In accordance with the requirements of the Austrian Federal Government, we will administer certification exams as outlined by the IPMA® Level B, C and Level D standard exclusively online in the near future: via video conferencing tool (our standard is Zoom).

Our training cooperation partners (TCP) have quickly adapted to the new situation and offer certification preparations for all levels online. Offers and dates of possible courses can be found on the respective websites. A list of our TCP (incl. website URL) can be found here.

 

General requirements for the exams

We ask you to take the exams alone (in a quiet place) and to turn on your camera and microphone during the exam. Candidates must submit official evidence of their identity (e.g. passport, a government-issued photo identification card). No aditional items are allowed during your exam.

Candidates who apply for certification from April 2020 onwards must sign the "supplement to the information folder" containing information regarding the online certification process. This step is only necessary for certifications that are carried out as online certification. We will inform the candidates in due time how their certification is taking place and, in the case of an online certification, will send them the relevant documents by e-mail.

Candidates who have already registered for certification must submit the supplementary sheet for their online certification in due time. (Employees of the pma certification body will contact you.)

 

Online Certification Level B

The certification as outlined by the IPMA® Level B standard takes place online and is a customised exam (120 minutes) which will be divided into two parts:

  • Oral exam: Two (virtually present) pma assessors will examine your knowledge of PM competences as outlined by ICB4 (Contextual, Personal and Social as well as Technical Competences) and will evaluate your skills (Methodologies & Processes of the currently valid pm baseline) during an interview.
  • Extended Interview: An interview concerning your project report (or about your experience from other projects) and your PM competences (according to ICB4 and the currently valid pm baseline) will be conducted subsequently. Another part of the Extended Interview is a short role play between the candidate and the assessor.

 

Online Certification Level C

The certification as outlined by IPMA® Level C is a customised online exam (120 minutes) which is divided in two parts:

  • Oral exam: Two virtually present pma assessors will assess your knowledge and skills [18 open questions on PM competences according to ICB4 (contextual, personal and social as well as technical competencies) and in line with the currently valid pm baseline].
  • Interview: Your project report and PM competences will be assessed (according to ICB4 and methods & processes of the currently valid pm baseline). 

 

Online Certification Level D

The video conferencing tool Zoom is also used for IPMA® Level D certification. The exam takes place in two stages under the supervision of a representative of our pma certification body:

  • pm-test: You will receive a link from us which will allow you to access the pm-test and answer 120 questions (single choice) in 60 minutes. The pm-test is supervised by our pma certification body. The respective answer progress is also regularly saved in case of connection problems.
  • Case study: You will then receive a case study and a roughly specified project manual as a Word document (see also pma's standard project manual) by e-mail. Graphical elements in the project manual are partly predefined, but must be adapted and supplemented accordingly. For this 90-minute part of the exam, our pma certification body will also be present virtually in order to guarantee secure exam conditions. After completion of the case study, please return the completed project manual by e-mail and wait in the video conferencing tool until you receive confirmation of receipt of the completed documents from the pma certification body.

 

We are constantly improving our service for you. The following changes will apply to all first-time students from November 1st, 2021:

  • The processing time of the case study (digital written exam/WORD document) will be extended from 90 to 110 minutes.
  • We are aligning the "online certification" and "on-site certification" exam modes. This means that you have the same general conditions in both versions: The pm test takes 60 minutes and the case study takes 110 minutes.
  • The case study requires the creation of 7 project management methodologies (plans). For each method (plan), an open question relating to a suitable ICB4 competence element must also be answered.
    • Sample question about teamwork (2.06): "What does a project manager have to pay attention to when putting together a team?"

 

If you are unable to keep an exam appointment due to the current situation, notify your pma certification body by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We will seek to find a solution.