What is the CPSM Bridge
Exam?
The Bridge is a single exam for
C.P.M.s in good standing who wish to earn the CPSM
designation. The Bridge Exam covers contemporary content and
material not covered in the current C.P.M. Exam. It is
comprised of 180 questions (all scored) and candidates will be
allowed three (3) hours to test.
A Bachelors’ degree from a
regionally accredited institution and three years of
full-time professional (nonclerical, nonsupport) supply
management experience are also required to bridge to the CPSM.
Who is eligible to take the
Bridge Exam?
C.P.M.s in good standing are
eligible to take the Bridge Exam. A Bachelors’ degree from a
regionally accredited institution and three years of
full-time professional (nonclerical, nonsupport) supply
management experience are also required to bridge to the CPSM.
The individual must be in good standing at the time of Exam
registration, the time of testing and when they apply for the
designation.
How do I know if I am a
C.P.M. "in good standing"?
You are a C.P.M. "in good
standing" if your certification is current at the time you
submit both your registration for the Bridge exam and your
application for the CPSM Qualification. If your C.P.M. has
expired, even if you are within your one-year grace period,
your C.P.M. is NOT in good standing.
Lifetime C.P.M.s are always
considered in good standing because their certification never
expires.
To check your C.P.M. status:
http://www.ism.ws/certification/CPMSearch.cfm?navItemNumber=15543
What knowledge will the
Bridge Exam test?
Your exam registration is
valid for one year from the day ISM processes your
registration. Payment is required in advance.
All our computer testing is
done at Pearson VUE Testing Centers and can be scheduled at
your convenience.
Examination fees are $180
per exam for ISM members and $265 per exam for nonmembers.
Within 24 hours of
processing your registration, you will receive a confirmation
letter from ISM with instructions on how to schedule an exam
and locate a test center on Pearson VUE's Web site:
http://pearsonvue.com/ism/
An alternative to Pearson VUE
is onsite testing:
http://www.ism.ws/certification/content.cfm?ItemNumber=6040
How do I reschedule or
cancel an existing appointment?
To reschedule or cancel your
test appointment, you must contact Pearson VUE at least
24-hours prior to the scheduled local testing time. For
example, an 8:30am appointment on Monday must be rescheduled
by 8:30am on Sunday (all times are local). If you do not
reschedule or cancel your appointment in time, all funds are
forfeited.
To reschedule or cancel,
please visit
www.pearsonvue.com/ism and select the appropriate link.
Please DO NOT call your
local Pearson VUE test center to make appointments or
cancel/reschedule appointments.
What kind of
identification (I.D.) will I need in order to test?
For your exam, you must to
bring one valid photo I.D. with signature that reflects the
name on your exam registration.
Your I.D. MUST be one of the
following:
Driver's License*
Passport*
Military I.D.*
Official State, Government,
or National I.D.
Employee I.D.
Student I.D.
Photo credit card
No other forms of I.D. will
be accepted.
*Driver’s License, Passport
and Military IDs that have a digital signature encoded will
only be accepted as valid ID if accompanied by another valid
ID with signature.
Note: on the day of your
exam, if you are unable to produce a valid I.D. matching the
name in ISM’s database, you will not be allowed to test and
all registration fees will be forfeited.
Note: Pearson VUE uses
biometrics in all test centers. Biometrics are automated
methods of recognizing a person based on a physical
characteristic and are primarily used to combat identity
fraud. One such method involves the examinee placing a finger
on a scanner, which results in an electronic fingerprint.
Can I bring a calculator
to the exam?
You may not bring a
calculator into the exam room. Instead, there is an on-screen
calculator for your use.
What else should I know
about taking my exam at a Pearson VUE Test Center?
Plan to arrive 30 minutes
before your appointment. If you are more than 15 minutes late,
you will be considered a non-refundable "no show."
You will be required to
leave all personal belongings in a locker. This includes bags,
pagers, watches, wallets, notes, books or other materials not
authorized for this exam. Items such as a cell phone,
BlackBerry, or PDA are also prohibited.
An erasable noteboard and
pen will be provided for the exam. They will be collected at
the end of the test.
Wear comfortable, layered
clothing. Test center temperatures vary.
How are the Exams scored?
What is passing?
Each candidate must pass
with a minimum scaled score of 400 regardless of the number of
questions in that Exam. ISM maintains multiple versions, or
forms, of the exam. While the content of the exam remains
constant, the actual questions used in the exam will change.
Different forms of the exam use different questions, the level
of difficulty will vary slightly from test to test. To
compensate for these variations, a statistical procedure known
as equating is used to account for differences in test
difficulty. The passing score is not calculated based upon
percentages.
For example, let's suppose
we have two test forms of an exam — Test A and Test B. Now
suppose it is established that in order to pass Test A, a
person must answer 32 out of 60 questions correct.
Furthermore, suppose that Test B is somewhat easier than Test
A. To compensate for this difference, the passing score for
Test B is adjusted to prevent any "bonus" being given to the
candidates taking Test B. Thus, it may be established that a
candidate must get a score of 34 out of 60 on Test B in order
to pass. This is test equating. It holds candidates to the
same standard in terms of difficulty, regardless of which
version is taken.
Due to this method of
equating the percentage of correct answers varies from exam to
exam. Then, to maintain consistency in scoring, a second
statistical procedure called scaling is used. Scaling converts
all scores to a scale ranging from 100 to 600 with a passing
score set at 400. Thus, the scores you receive from ISM are
actually scaled scores. If the scaled score on any particular
Exam ranges from 100 to 390, this means you failed that Exam.
If the scaled score is in the range of 400 to 600, you passed
that Exam.
What do I do if I fail an
Exam?
It is not at all uncommon
for candidates to fail an Exam. The average pass rate for the
CPSM is 65-70%. You should use the score report that you
receive from the test center to re-focus your study effort in
any task area(s) where you did not answer approximately 75% of
the questions correctly. This will most likely entail
obtaining additional reference material to supplement those
task areas.
In order to re-test, you
will again need to register with ISM and pay the appropriate
member or non-member fee. There is no discount on re-tests.
ISM has a 30-day retake
policy for the CPSM Exams. If you are unsuccessful on an Exam
you MUST wait 30 days before you are eligible to re-take that
specific Exam.
How can I take CPSM Exams
at my company or affiliate?
ISM offers companies onsite
testing of the CPSM Exams. Currently these exams are only
available via paper and pencil testing format. To request more
information regarding on-site testing please contact a member
of the ISM Sales team for more details. Kathy Braase at
kbraase@ism.ws or Patricia
True at ttrue@ism.ws .
Who can proctor the CPSM
Onsite Exams?
How do I apply for the
CPSM?
Once you have passed the
Exam you will need to apply for certification. You can obtain
the appropriate application in the
Certification Forms section on our Web site. Complete and
sign the application, attach the required backup documentation
and mail the application along with the appropriate member or
non-member fee. ISM recommends that you maintain a copy of the
entire application. ISM will accept either your original Exam
score reports or copies of them. If you do submit copies of
your score reports we ask that you maintain the originals in a
safe place.
All documentation must be
submitted in English and ISM will NOT accept incomplete
applications nor will ISM put an application on-hold, pending
an exam score or work experience letter.
I already have my C.P.M.
and have passed the Bridge Exam, what documentation do I need
to submit?
As a C.P.M., you will not
need to re-submit your work experience because ISM already has
it on file.
Everyone will need to submit
a copy of their Bachelor’s Degree — either a photo copy of the
diploma or a transcript that shows completion.
