deadline as to the outcome of the review. Approved applicants are sent letters of Authorization To Test (ATT) from the UPPCC. The ATT letter gives the candidate instructions on how to register for the examination. Individuals are not permitted to test until eligibility is determined and the ATT letter is received.

Candidates may schedule examination appointments within the upcoming testing window only by using the information provided in the ATT letter he/she received from the UPPCC. Upon receipt of the ATT letter, candidates should verify that the name printed on the ATT letter matches the name exactly as it appears on the unexpired, government issued photo identification. Candidates must present both the ATT letter and photo identification to the test center administrator for check in on the day of the exam. The two documents must match in order to be seated for testing. If your ATT letter does not match the name on your identification, contact the UPPCC immediately to have a revised ATT letter sent to you.

Following receipt of the ATT letter from the UPPCC, candidates must contact Prometric to schedule their examination at one of approximately 400 professional testing centers across North America. Candidates must schedule his/her individual testing appointment on or before the published exam registration deadline. As the UPPCC shares the Prometric testing center network with other testing programs, it is advisable for candidates to register early, preferably as soon as the candidate receives the ATT letter. Early registration allows candidates the widest selection of testing centers, dates and times.

Candidates may schedule their examinations with Prometric via the internet or with a registration agent by phone. Contact information for Prometric Test Center Registration is provided in the candidate's ATT letter.

Click here for important information regarding Prometric Test Center policies and scheduling.

Exam Day Overview

On the day of the examination, candidate should plan to arrive at the scheduled testing center early. Candidates who arrive more than fifteen (15) minutes after the scheduled appointment time will be turned away and will be considered a no-show for the examination. Candidates should allow 4.5 hours for the examination, which includes the 3.5 hours for the examination, plus an extra hour for check in and check out procedures as well as time to view the pre-test tutorial and time to complete the post-survey questionnaire following the exam.

Candidates will not be permitted to bring personal belongings or study materials into the testing center. Secure storage is provided, however, space is limited. Prometric testing centers assume no responsibility for personal belongings and candidates should plan accordingly.

Upon arrival at the testing center, the test center administrator will ask that candidates present the ATT letter and one piece of valid government issued photo identification that matches the information on the ATT letter. Acceptable forms of ID include:

1. current drivers license

2. government issued photo identification card; or

3. valid passport.

If the administrator cannot make a positive identification, the candidate will not be permitted to test.

Following check-in, the candidate will be escorted to a computer work station and logged into the UPPCC examination. The examination will not begin until a 10-15 minute navigational tutorial is played and the candidate enters the examination. Only the actual examination portion is timed.

During the Examination

Examination questions will be presented one at a time on the computer screen. Candidates may choose to answer the question which will prompt the next test question to appear or skip the question and come back to it later. Regardless of whether the candidate chooses to answer the question immediately or come back to it later, there will also be an option to provide comments and feedback on any item on the exam.

Candidates are urged to comment on any item he/she perceives to be flawed as comments will be evaluated by the Board of Examiners (BOE) during the scoring process.

Test questions that receive comments from exam candidates will be reviewed by the Board of Examiners (BOE) in a teleconference prior to the release of final scores. This is a quality control technique that allows the UPPCC to address potential problems before a candidates final score is impacted. If the BOE agrees with candidate comments, they may choose to remove a question from the scoring process completely or key multiple options as correct. Any problematic questions are removed from the question bank and either edited or re-written before they are eligible for selection on a future exam form.

On the computer screen will be a clock that will count down continuously from 3.5 hours, so that the candidate is always aware of how much testing time is remaining. Aavailable to candidates during the exam is a small, dry-erase board for use as scratch paper and an on-screen calculator.

Candidate will be permitted to take breaks during the examination, but any break that the candidate takes will not stop the exam clock. Any breaks will be counted as testing time. Candidates who leave the testing center for breaks or any other reason will be asked to sign a log book and present his/her identification to re-enter the center.

Once the candidate reaches the end of the examination and time still remains, he/she will be presented with a summary of the exam which will flag all the questions that were skipped or marked for review allowing the candidate to go back to those specific questions. The candidate may also return to any question on the exam and change his/her response.

Candidates will receive a printed confirmation of testing at the test center upon completion of the examination. Exam results will be sent in 6-8 weeks following the close of the testing window.

Exam Security & Candidate Conduct

In order to maintain the integrity of the examinations all examinations are proctored by direct observation by the test center supervisor and also under video and audio surveillance.

At the beginning of the examination, you will be required to confirm that you agree to abide by the UPPCC Code of Ethics.

Exam Reschedule / Cancellation Policy

Once the candidate has scheduled an examination appointment with Prometric, any reschedules or cancellations must also be made through Prometric. Associated fees that the applicant will be expected to make payment for at the time of the reschedule or cancellation is dependent upon the amount of advanced notice given to Prometric and are provided below.

Candidates may cancel a scheduled examination and reschedule for another date, time or testing center only within the current testing window. Candidates will not be permitted to cancel from one testing window and reschedule for a subsequent testing window even if the testing window is within the two (2) year life of the certification application he/she submitted. Examination may be scheduled, rescheduled, cancelled and otherwise altered for the current testing window only.

Candidates should note that although rescheduling an examination is permitted, seats fill up quickly and space may be limited or even unavailable as the desired testing date draws near. As such, it is advisable for candidates if needed to reschedule an examination as soon as possible.

To reschedule or cancel an examination, candidates should contact Prometric via the web or by phone.

Exam Reschedule/Cancellation Fees
Thirty (30) or more calendars days prior to the scheduled examination	No Fee
Between twenty-nine (29) and five (5) calendar days prior	$50
Less than five (5) calendar days notice prior	$100
No-shows, including no-shows caused as a result of late arrivals	*$100

 

*No shows or no shows that result from late arrivals on the day of the scheduled examination will be invoiced by UPPCC. Reschedule/Cancellation fees billed to the candidate following a testing window must be paid in full in order to schedule appointments for subsequent exams within the Prometric Testing Network.

EXCEPTIONS TO THE CANCELLATION POLICY

The UPPCC recognizes that serous issues may arise that could prevent a candidate from canceling their registration within the prescribed timeframe. There are acceptable instances in which thirty or more calendar days notification is not possible. Such acceptable instances include:

1. Serious accident/illness – either the candidate or an immediate family member (spouse, child, parent, etc.)

2. Death in the immediate family

3. Disabling traffic accident

4. Court appearance or jury duty

5. Unexpected military duty call-up

Late cancellations or no-shows on the day of the examination due to one of the reasons listed above must be submitted in writing to the UPPCC as soon as possible, but no later than five (5) business days following the incident and must be accompanied by meaningful documentation. For injuries and illnesses to be considered acceptable, documentation must prove that the onset of the injury and/or condition occurred AFTER the candidate registered to take the exam OR that the injury and/or condition worsened AFTER the date of registration. Upon review of the written request and accompanying documentation, the cancellation fee will not be billed to candidates whose requests were approved.

Inclement Weather / Local & National Emergencies

In the event of inclement weather or a local and/or national emergency on the day of the examination, candidates should phone the local Prometric Testing Center for which he/she has scheduled an appointment. If the testing center is closed and as a result an appointment is cancelled UPPCC will arrange for the examination to be rescheduled. Candidates are not penalized if the examination is cancelled due to inclement weather or if a local or national emergency occurs.

Scoring the Examinations

The Board of Examiners convenes soon following the close of the testing window for examination scoring. The BOE will participate in a meeting facilitated by test developers from Prometric to review any statistical flags or candidate comments submitted by exam candidates during testing prior to making final scoring decisions. This gives the BOE the opportunity to review feedback from candidates and make decisions prior to releasing final scores to candidates.

This post administration process, in addition to scoring of the exams, is a quality assurance technique that benefits both the exam candidate and the UPPCC as an organization. It allows the BOE to review feedback from test takers and item-by-item performance statistics as a group and if warranted, make adjustments before final scores are released to candidates. For example, based on feedback and statistical information captured on a specific exam question, the members of the BOE will take a closer look at the question. After discussing the issue, the group may potentially decide to score more than one response as correct or delete the question from the scoring process completely.

Candidates benefit from this process by having any potential concerns regarding examination questions known to the individuals making scoring decisions. The organization benefits by building in a process to continuously monitor, develop, and update the test content.

This process can cause the examination to consist of less than 175 questions if the BOE elects to delete questions from the scoring process. An exam difficulty rating for the exam is determined on the resulting sampling of questions. The difficulty rating is then equated back to the difficulty rating for the first exam under the 2008 Body of Knowledge when the Pass/Fail Cut-Score Study was performed and the passing score established. The passing score for the October 2008 exams will be established in November 2008. All subsequent exams will be based on this established passing score. The process of equating exams insures that each candidate is held to a consistent standard of competency when exam form difficulty and total number of scored questions is inconsistent.

STANDARD SETTING MEETING (PASS/FAIL CUT-SCORE)

The UPPCC will convene a diverse committee of subject matter experts in November 2008 to review and update the passing score for UPPCC examinations. The process by which the passing score is determined is referred to as a Pass/Fail Cut-Score Study and is traditionally performed as a final step in the Job Analysis process. This process ensures that the score separating passing candidates from failing candidates is scientific and is truly linked to mastery of the subject matter tested in order to earn the certification and not an arbitrary selection.

In order to perform the 2008 study, the committee will require testing data to complete the study. Data from the October 2008 exams will be examined for the study. The passing standard for subsequent examinations under the 2008 Body of Knowledge will be based on the 2008 study. A new study will be performed again when the Body of Knowledge is updated.