From an e-mail from the AIP Education Director:
The CPP exam is a rigorous oral examination, lasting nearly two hours and given by a panel of CPPs before one’s peers. The person being examined is not allowed to use any notes or books. Observers cannot leave the room during the exam, must remain silent, and are not allowed to take any notes during the examination. The applicant is examined on several parliamentary authorities. The first half of the examination is on theory and the second half is presiding with the panel making the motions. There is a brief break between the two parts so that observers may leave the room. The door is kept closed during the exam.
From the AIP web site:
An applicant for Certified Professional Parliamentarian must be a Certified Parliamentarian in good standing, must obtain a grade of 90 or above on an oral examination, and accumulate an additional 30 service points.
The oral examination covers the current editions of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure, Cannon's Concise Guide to Rules of Order, and Parliamentary Opinions II. Additional suggested reading is as follows: Parliamentary Law, Parliamentary Opinions I, Demeter’s Manual of Parliamentary Law & Procedure, and Riddick’s Rules of Procedure
In addition to demonstrating a thorough knowledge of these manuals, the examinee must also demonstrate expertise in presiding.
Oral examinations are offered three times each year: at the Annual Session (July/August) , the Richard M. Lucas Memorial Practicum (January), and the Floyd M. Riddick Williamsburg Practicum (June).
For more information about AIP's certification program or to request exam applications, contact AIP at aip@parliamentaryprocedure.org.
From the 2008 CPP Exam Packet (contact AIP for the current packet):
Congratulations! Your decision to seek higher certification is an important one. To help you, this packet has been compiled, and includes the following:
♦ The application for the exam, to be returned to the accrediting director
♦ A video waiver form, to be returned with your application
♦ A service points form
The AIP CPP Oral examination is based on the following parliamentary authorities:
♦ The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure, fourth edition (2000)
♦ Cannon’s Concise Guide to Rules of Order—and—Parliamentary Opinions II
The titles below are suggested reading. Although they will not be specifically referred to in the examination questions, they are important works in the field and it would be appropriate for a candidate to include these references to further expand on an answer.
- Parliamentary Law
- Parliamentary Opinions I
- Demeter’s Manual of Parliamentary Law and Procedure
- Riddick’s Rules of Procedure
- Readings in Parliamentary Law
These books and other important resources are from the AIP bookstore. The accrediting department also strongly advises you to observe at least one oral examination before taking it yourself. The examination has two parts. During part one you will be asked questions by a panel of three examiners on parliamentary theory, who will look for accuracy, completeness, rhythm, delivery, poise, and professionalism. While completeness is a factor, be aware that focusing on the question being asked and framing a concise answer is also important. This part will last 30-45 minutes, or until the required number of questions have been answered. You are not allowed to use any paper or other reference materials during this portion.
Part two is a demonstration of the application of parliamentary theory through presiding. You will be presiding over a mock meeting at which the panel takes on the role of the members. The parliamentary authority for your presiding will be given to you when your examination is scheduled, usually 45 days before the exam. During the presiding demonstration, you will be evaluated on accuracy, fluency, rhythm, timing, flexibility, poise and professionalism. The demonstration will last 30-45 minutes. During this portion of the exam, you will be allowed a
sheet of paper and a pen or pencil. Main motions will be given to you in writing when they are made.
Certification is more than achieving a passing score on an exam; experience and service to AIP are also important. You can compile your service points on the enclosed form. If you pass the exam, you will be notified and reminded to compile your service points (including full documentation) and send them to AIP Headquarters. The accrediting department will verify whether your service points meet the requirements. The final decision on certification is made by the AIP board of directors, upon recommendation of the accrediting department.
GENERAL POLICIES OF THE ACCREDITING DEPARTMENT FOR THE ORAL EXAMINATION FOR CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL PARLIAMENTARIAN
1. The oral examination shall be administered only to Certified Parliamentarians seeking reclassification to Certified Professional Parliamentarian. An examinee must be a Certified Parliamentarian for not less than eleven months from the date that the examinee successfully passed the CP examination.
2. An application for the oral examination may be obtained from the accrediting director. Each application must be returned by the stated deadline, and must be accompanied by a signed video tape waiver and authorization form and a check or money order made payable to the American Institute of Parliamentarians in US currency in an amount set by the board of directors.
(NOTE: The current fee is $400.)
3. Oral examinations may be taken at an AIP practicum or at an AIP annual session. The accrediting director shall fix the date and location of each oral examination. In an emergency in which the applicant is unable to take the examination on the specified date, the examination may be canceled and the fee applied to the next available examination period. If the examination is not taken during the next period, the fee shall be forfeited.
4. The accrediting director shall appoint the examining committee for each oral exam. All examiners must have held the classification of CPP for at least two years and have signed a confidentiality agreement. In addition, the chief examiner must have served as an assistant examiner.
5. Oral examinations may be witnessed by members of AIP. Only one examinee at a time shall be tested in the same room, and no other examinee may be present during the examination. There shall be no tape or video recording, photography, note taking, prompting, whispering, or any other disturbance of any kind by those witnessing the examination. The chief examiner shall appoint a sergeant-at-arms who shall see that no one enters or leaves while the examination is in progress.
6. The accrediting department shall make a video recording of the examination, and may make a backup aural recording as well. Any such recordings may not be used outside of the AIP accrediting process without the examinee’s permission.
7. Each oral examination shall consist of two parts: questions on the theory and practice of parliamentary procedure (including problems that a parliamentarian may face), and a demonstration of presiding skills. The theory portion of the questions shall be a minimum of thirty minutes or a minimum number of questions as determined by the accrediting department. The total time of the presiding section shall be not less than thirty minutes or more than forty-five minutes.
8. The examination questions will be drawn from Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised (tenth edition), the Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure, (fourth edition) Cannon’s Concise Guide to Parliamentary Procedure and Parliamentary Opinions II.
9. Following the examination, members of the examining committee may consult to establish facts on what might not have been clear. No opinion on the examinee’s performance may be expressed. Each member of the examining committee shall work independently to complete the evaluation
forms. Individual evaluations shall be kept confidential.
10. Evaluation forms shall be signed by each member of the examining committee and submitted to the accrediting director. Examiners shall also retain a copy of their own scoring sheets.
11. The accrediting director shall average the final scores of the three examiners to arrive at a final grade. The results of the oral examination will be sent by mail to the examinee by the accrediting director as soon as possible following the examination. The accrediting director shall also inform the examiners of the individual scores given for the exam, without any identification of which examiner gave each score.
12. A candidate who does not pass the oral examination may request a review of the examination by applying for an exam review to the accrediting director no more than forty-five (45) days following the date of the examination. Such request must accompanied by a nominal fee to cover costs as determined by the board, but such fee shall be refunded if the review results in a passing score. The accrediting director shall appoint a review panel of examiners who were not present during the original examination, if at all possible. Each review examiner will be provided with a copy of the video tape and the examination. Each member of the review panel shall compile individual scores and return all materials to the accrediting director. The accrediting director shall average the scores of the review examiners to arrive at a final score. The averaged score of the review panel shall be final, and not subject to further appeal.
13. The accrediting department shall review each candidate’s qualifications as listed below. The minimum requirements for consideration for reclassification to CPP are:
B. The applicant must have earned a passing grade on the oral examination.
C. The applicant must have accumulated an additional 30 service points in the past ten years from what were awarded for the CP classification, with adequate documentation of these activities sent to AIP Headquarters.
14. The committee shall present any recommendations for reclassifications to the board of directors, who shall make the final decision on reclassification.
CPP SERVICE POINTS
To be classified as a Certified Professional Parliamentarian, thirty (30) service points must be earned within the prior seven (7) years, not including those used to achieve the CP designation.
Points must be earned in each of the following three categories.
CATEGORY I: EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES
CATEGORY II: AIP LEADERSHIP ACTIVITIES
CATEGORY III: PARLIAMENTARY ACTIVITIES