CHAPTER 6 – INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES
Eligibility
Application Process
Description of exams
Exam process, including modes of examination
Testing accommodations
Nondiscrimination and fairness
Review of accommodation requests
Retesting
Adverse decisions
Annual reports
ELIGIBILITY
There are three levels of certification available through NPMA: Certified Professional Property Specialist
(CPPS), Certified Professional Property Administrator (CPPA) and Certified Professional Property
Manager (CPPM).
CPPS Level Certification is for candidates who are new to property management or work as a specialist
in a specific area (e.g., shipping, receiving, or inventory, etc.).
• NPMA membership is NOT a requirement
• There are no eligibility requirements at this level
CPPA Level Certification is for candidates who have worked at least three years in the area of property
management in at least seven of the recognized property management functional areas.
• NPMA membership is NOT a requirement
• Candidates must have successfully completed all CPPS requirements, examinations and have an
active CPPS designation
• Candidates must have at least 3 years of property/asset management work experience in at least 7
functional areas
• Candidates must have an NPMA accepted Work Experience Summary* form which clearly
demonstrates eligibility requirements
*See Appendix F of this document for the Work Experience Summary form.
CPPM Level Certification is for candidates who have worked at least six years in the area of property
management in at least seven of the recognized property management functional areas and have four years of
managerial experience. Managerial experience includes supervision of personnel, decision-making, or management of resources
(budget or assets). Managerial experience would include project management, program management, financial management,
team leadership, or performing duties and responsibilities as the sole property manager in an organization.
• NPMA membership is NOT a requirement
• Candidates must have successfully completed all CPPS and CPPA requirements, examinations
and have an active CPPA designation
• Candidates must have at least 6 years of property/asset management work experience in at least 7
functional areas
• Candidates must have at least 4 years of managerial experience
• Candidates must have an NPMA accepted Work Experience Summary* form which clearly
demonstrates eligibility requirements
NPMA membership is not required for participation in the NPMA Certification Program, however,
members do receive a discounted rate for the purchase of exams.
Property Management Functional Areas:
Acquisition
Ownership, Responsibility, and Accountability
Audits
Physical Inventory
Consumption
Property Accounting (financial)
Contracts and Agreements Closure
Receiving
Disposition and Retirement
Records
Environmental Considerations
Reporting
Identification
Risk Management
Import/Export Control
Screening and Excessing
Inventory Management
Storage and Warehousing
Maintenance
Utilization
Movement and Transfers
Valuation
APPLICATION PROCESS
Exam candidates must complete the on-line application. The electronic application may be found in the
certification tab of the NPMA Website. www.npma.org. Upon completion of the application, soft copy
study guides for the two CPPS and CPPA Module exams are provided to each applicant electronically.
Candidates preparing for the CPPA or CPPM exam, must first submit a completed and properly executed
Work Experience Summary Form. The electronic Work Experience Summary form may be found in the
certification tab of the NPMA Website. www.npma.org
Should a candidate require accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA) during their exam, candidate should include their accommodation request during the application
process. NPMA Staff will contact the candidate for details and accommodation requirements.
All candidate information collected is securely held in strict confidence by the NPMA.
Work Experience Summary form
• The Work Experience Summary form must be submitted by candidates preparing for the CPPA
or the CPPM prior to ordering examinations.
• This form is used to ensure candidates have met eligibility requirements.
• For form submission, go to www.npma.org/certification
• Upon receipt of the completed, properly executed Work Experience Summary form, NPMA Staff
will forward form to a Review Committee for review and acceptance
• If candidate’s Work Experience Summary does not meet eligibility requirements, Review
Committee will note areas of inadequacy and will return form to NPMA Staff. NPMA Staff will
return form along with Review Committee comments to candidate for update.
• If accepted by Review Committee, the Work Experience Summary form is returned to NPMA
Staff, noting the acceptance. NPMA Staff will notify the candidate of the acceptance of the
Work Experience Summary form.
Ordering Exams
• To order certification exams, go to www.npma.org/certification and navigate to the desired
certification level exam.
• One or more exams may be ordered at the same time.
• Candidate will be required to pay applicable exam and application fees.
• Candidate will be prompted to select an approved NPMA proctor in their area from the pull-down
list.
• NPMA Staff will process the exam order, mail any applicable study materials to the candidate,
and send a notification with exam information to the selected Proctor.
DESCRIPTION OF EXAMS
CPPS
The Certified Professional Property Specialist (CPPS) Certification level examination consists of two (2)
50 question, multiple-choice exams – Module 1 and Module 2. Candidates have 90 minutes to take each
exam and may choose to either take them at the same sitting or to take them separately.
The CPPS exams cover 7 domains and 23 subdomains. These domains and subdomains were written by
subject matter experts. CPPS Knowledge Statements were also written by subject matter experts. The
CPPS exam blueprint includes the domains, subdomains and their associated weights. Weights were
derived from the 2016 Job Task Analysis.
CPPA
The Certified Professional Property Administrator (CPPA) Certification level examination consists of two
(2) 50 question, multiple choice exams - Module 3 and Module 4. Candidates have 90 minutes to take
each exam and may choose to either take them at the same sitting or to take them separately.
The CPPA exams cover 8 domains and 28 subdomains. CPPA domains and subdomains were written by
subject matter experts. CPPA Knowledge Statements were also written by subject matter experts. The
CPPA exam blueprint includes the domains, subdomains and their associated weights. Weights were
derived from the 2016 Job Task Analysis.
CPPM
The Certified Professional Property Manager (CPPM) Certification level examination consists of one (1)
situational judgment, short answer exam. The exam is comprised of four (4) property management
scenarios and a series of related questions follow each scenario. Answers are expected to be short,
specific answers, not essays. Candidates have 4 hours to take the exam.
The CPPM exam covers 8 domains and 27 subdomains. CPPM domains and subdomains were written by
subject matter experts. CPPM Knowledge Statements were also written by subject matter experts. The
CPPM exam blueprint includes the domains, subdomains and their associated weights. Weights were
derived from the 2016 Job Task Analysis.
Exam Development
Exam development for all three levels (CPPS, CPPA & CPPM) followed a series of inter-related
processes that revolved around the central concept of validity. Two foundational elements of best practice
include (1) sampling of the content domain and (2) definition of the content to include in exam items.
Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) were recruited to assist in all aspects of exam development, from the Job
Task Analysis through Standard Setting. Best practice elements were captured by analyzing the content
domain derived from the Job Task Analysis survey and using it to develop an exam blueprint. The
knowledge, skills, and abilities identified by SMEs throughout these steps provide the content
specifications for the exams. Decisions regarding the relative emphasis of specific job tasks are based on
the evidence from SMEs and survey responses. The exam specification blueprint developed includes
recommended weights for each domain and task. This provided the CGB evidence upon which to
develop the examinations. After training, NPMA SME teams of item writers developed the examinations.
EXAM PROCESS, INCLUDING MODES OF EXAMINATION
Issuance of Exams
• Exams may be taken either - on-line (electronic) or – written via paper copy.
• Notification of electronic exams issuance is sent by NPMA Staff to Proctor with password for
accessing exams. Paper-copy exams are sent by NPMA Staff to Proctors in sealed envelopes
with instructions to candidates and are to be opened only by candidates.
• Notification is sent by the NPMA Staff to candidate with instructions to contact Proctor to set a
mutually convenient time for taking the exam.
• Exams are created with issue and expiration dates. It is the candidate’s responsibility to take the
exam prior to the expiration date.
• Candidates have 90 days from the date of issue to complete each exam. For CPPS & CPPA
exams, if all exams are ordered at one time, the expiration dates are staggered, beginning with
the Module 1 exam.
o Module Exam I expires in 90 days
o Module Exam II expires in 180 days
o Module Exam III expires in 270 days
o Module Exam IV expires in 360 days
• If the exam has expired, the candidate must contact NPMA Staff for a one-time re-issuance
within 30 days of the expiration date. Re-issuance requests will be handled on a case-by-case
basis.
• Each level of certification must be successfully completed prior to taking the next level.
• Exam fees are non-refundable, but exams may be rescheduled. If a candidate must reschedule or
cancel an exam they must contact their Proctor to reschedule. Under certain extenuating
circumstances, NPMA may extend the expiration date of the exam. If an extension is required,
contact NPMA Staff at certification@npma.org or call (404) 789-3160.
Exam Scoring
Written versions of the CPPS and CPPA 4 modular exams are scored by an electronic score scanner.
CPPS and CPPA exams taken on-line are scored by the computer. The scores are verified by NPMA
Staff, a Score Report is prepared and then sent to the candidate via email. The candidate’s profile is
updated with the exam score posted. Exam scores will not be delivered over the phone. Scoring and
reporting of the modular exams usually requires 2 – 5 business days. Passing scores for the modular
exams are as follows:
CPPS – Module 1 – Raw Score 37, Percentage 74%
CPPS – Module 2 – Raw Score 33, Percentage 66%
CPPA – Module 3 – Raw Score 33, Percentage 66%
CPPA – Module 4 – Raw Score 32, Percentage 64%
The CPPM exam is a Situational Judgment exam and is independently scored by two anonymous judges.
The scores are returned to NPMA Staff for verification. Should a question have a difference in score of
more than one point (by the two judges) the exam is sent to a third independent, anonymous judge for
adjudication. The adjudicating judge will score any of the questions which have a difference in score of
more than one point. The adjudicated scores are returned to NPMA Staff for verification. All scores are
entered into a scoresheet which will calculate the final score. A Score Report is prepared and then sent to
the candidate via email and the candidate’s profile is updated with score results. Exam scores will not be
delivered over the phone. Scoring and reporting of the CPPM exam may take up to 6 weeks. Passing
score for the CPPM exam is as follows:
CPPM Situational Judgment Exam – Raw Score 84, Percentage 70%
TESTING ACCOMMODATIONS
NPMA complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. Candidates with disabilities
covered by this Act, will be provided reasonable accommodations made specifically to meet their needs.
Candidates who may require accommodations will be prompted to so notify NPMA Staff during the
application process. Candidates must contact NPMA Staff before scheduling the examination as
arrangements for special accommodations may take up to 30 days to coordinate. Arrangements will be
made by the NPMA Staff with the appropriate persons in candidate’s locality to provide the required
reasonable accommodations.
NON-DISCRIMINATION/FAIRNESS
The NPMA Certification Program is equitable and impartial with regard to access and availability.
NPMA ensures fairness to all and does not discriminate against race, color, religion, gender, national
origin, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status or any other category protected by
federal, state and local laws.
REVIEW OF ACCOMMODATION REQUESTS
All requests for special accommodations are reviewed by the NPMA Staff to ensure the request can be
processed without jeopardizing the integrity or security of the examination. NPMA Staff will
communicate with the candidate to ensure all processes and procedures are explained and ensure that an
exam appointment is scheduled.
RETESTING
Candidates who have received failing score reports are encouraged to continue to study and to retest.
Candidates must wait 30 days from the date of the original exam prior to ordering and retaking exams.
There is no limit to the number of times a candidate may retake the CPPS, CPPA, and CPPM exams.
When a retake exam is purchased, the candidate must schedule a mutually agreeable time to retake the
exam with an NPMA approved proctor.
ADVERSE DECISIONS
Eligibility Appeals
A candidate whose eligibility has been denied by the NPMA may appeal the decision to the NPMA VP of
Certification within thirty (30) calendar days after notification of the adverse decision. The candidate
must submit the appeal in writing (email is acceptable), and explain in detail: The nature of the request,
the specific facts and circumstances supporting the request, and all reasons why the action or decision
should be changed or modified. The candidate must also provide complete and accurate copies of all
supporting documents. Eligibility appeals will be reviewed by the CGB Appeals/Disciplinary Board. The
candidate will be notified by the NPMA VP of Certification, in writing, (email is acceptable) of the CGB
Appeals/Disciplinary Board decision. The decision of the CGB Appeals/Disciplinary Board is final.
Examination Appeals
Complaints or appeals regarding the exam itself may be submitted in writing, (email is acceptable) prior
to taking the exam and up to thirty (30) days after exam administration. Written appeals must be
submitted with supporting documentation or evidence to the NPMA VP of Certification. The burden of
proof is borne by the candidate. The appeal and supporting documentation will be passed to the CGB
Director of Exams for review and determination. The CGB Director of Exams will provide a written
decision to the NPMA VP of Certification to provide the decision to the appellant. The decision of the
CGB Director of Exams is final. Complaints or appeals regarding the exam itself will not be considered
thirty-one (31) days or later after exam administration.
There is a thorough review and analysis of each question during the exam construction phase, and as
such, there are no appeal procedures to challenge individual exam questions or answers. Because of the
secure nature of exams, NPMA will not disclose examination questions. Candidates’ responses to
particular test questions (correct or not correct) will not be disclosed.
Exam Score Appeals
In order to appeal an exam score, candidates must submit a written request to NPMA Staff within 30 days
of receiving exam results. The NPMA Staff will forward the appeal to the CGB Director of Exams.
Appeals will be handled on a case by case basis. Adjustments may be made pending resolution of the
investigation. The CGB Director of Exams will provide a written decision to the NPMA Staff to provide
the decision to the appellant. The decision of the CGB Director of Exams is final.
ANNUAL REPORTS
Annual reports are written by the CGB Director of Exams. The report will include statistics on the
number of exams taken for each certification level during the year, as well as how many of the exams
were passed. The report will also include the number of certificants at each level at the end of the year.
The CGB Director of Exams will send the report to NPMA Staff who will post the report to the NPMA
website at www.npma.org.
