The Certified Cost Professional (CCP) certification is one of the most widely recognized certificates in the Project Control and Cost Management field. In this article, I explain everything you need to know about the CCP certificate. I cover the following:

1- The CCP Certification Benefits

2- Exam Eligibility

3- Exam Clearance

4- Schedule the exam

5- Exam Preparation

6- What to expect on the exam day?

7- Receiving your results

The CCP Certification Benefits

Here are some reasons why you should pursue the PMI-SP certification.

• Present the CCP initials after your name.
• Achieve professional status as an expert through the credential.
• Certify your great knowledge.
• Add the most widely recognized certificate in the project control field to your portfolio.
• Learn the best practices of project control.
• Access a wealth of high-quality knowledge from AACEI Recommended Practice.
• Get shortlisted for interviews and have better career opportunities.

It also helps with the paradox of choice that many hiring managers have. The paradox of choice is the confusion that humans experience when they have so many good options but they have to choose only one. For example, you would like to buy a new mobile phone and you narrowed down your options to two phones. They are both almost identical (same budget, specs, etc) but one of them has an additional camera that you won’t probably use. If you are like most of us, you will choose the one that has the additional camera because you know, why not? Similarly, if the company shortlisted two candidates who have the same quality and quantity of experience but one of them is CCP certified. The hiring manager has to overcome the paradox of choice so the company ends up hiring the one who is also certified because why not?

Moreover, certifications in general make a great investment. When you prepare for a certification, you spend the time and effort upfront to earn the certification and then you become certified for life. You will need to earn PDUs or CEUs to maintain your certification but this is not a big deal.

CCP Certification Pathway

1- Exam Eligibility

• The exam provider is AACEI (Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering International).
• You must have at least 8 years of industry-related experience if you don’t have a college degree OR
• 4 years industry-related experience if you have a +4-year industry-related college degree.

2- Exam Application Submission

Follow the below steps to submit the CCP exam application

• Create an account with AACEI.
• Create a new submission under CCP certification.
• Fill in the application details (personal information, experience, education, etc)
• Upload Work Experience Letter(s). Each letter must include the following:

– Employment period

– Employer Name

– Duties

• Upload Education Certificate(s). Each certificate must include the following:

– Education Level (Bachelor, Masters, PhD)

– Graduation Date

– Degree Type

– University

Exam Fees

Moreover, the resit exam fees are $250 (the fees are the same whether or not you are an AACEI member).

Note that you pay for the exam fees at the time of the application submission.

3- The Exam Clearance

• After you submit your application, it can take up to 45 days to receive your clearance based on the complexity of your application requirements. I received my clearance after 29 days from the application submission.
• You can schedule your exam within 6 months after you receive your clearance.
• You can take the exam up to 3 times within the 6 month clearance period.
• 1st time (full exam fees): US$ 500.
• Two times at the resit discounted price US$ 250.

4- Schedule the exam

• In the clearance email, there will be an attachment that has the exam scheduling instructions. You will need to create an account and schedule the exam with Kryterion which is a 3rd party that is responsible for managing the exam on behalf of the AACEI.
• You will receive a confirmation email once you complete your booking.
• You will also receive a reminder email before your exam date.
• You will receive a voucher code that you can apply when you schedule with Kryterion to waive the exam fees because you have already paid for everything when you submitted your CCP application to the AACEI.
• The schedule instructions are very easy to follow and straightforward.

5- CCP Exam Preparation

CCP Exam Structure

• It is a 5-hour-long CBT (Computer Based Test).
• 120 simple multiple-choice, compound and scenario questions.
• 1 memo writing assignment with a given scenario and instructions for writing a response in an onscreen text box.
• Closed Book – onscreen formula sheet(s) will be available for use.
• Any style, battery-operated calculator permitted (not provided by the testing center).
• Pencils and blank papers will be provided by the testing center.
• An overall average score of 70% or higher is needed to pass the exam.
• The final exam result is arrived by averaging the score of all four domains.

The below table represents the four exam domains and the corresponding weight.

The Recommended Study Materials

The below sources are the study materials as recommended by the AACEI.

• AACE’s CCP Certification Study Guide
• AACE’s Recommended Practices 11R-88 and 10S-90
• AACE’s Skills & Knowledge of Cost Engineering, 6th Edition
• AACE’s Total Cost Management Framework

In my experience with the exam, I recommend that you learn a lot about planning and scheduling. Although it is a cost-related certificate, I had so many planning-related questions in my exam.

Exam Challenges

There are three challenges in the CCP Exam Preparation as below.

Challenge 1: The weight of all study materials is not equal

You will be heavily tested on certain topics compared to other topics. Paradoxically, in the PMP exam, the weight of every knowledge area is almost equal but this is not the case in the CCP Exam.

Challenge 2: You don’t need to learn everything

The main curriculum is based on the “Required Skills and Knowledge of Cost Engineering” which includes many topics. Learning all of the study materials requires a significant amount of time and effort. In fact, you don’t need to learn everything as you only need to focus on selected topics only.

Challenge 3: No Practice Questions

The recommended materials explain the theories but practice questions are not included. The last thing you want to do is to practice the questions in the exam itself. You must be familiar with the nature of the exam questions and the PMI’s tricks.

Memo Questions

The AACE believes that Multiple Choice Questions are not enough to test the candidate’s ability to communicate ideas and perform an analysis. In the past, a technical paper that consisted of at least 2,500 words was a requirement to earn the CCP certification. However, as of December 2023, the AACE announced that the technical paper would be replaced with a memo question as part of the exam. The AACE also announced that the new exam structure will reflect these changes by the end of April or May 2024.

In the memo question, candidates will be tested in the following areas:

• Candidate’s ability to communicate effectively and efficiently with a project manager or other executive.
• Candidate’s ability to perform analysis and make a recommendation with incomplete or conflicting information.
• Candidate’s ability to follow instructions and formatting.

6- What to expect on the exam day?

• It is a 5-hour long exam. Have a healthy breakfast that has slow-digesting carbs that will give you a steady supply of energy over long periods.
• I recommend arriving 45 min before the exam starts to account for the delay associated with traffic, finding parking, finding the test center, checking in, etc).
• Bring two IDs (one must be a valid government-issued photo ID), and the second can be a credit/debit card, Employee ID, etc).
• Set your alarm before you leave home (DON’T FORGET YOUR CALCULATOR). We are not used to taking a calculator with us when we leave home so it is easy to forget about the calculator (I almost forgot mine). The CCP exam is a mathematical operations intensive exam. The calculator will not be provided by the testing center so if you forget your calculator, your chances of passing the exam will be greatly compromised.
• The testing center will provide you with paper and pencil only (not a calculator).

7- Receive your results

You will receive your exam results via an email that includes:

Performance evaluation across all domains.

Your certificate as an attachment.

Memo assignment feedback. Refer to the below sample.

The results will not be generated instantly after you complete the exam because you need to account for the time that the AACE will take to grade your memo. The time you receive your results will depend on which grading cycle you are in. The AACEI grades the exams according to the below cycles. For example, if you sit for the exam on January 10th, you fall in the first cycle and belong to the January 15 grading cycle. Therefore, you should expect to receive your results by February 5.

8- Earn CEUs and Maintain Certificate

You need to accumulate 12 CEUs (Continuing Education Units) over a 3-year certification period to maintain your certificate. The categories for recertification CEUs are:

• Category A: Performed
• Category B: Professional Development
• Category C: Industry Contribution
• Category D: Volunteer Service

If you have already acquired at least 12 CEUs, and are within 6 months of your expiration date, you can complete and submit your application right away.

Check out our CCP Exam Preparation Course which includes detailed tutorials of the most important exam topics plus 3 full mock exams with the model answer.

Regards,

Osama Saad, MBA, PMP, PSP, CCP, PMI-SP

The post Certified Cost Professional (CCP) Certification – The Ultimate Guide appeared first on Smart PM Blog.

PMI-Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP) is one of the most widely recognized certificates for Planning Engineers in the field. In this article, I will explain everything you need to know about the certification. I will cover the following:

1- The certification benefits

2- The exam eligibility

3- The application submission

4- The exam preparation

5- What to expect on the exam day

6- Receiving your results

1- The certification benefits

Here are some reasons why you should pursue the PMI-SP certification.

• PRESENT the PMI-SP initials after your name.
• ACHIEVE professional status as an expert by earning the credential.
• CERTIFY your great knowledge.
• ADD the most widely recognized certificate in the planning field to your portfolio.
• LEARN the best practices of planning and scheduling.
• ACCESS a wealth of high-quality knowledge from the study materials.
• GET shortlisted for interviews and have better career opportunities.

It also helps with the paradox of choice that many hiring managers have. The paradox of choice is the confusion that humans experience when they have so many good options but they have to choose only one. For example, you would like to buy a new mobile phone and you narrowed down your options to two phones. They are both almost identical (same budget, specs, etc) but one of them has an additional camera that you won’t probably use. If you are like most of us, you will choose the one that has the additional camera because you know, why not? Similarly, if the company shortlisted two candidates who have the same quality and quantity of experience but one of them is PSP and PMI-SP certified. The hiring manager has to overcome the paradox of choice so the company ends up hiring the one who is also certified because why not?

Moreover, certifications in general make a great investment. When you prepare for a certification, you spend the time and effort upfront to earn the certification and then you become certified for life. You will need to earn PDUs to maintain your certification but this is not a big deal.

Certifications can also help you stand out from the crowd. For example, according to the PMI’s fact sheet of 2023, there are 3,263 PMI-SP certification holders worldwide. If you think that this is a high number, think again. If you search LinkedIn with the words “Planning Engineer” and then filter by “People”, there are 638,000 planners worldwide as of the day of writing this article and this number continues to grow. The number of PMI-SP certification holders is like a drop in the ocean compared to the global pool of planners. Therefore, earning a certification can make you stand out.

Certification Pathway

I will walk you now through the below certification journey.

1- Exam Eligibility

2. Application Submission

Follow the below steps to submit the application

1- Create an account with PMI.

2- Create a new application under the PMI-SP Exam.

3- Fill the below details:

• Contact Information
• College Education
• Experience
• Training

Once you open the application, it will remain active for 90 days. After submission, PMI will take 5-10 days to review and then receive a feedback email. (approval of audit). A specific % of applications are randomly selected for an audit. After the application is approved, you will make the payment and schedule the appointment. The exam fees will depend on whether or not you are an active PMI member as below.

3. Exam Preparation

The exam has 170 multiple-choice questions and you have 3.5 hours to complete it.

Moreover, you will be tested in the five domains as below:

Domain 1: Schedule Strategy (14%)

Domain 2: Schedule Planning and Development (31% of examination)

Domain 3 – Schedule Monitoring and Controlling (35% of examination)

Domain 4: Schedule Closeout (6% of examination)

Domain 5: Stakeholder Communications Management (14% of examination)

Recommended Study Materials

There are three sources for your preparation

1- Practice Standard for Scheduling

It includes the below 5 chapters.

• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: The schedule model principles and concepts
• Chapter 3: Schedule model good practices overview
• Chapter 4: Scheduling Components
• Chapter 5: Conformance Index

You don’t really need to study Chapter 5 because you will not get any questions related to this chapter in the exam.

2- Relevant Chapters from PMBOK

You don’t need to study the whole PMBOK because you are not preparing for the PMP. You need to study specific topics as below.

• Chapter 5 – Project Scope Management (only the “Create WBS” area)
• Chapter 6 – Project Schedule Management.
• Chapter 7 – Project Cost Management (only the “Control Cost – EVM” area).
• Chapter 9 – Project Human Resources Management (only the “Plan HR Management” area).
• Chapter 10 – Project Communication Management.
• Chapter 11 – Project Risk Management.
• Chapter 13 – Project Stakeholder Management.

Exam Preparation Challenges

Challenge 1: The weight of all study materials is not equal

You will be heavily tested on certain topics compared to other topics. Paradoxically, in the PMP exam, the weight of every knowledge area is almost equal.

Challenge 2: No practice questions

The recommended materials explain the theories but practice questions are not included. The last thing you want to do is to practice the questions in the exam itself. You must be familiar with the nature of the exam questions and the PMI’s tricks.

5. The Exam Day

• It is a 3.5-hour long exam. Have a healthy breakfast that has slow-digesting carbs that will give you a steady supply of energy over long periods.
• I recommend arriving 45 min before the exam start to account for the delay associated with finding parking, finding the test center, checking in, etc).
• Bring a valid government-issued photo ID that has your signature.
• Calculators are NOT allowed.
• The testing center will provide you with paper and pencil only.

6. Receive Your Results

• You will receive the exam report at the test center the day you sit for the examination.
• You can also access your exam report and download your certificate from your PMI account.
• You will receive an email notifying you when your exam report is available online.
• Your details will be added to the PMI’s certification registry.

Check out our PMI-SP Exam Preparation Course which includes detailed tutorials of the most important exam topics plus 3 full mock exams with the model answer.

Regards,

Osama Saad, MBA, PMP, PSP, CCP, PMI-SP

The post PMI-Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP) Certification – The Ultimate Guide appeared first on Smart PM Blog.

The content of the certifications is rich and valuable

The content of these certifications is prepared by industry experts who have been in the project management field for so long. The knowledge is also regularly updated as project management evolves over time based on market changes and trends (e.g. complexity levels, new technologies, lessons learned, etc). Whenever there is a new practice guide to be published, certified practitioners are also invited to peer-review the content to ensure that the guide offers the best value for whoever reads it. So I do not doubt the quality of the content but I just wanted to share what I observed in the market from my own lens.

Certifications can get you shortlisted

You will have the right to put the initials of an internationally recognized certification after your name once you earn it. When there is a vacancy and thousands of candidates are applying for it, these initials can serve as a powerful filtration for CVs and can get you shortlisted. You can be very knowledgeable about, for example, cost management and write thousands of words about everything you are capable of doing in this area, hoping the CV reviewer will buy it and get you shortlisted. However, owning the initials of a CCP can save you thousands of words. The more certificates you have, the stronger your CV will become and it will all pay off one day, trust me! Be patient though as COVID has pushed the global economy into one of the worst recessions and consequently caused the sharpest decline in employment. If you haven’t been receiving a favored response on your job applications yet, it doesn’t mean this is the way it will always be.

The role of certifications in an interview

By earning a certification, you will be able to “certify‘ your knowledge according to the best industry practices. For example, it is unlikely that the hiring manager will ask a PMI-SP certified about critical path definition in an interview. Department managers also regard a certification holder as a professional who can work hard and learn fast in the workplace. So always certify your knowledge in your field or the field you want to make a career transition into.

Poor preparation and waste of value

However, I have seen many Engineers who are unable to put their certified knowledge into practice. In my opinion, candidates seem to care less about the content and want to learn more about the strategies that help them “pass” or “hack” the exam. Governing institutions such as PMI require +30 hours of direct project management learning to qualify for an exam application. That’s a lot of hours to receive some great value during your preparation. It is however rare to find a qualified instructor who can enrich his delivery with practical case studies and truly provide the expected value which the certification was meant to offer. As a result, we have seen an increasing number of PMP holders who have easily forgotten the content shortly after they earned the certification because the preparation wasn’t done properly and the engineers weren’t taught the practical application of concepts and theories.

Final Tips

• • It doesn’t matter how many years of experience you have or how old you are, START TODAY! The world has changed a lot and there are fewer opportunities than ever before. Gone are the days when there is a secured job for everyone. Companies also struggle to create business partnerships and win projects.
  • Find a reliable instructor for your exam preparation. It will make a huge difference in your career.
  • Pursue the most relevant certifications in your field. Do not pursue a PMP because it is the most popular certificaitons and everyone else is going after it; rather if you are a planning engineer, PSP or PMI-SP can be way more valuable in your CV. If you want to continue working in the cost field, a CCP certification better suits you.
  • Network, network and network: Adding professionals on LinkedIn is NOT networking. Always support your peers, maintain a great relationship with everyone and add value to your professional community. Don’t be nice to people only when you want something in return. Be supportive as much as you can to everyone today and it will pay off years later.

Learn More!

Check out our comprehensive courses

Regards,

Osama Saad, MBA, PMP, PSP, PMI-SP

The post Are Project Management Certifications Worthwhile? appeared first on Smart PM Blog.