Show your experience with a C-level certificate
At IPMA C-level, you can complete either the Certified Project Manager or Certified Agile Leader certification. The C-level certification is the best level for you if you have at least 3-5 years of work experience in project or agile management. Please note that you do not need to have an IPMA Level D certification to be eligible for the IPMA Level C certification.
IPMA is nicely diversified compared to others. I think the certification helps to maintain one’s professional skills. And the most important thing is that the certification qualifies the holder as a project manager.
Elina Friederiksen, 2M -IT
Who can complete the certificate
- You must have at least three years’ experience in either:
- managing the organisation’s normal projects within the last six years OR
- a responsible project management role assisting the project manager on demanding projects within the last six years.
- A responsible project management role means a role in which the applicant acts as a supervisor of people in a project management capacity. This must be demonstrated, for example, by an organisational chart showing the applicant’s subordinates. Mere case management does not meet the criterion.
- The period may be extended to 10 years for duly justified reasons.
- In their application, applicants should provide a reference project/assignment that best reflects their experience. The reference must have expired no more than two years before the date of submission of the application.
- You must have at least three years’ experience in either:
- managing the organisation’s normal agile functions within the last six years OR
- a responsible agile leadership role assisting the agile leader in agile tasks requiring agile leadership within the last six years.
- The responsible agile leader role means a role in which the candidate acts as a supervisor of people. This must be demonstrated, for example, by an organisational chart showing the applicant’s subordinates. Merely managing things does not meet this criterion.
- The period may be extended to 10 years for duly justified reasons.
- In their application, applicants must provide a reference assignment that best reflects their experience. The reference must have expired no more than two years before the date of submission of the application.
Certification process at level C
- Order the application package – You will receive the application forms and clear instructions by email. Ordering the application package is free of charge and does not commit you to anything. It also contains tips on how to prepare for the test.
- Read the materials – Read the “Individual Competence Baseline” and the Ethical guidelines. For those taking the Agile Management Certificate, we also recommend that you read the IPMA® Reference Guide ICB4 in an Agile World.
- Complete the application and register for the exam – Register for the most convenient exam date and complete the application in the certification system. The application must be accompanied by the necessary attachments and a free-form CV. Registration must be made at least four weeks before the exam.
- Take the exam online – The 3-hour exam includes 60 open questions. The test will be supervised by Zoom. If you fail, you can retake the test once free of charge.
- Workshop and interview – After passing the exam, you will participate in an online group workshop and personal interview or alternatively an extended personal interview.
- Final assessment – After the interview, a final assessment will be conducted and upon approval, you will be awarded the IPMA® Level C Certificate and can use the professional title “Certified Project Manager” or “Certified Agile Leader”.
Please note that the Agile Management certification exam can only be taken in English. You can take the Project Management certification exam in English or Finnish.
Validity and renewal of the certificate
The certificate is valid for 5 years. The renewal application must be submitted no earlier than six (6) months before the expiry date of the certificate and no later than six (6) months after the expiry date of the certificate. For renewal, the applicant shall provide evidence that they have worked for 30 months during the past five (5) years in a position meeting the requirements of the profession and level. In addition, they must provide evidence of continuous competence development – a minimum of 35 hours per year, or 175 hours over a five-year period. Develop your skills through webinars, courses, conferences, lectures, writing professional articles, self-study and reading professional literature.
You can check the validity of your certificate on the IPMA website. Please note that the validity of the certificate is given in the format MM/DD/YYYY.
The certificate is renewed electronically. The application is accompanied by a free-form CV and the required attachment, which are returned to the certification system. Instructions for the renewal application and the required attachment can be found in the links below.
Click here to download the renewal application instructions.
Download the required attachment here.
Be sure to select certification level C on the online application to ensure your application is routed to the correct assessment.
Complete the online application in the certification system.