UPPCC releases performance data
The Certified Public Purchasing Officer (CPPO) and Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) are globally recognized credentials offered exclusively by the Universal Public Purchasing Certification Council (UPPCC).
In June, UPPCC announced that 230 individuals successfully completed the May 2009 UPPCC certification exams, including 149 who earned the CPPB certification and 81 who earned the CPPO. To date, 8,758 CPPB and 1,748 CPPO certifications have been awarded by the UPPCC.
Obtaining either UPPCC certification requires the candidate to demonstrate, through an application process, that they meet specific requisites, including formal education, procurement-related coursework/training and public purchasing employment experience. A comprehensive written examination (specific to each certification) is required to confirm the candidate’s mastery of a variety of public procurement concepts found in the UPPCC Body of Knowledge (view the full UPPCC May 2009 Class list).
Here is some key performance data from the May 2009 examinations:
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Overall Scoring/Passing Rates. Eighty-two percent of the 99 total candidates who tested for the CPPO passed, while 62 percent of the 241 candidates who tested for the CPPB passed. CPPO candidates’ mean passing scores were 24 points lower than for CPPB.
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Testing Time. The total testing time permitted for both examinations is 3.5 hours, including time for candidates to comment on individual test questions; this equates to a total of 210 minutes for 175 questions, or an average 1 minute and 23 seconds for each test question. For CPPO, the average completion time was 2.69 hours with a range from 3.5 hours maximum to 1.36 hours minimum. For the CPPB, the average completion time was 2.61 hours with a range from 3.5 hours maximum to 1.01 hours minimum.
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Exam Content/Candidate Preparation. Content for both the CPPO and CPPB examinations is dictated by the 2008 UPPCC Body of Knowledge (BOK). A total of 10 domain areas comprise the BOK:
1. Administration Aspects of Purchasing
2. Procurement Requests
3. Solicitation and Evaluation of Bids/Proposals
4. Supplier Analysis
5. Negotiation Process
6. Contract Award and Administration
7. External/Internal Relationships
8. Materials Management
9. Human Resources/Personnel
10. Forecasting and Strategies -
The UPPCC reports that for the CPPO, candidates performed the best in Domain 2: Procurement Requests and performed the poorest in Domain 10: Forecasting and Strategies. Table 1 reports subject domain strengths and weaknesses. Table 2 reports how much time candidates prepared for the exam. Graphs 1 and 2 report passing rates based on preparation time and entity types.
Testing for both credentials is offered via a network of nearly 400 professional testing centers twice annually in May and October. The UPPCC is currently accepting applications for the May 3-8, 2010, testing window through February 1, 2010.
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