Where can I take part in the certification exam?

The exams must be taken by a certifying body licensed by the IREB. The inscription, organization and test procedures are provided and managed by a recognized certification center, but if you book a training, the training provider – in this case us SOPHISTs – may handle the paperwork for you.

 

What is the difference between the different certification levels?

The foundation level certifies that the bearer is familiar with the vocabulary used in requirements engineering and management, and able to apply the basic techniques and methods used in requirements engineering. The advanced level certificates attests that the bearer can choose the processes, methods and techniques most suited to handle a specific situation and then apply the same. The advanced level is currently not yet available.
The expert level certifies that the bearer has specialized on certain domain-specific and process-specific topics of requirements engineering. The certificate will list to domains and processes. The expert level certification is currently not available either.

 

Do the certification levels build on each other, or can I start with the highest level right away?

The certification levels build on each other. In order to apply for a certification exam of the higher levels, the preceding levels certificates must be presented.

 

Must I gather the certificates for all 3 levels in order to be recognized as an accomplished expert?

No; every level stands on its own. The decision whether to delve more deeply into the field ought to be made based on the requirements and constraints your work routine places on you.

 

Will older certificates be recognized by the IREB?

Certificates issued by the ASQF Germany before the 01.01.2007 may usually be traded – free of charge –  for a foundation level certificate at any licensed certification center. The CPRE certificate, as issued by the ASQF Germany, is guaranteed to be valid for exchange.

 

Is the certificate recognized internationally?

A certificate issued by one certification center will be recognized by all other certification centers worldwide, as long as these are licensed by the IREB as well. The certificate therefore has international validity and may be obtained in any country where an officially licensed certification center is located.

 

How long does the certificate stay valid for?

The foundation level certificate has lifelong validity.

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Which trainings do the SOPHISTs offer as preparation courses for the certification?

The training tailored to suit the IREB syllabus is the three day training “Certified Professional for Requirements Engineering” (CPRE). It offers the best possible preparation for the foundation level certification (the first of three levels).
Participants that have already taken part in a SOPHIST REG training, still ought to participate in the three day CPRE training, since a lot of extra ground is covered. For experts, the CPRE Sparring Day ought to be sufficient.

 

What is the difference between the certified professional for requirements engineering (CPRE) and the requirements engineering for daily use (REG) trainings?

The CPRE (certified professional for requirements engineering) training focuses more on certain content than the REG training does, for example elicitation techniques, review techniques, glossary, document structure and requirements management. In this training, the focus is on preparing for the certification according to the IREB syllabus. The linguistic parts (refining requirements) are faded out compared to the REG. In the REG on the other hand, the above mentioned content is barely touched upon, the focus being on the linguistic method (SOPHIST Rulebook). In the REG training, it is assumed that the requirements are available – however structured they may be – and the lectures center on refining and improving the requirements (keywords: unambiguousness, traceability, defect analysis etc.).
On a whole, the CPRE tries to cover more material and delves deeper into certain subjects than the REG does. Because of this, the CRPE is one day longer than the REG training.

 

Why does the REG training take 2 days and the CPRE 3?

For the reasons detailed above (the content differs), the CPRE takes longer: it covers more subjects and delves deeper into certain topics, thus it takes more time to get all the knowledge across.

 

Are different trainings going to be provided for the 3 different certification levels?

The CPRE training has been built to suit the foundation level syllabus of the IREB. As soon as a syllabus and a certification for the advanced and expert levels become available, the SOPHISTs will be offering corresponding trainings. As of now, when this will be the case is still open.

 

Should one visit another CPRE training, even though already having partaken in a CPRE or REG training in the past?

It shouldn’t be necessary to participate in a CPRE training, if one’s already been to one. It is recommended, though, to take part in the Sparring Day, which is about recalling the syllabus contents in a short a compact fashion. If you’ve visited a REG training, you ought to think about participating in a CPRE training.

 

How do I quickly and efficiently prepare for a certification exam, if the CPRE training I took part in was held a while back?

Using the training materials and supplementary books, you may privately prepare for the exam. The very best preparation for the exam would be our CPRE Sparring Day training, though, which is explicitly tailored for a quick and dense exam preparation. Another great asset for preparing is the textbook “Basiswissen Requirements Engineering”, which is specifically suited to the 2.0 version syllabus and covers all exam-relevant topics.

 

Are there any books that’ll help me prepare for the certification?

The training materials handed out during our CPRE trainings are an excellent resource for preparing. It’s also usually a good idea to prepare using the “Basiswissen Requirements Engineering” textbook, which is specifically suited to follow the 2.0 foundation level syllabus and covers all topics relevant for the exam.

If you want to go more in-depth for your preparation, the current edition of our book “Requirements Engineering and Management” by Chris Rupp and the SOPHISTs is an excellent place to start. But since preparing using the book takes a lot of time and self-study simply doesn’t appeal to everybody, we’d recommend taking part in the three-day CPRE training we offer or – if you already participated in that training – why don’t you join us for a CPRE Sparring Day?

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How do I inscribe myself for the exam?

Inscriptions, as well as the organization and execution of the exams are generally handled by a certification center. For all open and in-house trainings we SOPHISTs offer, we’ll be glad to handle the inscription and organizational details for your – the exam will usually be held right after the training is over.

 

What are the prerequisites required to attend a „certified professional for requirements engineering“ foundation level exam?

In order to pass, you’ll have to be familiar with the contents of the foundation level syllabus. Partaking in a training is not a requirement, but the IREB strongly recommends it.

 

May I take the exam right after having taken part in a CPRE training?

You may take the foundation level exam right after finishing a training. You don’t even need to have participated in the training. But since the exam can only be executed by licensed certification centers, you have to inform SOPHIST about whether you’ll be taking the exam or not, so that the particulars may be organized in time.

 

Where are certification exams held?

The exam may be taken at a licensed certification center or may be held, in consultation with the certification center – at an in-house location best suited to you.

 

How is the exam set-up (orally, written, duration, etc.)?

The exact format of the exam depends on the certification center, but the exam is always in written form. The exam takes 75 minutes and is composed of 45 multiple choice questions. No accessories or auxiliary material of any kind may be brought to the examination. The exam is either in English or German. To be able to participate, you’ll need to bring a valid ID along. Another good source of information concerning the exam are the official IREB guidelines, which you can find on the IREB homepage.

 

Is some kind of overview of the syllabus / the contents of the examination available?

Yes; you can find the syllabus of the foundation level “certified professional for requirements engineering” on the homepage of the IREB.

 

How do I find out if I passed the exam?

The written notification about the results, as well as the mailing of the certificate itself is done by the certification center and goes out to the address specified by the examinee during the certification.

 

Who may I contact about the certification exam?

Depending on whether you’ll be taking the exam after having engaged in a CPRE training or a CPRE Sparring Day, or after self-study, you’ll have to contact either the training entity or the certification center itself.

 

How many people may take the exam at once (for example in larger firms)?

The exact numbers are laid down by the certification center. The current guidelines issued by the IREB detail that a certification center must provide an exam right after a training has been held (at the location where the training was held), if the training entity so wishes and at least 6 trainees desire to take the exam. Every registered participant of the exam will be informed, by the training entity or the certification center respectively, whether an exam will be held or not. With our CPRE trainings, we make sure that there’s no more than 12 people in one training, in order to guarantee an effective knowledge transfer.

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