426 APMP Members Volunteer in 48 hours for APMP New Practitioner Certification Pilot Exam

Just over 400 APMP members answered a call for volunteers to be among the first industry professionals to pilot test the new APMP Practitioner Objective Testing Exam (OTE).  The 426 members flooded the application site, and only 20 pilot testing spots are available.

“We continue to turn to our members to tell us what they want and need,” said Ginny Carson, Chair of APMP. “The number of volunteers who applied for these limited test seats demonstrates excitement about the new Practitioner exam and shows that when we ask our members for help; they always step forward and deliver for their association.  It’s one of the many reasons why we are #ProudToBeAPMP,” she said.

The 426 applications came in a 48-hour burst after the Call for Volunteers was e-mailed to members. At its height during lunch on the east coast, APMP received 84 volunteers in one hour.   Members kept applying despite all communications sharing that just 20 pilot tester slots are available.   With this wave of volunteers, members have about a five percent chance of being selected.

The pilot testers will be selected from the volunteers using the following criteria:

  • Number of years in the industry: APMP seeks both new faces and industry veterans to test the OTE
  • Geographic area globally: APMP seeks a geographically diverse population
  • Previous Practitioner certification completers and and those new to Practitioner Certification: APMP seeks a mix of those who have and have not already accomplished this level of certification
  • APMP members in good standing: APMP will eliminate non-members from the test pool

APMP will search the volunteer applications for a wide range of these targeted characteristics, reduce the pool and then complete a random drawing to select the volunteers who will take the Practitioner OTE Phase 2 pilot test free of charge.

Phase 2 Pilot testing will take place in April 2019.

APMP will retire its current 33 question Practitioner assessment on July 22, 2019 and switch entirely to the new Practitioner OTE at that time.  The OTE will test the experience of the bid and proposal professional, and how they apply that experience to a scenario during a two-and-a-half-hour online exam.

Those currently taking the existing Practitioner Assessment will also have until July 22, 2019 to complete their work before the association transitions to the new Practitioner OTE.

Here’s what APMP members can expect in the new Practitioner OTE:

  • Scenario-Based Members will be asked to read a detailed scenario and apply their experience in the bid and proposal industry to answer a series of questions. Exam participants will have to think their way through the Practitioner OTE while applying APMP’s best practices as published in its Body of Knowledge.
  • Challenging –– The Practitioner OTE is significantly more challenging than APMP’s Foundation Level exam, and it is supposed to be. Not only do participants need to know industry best practices, but they also must know how to apply their knowledge to test their experience based on APMP Best Practice. It is designed for professionals who have been in the industry for three or more years and is not recommended for industry newcomers.
  • New Format — The new exam is online-based and will be completed with an online proctor at Proctor University.
  • Length — The Practitioner OTE is a 2.5-hour exam taken entirely online.
  • This is the APMP Certification to Earn – Because the exam is designed to test the participant’s experience, it will give employers comfort in knowing that those who hold an APMP Practitioner exam are highly qualified job candidates. APMP members should strive to earn the Practitioner Certification because it truly measures what a professional knows and how to apply that knowledge in a bid and proposal setting.  The APMP Foundation exam tests what you know about the industry and best practices.  The Practitioner OTE tests what you know about bids and proposals and how to apply those best practices

Anyone holding APMP’s legacy Practitioner certification, need not worry. Both the legacy and the new Practitioner OTE will be recognized by the association.  Those holding the legacy Practitioner certification will not be asked to take the new Practitioner OTE.  However, after July 22, 2019, APMP will only offer the new Practitioner OTE to its members.

Please contact rick.harris@apmp.org if you have questions about the new APMP Practitioner OTE.

 

APMP is a 501c6 non-profit organization based in Washington, DC and is dedicated to advance the arts, sciences, and technologies of new business acquisition of its more than 8,500 members and to promote the professionalism of those engaged in those pursuits.

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