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Find below answers to the most frequently asked questions concerning IREB and the CPRE.
If you do not find the right answers, don't hesitate to contact us at: info@ireb.org
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.
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.
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.
Yes, it is possible. Ideally refer to both the CPRE Foundation Level syllabus and to the book Requirements Engineering Fundamentals.
Check out the practice examination to verify whether you are sufficiently well-prepared for the exam.
The concept of the CPRE certification follows the DIN EN ISO/IEC 17024:2012 standard, which stipulate the strict separation of training and certification, thus avoiding conflicts of interest. CPRE training providers and CPRE certification bodies are personally and organizationally independent organizations.
However, this does not mean that the person who wants to obtain the CPRE certificate must find both a provider of the training as well as a certification body that finally conducts the exam and issues the certificate.
Almost all CPRE training providers offer a full service:
Booking a training course covers the training itself and the organization of the exam, which is conducted by an independent certifier.
So the participant has exactly one contact for the complete CPRE certificate package.
A Certification Body conducts the CPRE exams, evaluates the exams, declares the results and issues the CPRE certificates on behalf of IREB.
The certification bodies offer public examinations or they provide the exam after a training course. Online exams in a test center are available as well. You register for a public examination directly at the certification body. The scheduled dates for public examinations are published on their websites.
Alternatively, remote exams conducted under supervision are also possible.
Usually the examination subsequent to a training course is organized by the training provider. They will handle the registration for you.
You can also sit for the exam at a training provider without having attended the course. Please contact the training provider in advance in order to clarify the procedure.
The following languages are available for the exams:
Foundation Level:
Advanced Level:
all modules
Requirements Elicitation only
The prices for the certification are fixed by the Certification Bodies and vary depending on the country. Please request the prices for your country directly from the Certification Bodies.
The training courses are individually designed by the Training Providers, so prices vary greatly depending on the details of the exact course on offer. Please request the prices directly from the Training Providers.
The exam in the Foundation Level is a multiple choice questionnaire. For details see the exam regulations of the Foundation Level.
The exam in the Advanced Level consists of a multiple choice questionnaire to achieve the Practitioner certificate and a written assignment for achieving the Specialist certificate. For details see the exam regulations of the Advanced Level.
The download area contains the relevant documents and information for each module: Advanced Level written assignment
The certification body sends the result by post to the address stated by the examinee on application. If you have passed the exam, you will receive your certificate together with the result.
If you take the exam online you get your result immediately after the examination. The certificate will be delivered to you later by post. The certificate obtained via an online exam is dispatched within the same time as the results of conventional exams.
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.
The training providers recognized by IREB have committed themselves to offer training courses that are aligned to the syllabi. However, the providers design their own courses and may add further aspects to the training content.
When looking e.g. for training on RE in an agile environment, you should look out for CPRE courses which address these particular topics.
A rerun of the training course before repeating the exam is not necessary.
The exam can be retaken at most twice without a waiting period. If you fail the exam for the third time you may only retake it one year after the third exam date at the earliest.
The CPRE exam can be taken immediately after the training, but this is not essential. If the participant of the course does not feel confident to take the exam immediately he or she should consult the trainer if it may be better to sit for the certification at a later stage. This would allow more time to become familiar with the topics where the participant still has gaps and thus only sitting the exam when fully prepared.
For this reason for the Advanced Level exam there is a period of 12 months after having passed the multiple choice exam for the submission of the homework (written assignment). This gives the candidate the opportunity to gather further practical experience in the chosen topic which may be incorporated in the written work.
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.
The prerequisite for taking a CPRE Advanced Level Specialist exam is a CPRE Advanced Level Practitioner certificate in the corresponding module.
See the graphic showing the relation of the CPRE Advanced Level certificates.
No, this is not required. The CPRE Advanced Level Specialist exam can be taken at any time, there is no temporal link. The CPRE Advanced Level Practitioner certificate is a prerequisite for the further CPRE Advanced Level Specialist exam in the same module; beyond that, they are distinct certificates.
The CPRE Foundation Level certificate - or an equivalent - is the prerequisite for admission to the CPRE Advanced Level Practitioner examination. See the graphic showing the relation of the CPRE Advanced Level certificates.
The British Computer Society (BCS) offers a variety of diplomas for professional development. Within the diploma Business Analysis there is a certificate Requirements Engineering. This certificate has a large overlap with the CPRE Foundation Level certificate. Therefore BCS and IREB have closed an agreement that candidates who have completed the BCS Certificate in Requirements Engineering will be exempt from taking the IREB CPRE Foundation level to progress to the CPRE Advanced level Practitioner. The BCS Certificate in Requirements Engineering is sufficient and equivalent!
Yes, a CPRE Advanced Level certificate issued before July 1, 2022 is 1:1 equivalent to the CPRE Advanced Level Specialist and continues to have lifetime validity. See the graphic showing the relation of the CPRE Advanced Level certificates.
Until December 31, 2023 it is possible to request the CPRE Advanced Level Practicioner certificate of the corresponding module for the passed multiple-choice exam from the certification body where you took the exam. Any costs incurred must be requested directly from the Certification Body.