When is the examgiven?
The exam is currently offered during three exam periods each year.During each exam period the exam will be open for 7 days. You will be able to start the exam at any time during the exam period but once you start you must complete the exam within four hours.
Exam Periods
- March 11-18, 2024
- July 8-15, 2024
- November 4-11, 2024
The deadline to sign up is the Friday prior to the exam at noon Eastern time. Applications take up to one month to review, after receipt of references.Please plan accordingly.
The CCPS Process Safety Professional Certification (CCPSC®)exam is given online. It is open book and must be completed within 4 hours of beginning the exam. You may start the exam at any point during the exam period. While you may use reference works in completing the exam your answers must be your own work completed independently.
What is involved in the exam?
The Certified Process Safety Professional exam is an open book exam that you take online. The exam must be completed in 4 continuous hours. There are 120 multiple choice and 6 essayquestions.Your answers to the essay questions must be in your own words.No credit will be given for answers copied from another source (i.e., a “Copy & Paste” answer).
How can I prepare for the exam?
The exam is based on your technical knowledge in process safety and on the management systems in the CCPS Risk Based Process Safety (RBPS) model. You can find reference materials here:
Once you review the elements, you can identify where you have gaps in your own knowledge. The following links to review courses, tools, and other books are available to help fill those gaps:
CCPS does not currently have a preparation course or sample questions for the CCSPC® Exam. Some people have found the following CCPS courses to be helpful during exam preparation:
• ELA 120 – 20 elements of Risk Based Process Safety
• Foundations of Process Safety / Process Safety Boot Camp
• The courses included in the CCPSf Certificate Program
If I do not pass the exam, can I have another opportunity?
Yes,will be able to take a second exam without reapplying, within 12 months of the first exam. You must pay theretesting fee. If you need to take the exam a third time, you will need to complete a short reapplication form.There is no limit to the number of times an individual can apply to retake the examination.See the fee schedule for details.
Where do I take the exam?
The exam is online and can be taken anywhere you can access the internet.
Can I have access to books, call a friend or consult the internet while answering the exam?
You are permitted to access reference materials (book, internet). However, completing the exammust be an individual effort. No assistance from anyone else is allowed, and you are required to attest that you did not use anyone's assistance during the exam. Any evidence that the examinee sought assistance during the exam will be investigated.
How will my exam be scored?
Exams are scored by Certified Process Safety Professionals using standardized criteria.
After the exam, will I have the opportunity to review any specific question or answer?
No. In order to maintain the validity of the exam the questions and answers must remain confidential.
