Certifications are carried out online, using the video conferencing tool "MS Teams" or "Zoom" (depending on the certification date - details can be looked up on the respective date).

Requirements for the certification

Knowledge

• Basic knowledge in accordance with ICB4
• Methods & processes of the latest pm baseline

Experience

• Project management experience (as a project team member, PM assistant, PM consultant, …) is an advantage but not essential

Certification process

Certification fee

The fee for certification as a Project Management Associate for

• pma members EUR 484.00 (incl. 10% VAT)
• Non-members EUR 577.50 (incl. 10% VAT)

General requirements for the exams

A computer (notebook, ...) with webcam and microphone as well as a stable internet connection are the basic technical requirements for online certification.

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.

Preparation

To prepare for certification as a Project Management Associate you should study the IPMA Competence Baseline (ICB4), the latest pm baseline and supplementary literature.

The time required for certification preparation, registration and examination for IPMA® Level D is (at least!) 20 hours of self-study.

In addition, you can also prepare with the help of:

• Seminars run by pma training partners,
• PM training programmes at universities of applied sciences, universities and colleges
• PM seminars at educational and training institutions 
• Independent study

Process

The video conferencing tool "Zoom" or "MS Teams" is used for IPMA® Level D certification depending on the certification date. 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 be sent a link to download a case study and a rough project manual as a Word document (see also the standard project manual from pma) by e-mail.  Graphical elements in the project manual are partly predefined, but must be adapted and supplemented accordingly. For this 110-minute part of the exam, our pma certification body will also be present virtually in order to guarantee secure exam conditions. After completing the case study, please return the completed project handbook to us via the upload link also sent to you and wait in the video conferencing tool until you receive confirmation of receipt of the completed documents from the pma certification body.
  • 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?"

Validity period

The pma/IPMA® Level D certification is valid for 5 years. It proves the current level of knowledge and/or experience in a professional field that is constantly evolving. Therefore, continuous personal development is necessary to maintain the certification status. After 5 years, a pma/IPMA® Level D re-certification or, with appropriate experience, a higher certification according to pma/IPMA® is possible.