Certification Info

Board member Ric Bretschneider has captured our thoughts about certs nicely here, and of course we feel it’s well worth a read.

The Certified Presentation Professional exams are comprised of three steps:

• Attesting that you have the minimum required presentation experience
• An online test of knowledge
• 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.

1. You must attest that you have at least 1000 hours of experience working with PowerPoint(R) at the beginning of the online test.
2. The online test of knowledge comprises 130 (CPS™) 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. You will have 3.5 hours to complete the online test of knowledge. A score of 80% is required to pass.
3. 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. You must complete 80% of the tasks correctly to pass.

1. You must attest that you have at least 3000 hours of experience working with PowerPoint(R) at the beginning of the online test.
2. The online test of knowledge comprises 100 (CPE™) 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. You will have 3 hours to complete the online test of knowledge. A score of 80% is required to pass.
3. 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. You must complete at least 80% of the tasks correctly to pass.

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.

1. Presentation Industry Standards (download the pdf)
2. Self-Assessment Spreadsheet (the spreadsheet is available to Guild members)
3. CPS™ Study and Reference Guide (the guide is available to Guild members)

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

1. Presentation Industry Standards (download the pdf)
2. Self-Assessment Spreadsheet (the spreadsheet is available to Guild members)
3. CPE™ Study and Reference Guide (the guide is available to Guild members)