Assessment
Interview:
In the interview the assessors ask questions (according to ICB Version 3.0) they have previously prepared related to the report, the self-assessment of the candidate, and eventually the written exam answers, the workshop outcomes, the 360-degree assessment and/or references.
The questions may include:
- a check of statements in the documentation submitted;
- an exploration of gaps, strengths and weaknesses in the knowledge and experience of the candidate;
- a demonstration of the competence of the candidate related to managing projects, programmes and portfolios.
The duration of interview is shown in table:
| IPMA Level A | IPMA Level B | IPMA Level C | |
| Duration (without reduction to workshop) | 2 to 2.5 hours | 1.5 to 2 hours | 1 to 1.5 hours |
| If a workshop is included as part of the process, the duration of the interview may be reduced by… | 30 minutes | 30 minutes | 20 minutes |
Minimal quantity of competence elements to be used in interview:
| IPMA Level A | IPMA Level B | IPMA Level C | |
| Technical | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Behavioural | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Contextual | 4 | 3 | 2 |
Certification decision
The certification body makes a decision on whether the candidate can continue or must quit the certification process after defined steps of the certification process on the basis of the total evaluation of the assessors.
The role of the certification body is the assessment of the individual, it does not provide coaching or training.
The assessors involved in an assessment are independent and do not respond to questions from the candidates. They can pass on information to the candidate about missing or insufficient information in his application that has been identified by the certification body and invite him to add it during the next step in the process. The certification body provides the information about the certification process to the candidate and answers any questions he may have. An assessor normally evaluates the knowledge and experience component per competence element in common.
If a candidate wants to know the reasons for a failure, the lead assessor responds to the candidate, accompanied by a representative of the certification body.
Assessment
The knowledge, experience and personal qualities of the candidate are assessed according to ICB version 3.0. The degree of competence is defined by general descriptions of knowledge and experience and evaluated with values on a scale from 0 through 10.
The total competence required per range should be split between the ranges in the following proportions:
| IPMA Level A % | IPMA Level B % | IPMA Level C % | IPMA Level D % | |
| Technical | 40 | 50 | 60 | 70 |
| Behavioural | 30 | 25 | 20 | 15 |
| Contextual | 30 | 25 | 20 | 15 |
The knowledge and experience requirements depend on the levels as well:
| IPMA Level A (0 — 10) | IPMA Level B (0 — 10 | IPMA Level C (0 – 10) | IPMA Level D (0 – 10) | |
| Knowledge | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
| Experience | 7 | 6 | 4 | (optional) |
Note: The values represent the average scores expected of a candidate at each IPMA Level.