A Guild board member has captured our thoughts about certifications nicely in a blog post, and of course, we feel it’s well worth a read.

Blog: You Are Certifiable

The Certified Presentation Professional exams are comprised of three steps:

1. Attesting that you have the minimum required presentation experience
2. An online test of knowledge
3. A practical test of skills requiring you to complete a series of presentation tasks.

All three tests are based on the Presentation Industry Standards released by the Presentation Guild.

You must attest to your experience as you begin the online test of knowledge.

The online test of knowledge comprises a random selection of questions in the following formats:

• Single-choice questions have only one answer and include True/False questions.
• Multiple choice questions have two or more answers and will always have one wrong answer. Correct answers count for one point and incorrect answers deduct one point from that question.
• Matching questions require you to match a set of terms to their description. Correct answers count for one point and incorrect answers deduct one point from that question.
• Fill in the blank questions require you to type in the answer. The answer must be spelled correctly but capitalization doesn’t matter.
• Some questions have more than one answer. Correct answers count for one point and incorrect answers deduct one point from that question.
• This is a timed test (see specific time allotments for each). A score of 80% is required to pass.

The practical test of skills consists of nine PowerPoint files, one for each of the nine categories in the Presentation Industry Standards. You will be asked to perform specific tasks in each file.

• The files must be downloaded, completed, and uploaded within 48 hours of starting the test.
• A score of 80% is required to pass.

You will see the results of your online test immediately upon completion, including your category scores. You will receive your final practical test results by email after it has been graded. Each passing professional receives a package that includes a certificate and badge upon successful completion of certification assessment.

No. Each certification builds upon the previous certification, so testing for each level must be completed prior to advancing to the next level.

How quickly you take the exams is up to you. For example, if you want to test for the Master certification and haven’t obtained the Specialist and Expert certifications, you may take all three exams back to back.

Note: Currently, the Certified Presentation Specialist (CPS™) and Certified Presentation Expert (CPE™) exams are available. We’re working on the Master level certification and will make that exam available as soon as we can.

To prepare for the CPS™ exam, you’ll need to download these three things:

Presentation Industry Standards 
Self-Assessment Spreadsheet (optional)
CPS™ Study and Reference Guide 

 
To prepare for the CPE™ exam, you’ll need to download these three things:

Presentation Industry Standards
Self-Assessment Spreadsheet (optional)
CPE™ Study and Reference Guide

Certification exam pricing:

Testing is only available to Guild members, so if you’re not a Guild member already, join today.

In addition to membership, the cost of the exams is $199. The cost of the boot camps (including the exam price) is $499.

Purchase Certified Presentation Specialist Test Only ($199)
Purchase Certified Presentation Specialist Bootcamp, including test fee ($499)

Purchase Certified Presentation Expert Test Only ($199)
Purchase Certified Presentation Expert Bootcamp, including test fee ($499)

If you still have questions, we’ll be happy to help. Email us at [email protected].