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CPRE Brief overview of the worldwide recognized CPRE certificate
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The CPRE

20 5

About the certificate

The Certified Professional for Requirements Engineering (CPRE) is a personal certificate aimed at individuals working in Requirements Engineering, Business Analysis and Testing. It will expand your professional knowledge and help you to become more successful in your job.
The certification scheme is developed by the IREB, the contents are taught by independent training providers and the CPRE exam can be taken at approved certification bodies. The CPRE certificate has lifetime validity.

A four-tier concept for your success

An overview of the concept:

The four levels

Level 1: Foundation Level

The CPRE Foundation Level covers the fundamentals of the Requirements Engineering domain, methodology and available techniques. There are no prerequisites to apply for it.
For further information see Foundation Level

Level 2: Practitioner

The CPRE Practitioner stands for in-depth knowledge in an RE specialization or a crosscutting module.

Level 3: Specialist

The CPRE Specialist stands for mastering and using methods and techniques in a chosen specialization, i.e., in a module.

The following modules are available for Level 2 and Level 3:

Note on Level 2 and Level 3
The Practitioner and Specialist certifications are derived from the Advanced Level (AL) certificate, which could be obtained until July 2022.

Level 4: Expert

The Expert stands for the highest level of expert knowledge, which comprises practical experience as well as outstanding knowledge and skills in Requirements Engineering.

For prerequisites and further information see Expert Level

Syllabi and literature

The learning objectives for each level and module are defined in the respective syllabus. The contents covered in scripts which can be downloaded in download section.

How to achieve the CPRE certificate?

The CPRE concept gives you maximum flexibility regarding your preparation. We recommend a classroom training course; alternatively you can prepare via online training or self-study.
The exam is usually taken subsequent to a classroom training course. It can also be taken in a test center - at a later time and independently of your choice of preparation.
For further information see training providers, literature and exams.

Roles within the CPRE scheme
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  • Are there transition periods for exams after a new syllabus version has been published?

    In the case of syllabus updates, a transition period allows candidates to choose on which syllabus version they take the exam.
    This is to ensure that anyone who prepared based on the syllabus of a previous version can take the exam based on that syllabus content - even if a new version has already been launched.

    Information on transition periods for the Foundation Level and RE@Agile Primer can be found in the text when downloading the relevant syllabus. For the Advanced Level modules, the transition periods are defined in the examination regulations.

  • Does the certificate have limited validity?

    No, the CPRE certificate has lifetime validity.

    The contents of the CPRE-certificates are based on the fundamental methods and approaches of Requirements Engineering, and these alter only slowly. Therefore we see no need to repeat a training course and/or a certification after a certain time.
    In the everyday work of a business analyst the contents of the CPRE training will, in any case, find practical application, so - as with the knowledge acquired for a driver's license – there should be no need for regular refresher courses.
    This also reflects the philosophy of IREB: the decision to take the CPRE certification should not entail recurring costs for the candidates.

  • Is the CPRE certification internationally accepted?

    Yes, the certification is internationally accepted! CPRE Foundation Level exams have been conducted in 102 countries and over 76,000 candidates have been certified in the CPRE Foundation Level. See the detailed statistics!

    The certification itself is offered in more and more languages which underlines the international importance and acceptance of the CPRE certificates.

  • Why should freelancers get certified?

    The elicitation of requirements generally forms the beginning of each project. Individuals who demonstrate their competence in eliciting and managing requirements at this early stage can quickly progress to playing a leading role in the entire project.
    Even in advance a freelancer’s CPRE certificate indicates, that she/he is especially well-qualified for such a role. From a company’s point of view this person is very well prepared to contribute to the project's success.

  • Why should service providers have their consultants certified in Requirements Engineering?

    With a certification for a CPRE in Foundation Level and a following certification for a CPRE in Advanced Level service providers can emphasize the demonstrable qualification of their employees. The reputation and acceptance of certified consultants is significantly higher market value compared to those consultants without an adequate certificate. Furthermore there is a clear trend to require an adequate certification for consultants when making a call for tenders.
    A further aspect is the motivation of the employees due to incentive systems created by their continuing education and certification.
    Certification of employees is of particular importance to companies operating globally as the international acceptance of CPRE certificates facilitates a trans-national deployment of employees.
    The certification of Requirements Engineering skills also supports the interchangeability of employees in this role, reducing the dependency on a particular skilled individual.