Certified Professional Contract Manager™ (CPCM™)

Upcoming Exam Changes

CPCM Exam Changes Effective May 1, 2021—New Passing Score and Beta Questions

Beginning May 1, 2021, the passing score for the Certified Professional Contract Manager® (CPCM™) exam will raise from 70% to 72.2%.  The new passing score was determined by sound psychometric analysis and subject matter experts – contract management professionals from all aspects of the profession (e.g., buyers, sellers, academics, etc.).

In addition, while the exam will still contain 180 questions, ten of them will serve as beta questions and are not scored.  These beta questions will be used to assess the validity of future exam questions and are randomly placed throughout the exam.

CPCM™ Handbook

Obtaining and maintaining the ANSI-Accredited certification, CPCM™, is a significant milestone in your professional development. The purpose of this handbook is to provide you with important information about the policies and procedures on how you can:

• Apply for the CPCM™ certification,
• Obtain the CPCM™ certification, and
• Maintain the CPCM™ certification.

NCMA requires that all CPCM™ certification applicants read this entire handbook.

Access handbook

Who should pursue the CPCM™ certification?

• Buyers and sellers who participate in government-to-business (federal, state, and local) and business-to-business (small, medium, and large) contract and subcontract activities;
  
• Buyers interested in understanding how their actions impact sellers and sellers interested in understanding how their actions impact buyers; and
  
• Contract management professionals who have a general material interest in contract management (e.g., scholars, consultants, researchers, regulatory authorities, representatives of accrediting organizations, representatives of other organizations, etc.)

Benefits of Earning the CPCM™ Certification:

• As NCMA's pinnacle certification, it is the gold standard in contract management.
  
• ANSI accredited; solidifying its credibility.
  
• It sets you apart from others in your profession.
  
• It helps you achieve your professional goals.
  
• It shows that you are committed to maintaining the highest level of professionalism.

Eligibility Requirements:

• A Bachelor’s Degree.
• Degrees from outside the United States must be evaluated by an independent third party, such as World Education Services, Scholaro, Credit Eval, Info Check USA, or SpanTran.
• Five years of work experience in the contract management or related field.
• A minimum of 120 hours of CPE/CLP (see our Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Guide for details).

Application Process & Fees:

If you’re interested in the CPCM™ certification program, complete and submit your online application along with:

• Your college/university transcripts.
  
• Your work experience (CV, resume, or employer records).
  
• Proof of at least 120 CPE/CLP hours.
  
• Your application fee ($210 for NCMA members and $410 for nonmembers).

Once you have completed and submitted your application, the Certification Department will have everything formally reviewed within 15 business days. If approved, you will have one year and three attempts to pass your exam.

Exam Process & Fees:

Your test will be scheduled through Kryterion, NCMA’s testing provider. You will be able to select the date, time, and testing location based on your zip code. The exam fee is $125 in the U.S. & Canada and $150 internationally.

Reschedule requests made within 72 hours of an exam will result in a $100 (domestic) and $130 (international) fee.

Impartiality Statement:

NCMA top leadership ensures that NCMA is operated in a manner to safeguard objectivity and impartiality in delivering its certification program in a non-discriminatory manner. Access Impartiality Statement.

The Contract Management Standard:

The Contract Management Standard™ (CMS™) is an ANSI-Accredited Standard that describes contract management in terms of the processes created through the integration and interaction of job tasks and skills and the purposes they serve.

The common and repeated application of this standard will improve productivity, increase efficiency, and reduce costs. The CMS™ is the foundation of the Contract Management Body of Knowledge®, Sixth Edition.

CMS™ is a free download available to NCMA members and nonmembers alike. We encourage you to share it with other contract management professionals who will find it useful.

CMBOK^®:

The CMBOK^® Sixth Edition provides a common understanding of the terminology, practices, policies, and processes used in contract management.

The CMBOK^® align with the competencies found in the Contract Management Standard™ Publication (CMS™) Second Edition—now an accredited American National Standard (ANS) by the American National Standards Institute (ANS number: “ANSI/NCMA ASD 1-2019”).

Purchase today. Members: $60.00 | Nonmembers: $90.00

CPCM™ Online Preparatory Course:

Participate in NCMA's convenient and interactive 10-week online classroom environment.

Practice Exams:

Purchase today to gauge your strengths and weaknesses.