Educational Procurement Journal - September 2007 - (Page 16) CERTIFICATION The Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM) Are You Ready to Test for It? by Bob Ashby, C.P.M., CPCM University of Nevada, Las Vegas (Retired) s discussed previously in this column and at the NAEP Annual Conference, ISM (Institute of Supply Management), the organization that grants the Certified Purchasing Manager (C.P.M.) professional certification, is upgrading its certification program to encompass the entire supply chain, not just Purchasing. As a result, the C.P.M. certification is being replaced with the CPSM (Certified Professional in Supply Management). We have noted that while the C.P.M. is not “going away” – holders of the C.P.M. may recertify forever – ISM will only register new candidates for the C.P.M. exam through December 31, 2008. This means that those wanting to obtain their C.P.M. have less than one-and-a-half years to obtain it. NOTE: Sessions at past Annual Conferences, and at the 2008 Conference, address the relative merits of the C.P.M., the CPSM, the CPPO (Certified Public Purchasing Officer), the CPPB (Certified Public Purchasing Buyer) and other professional certifications available to those of us in our chosen profession. Those sessions will explain what these certifications are, why and how you should obtain one, and what materials and methods we recommend to obtain them. While future articles will address those certifications, this article is solely about the new CPSM and how to be one of the first to test for it. While we have encouraged our members to obtain the C.P.M. before it is replaced, ISM has been writing CPSM exam questions for the three exams that must be passed in order to obtain that new designation. ISM must, of course, test to assure the validity of its new tests. To do this, they will conduct a “pilot program” and let CPSM candidates take those tests. (Existing C.P.M.s will have a one-time opportunity later, not now, to take a single Bridge Exam to “bridge” over to the CPSM. That Bridge Exam has not yet been developed and is not part of this pilot program.) Are you interested in being part of this pilot program? Here are the particulars: • The pilot program will be given ONLY • CPSM Study Materials – Participants will A between February 1 and March 31, 2008. • Only existing C.P.M.s with a four-year de- • • • • • • • gree from a regionally accredited institution may test. The exams will only be given by ISM affiliates and companies with at least five candidates or five exams to test (fewer than five individuals may take multiple exams). The five exams must be scheduled on the same day. Tests can be given on multiple dates but must have at least five exams on each day. (NAEP will not meet during this time period so we will not be able to test as a group. You must contact your local ISM affiliate.) The three exams are: Exam 1: Foundation of Supply Management, 165 questions, 2 hours and 45 minutes. Exam 2: Effective Supply Management Performances, 165 questions, 2 hours and 45 minutes. Exam 3: Leadership in Supply Management, 180 questions, 3 hours. Exams may be taken in any sequence. The CPSM pilot testing exams will be paper and pencil only and not computer based. Scores might not be mailed to candidates until mid-May. The CPSM Bridge Exam will not be offered during the pilot testing. All three exams must be equated before ISM can offer the Bridge Exam. The first Bridge Exam will be offered at ISM’s International Supply Management Conference, May 4-6, 2008, in St. Louis, Missouri. CPSM pilot testing proctors will be excluded from ever taking CPSM Exams 1, 2 and 3 as well as the CPSM Bridge Exam. An HR representative must proctor the CPSM pilot exam, not a C.P.M. CPSM pilot testing fees are $50 per person per exam for ISM members as well as nonmembers. be able to purchase the CPSM Study Guide and the CPSM reference book series as a package for the discounted fee of $99. After May 1, 2008, the price for this package will increase to $259. To order materials, participants can call ISM’s customer service department at (800) 888-6276 or (480) 752-6276, ext. 401, or order on-line at www.ism.ws late Fall 2007. • New exam registration forms and a proctor criteria page that clearly outlines that they will be excluded from ever taking CPSM Exams 1, 2 and 3 as well as the Bridge Exam, are available only from ISM affiliates. • To participate in this pilot program, have your ISM affiliate contact Kathy Brasse or Trish True at ISM, (480) 752-6276, ext. 3086. • The exam testing fees are as follows: February-March 2008 – $50 per exam; AprilAugust 2008 – $90 for members, $132.50 for nonmembers; after September 2008 – $180 for members, $265 for nonmembers. • Additionally, once the test is passed, application will have to be submitted to ISM to actually receive the CPSM certificate. Those application fees are: FebruaryAugust – $45 members, $75 nonmembers; after September 2008 – $90 members, $150 nonmembers. • There is no information yet on the cost of the Bridge Exam. If you have any questions, go to the ISM Web site, www.ism.ws, or contact me at the e-mail address below. Bob Ashby, C.P.M., CPCM, recently retired from his position as the Director of Purchasing and Contracts for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), where he also served as an adjunct professor in the Management Department. Bob has been active in NAEP for 9 years and in 2006 was given NAEP’s Distinguished Service Award. e-Mail: ashbybob@sbcglobal.net 16 EDUCATIONAL PROCUREMENT JOURNAL September 2007 http://www.ism.ws http://www.ism.ws
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