IREB CPRE-FL (Foundation Level)

The building blocks of any successful endeavour: solid requirements engineering fundamentals.

Logo of IREB - International Requirements Engineering Board

The Foundation level comprises basic knowledge of eliciting, analyzing, specifying, documenting, validating and managing requirements.

A person with a CPRE FL certificate

  • Is familiar with the terminology of requirements engineering/business analysis and requirements management.

  • Understands the basic techniques and methods of requirements engineering and their application.

  • Is familiar with the most established notations for requirements.

The exam regulations for the CPRE FL define the process of the exam including the assignment of points for evaluation of the final score.

  • The CPRE FL exam consists of 45 multiple choice questions. Candidates have 75 minutes to answer them.

Depending on the difficulty, each question yields 1 to 3 points. The achievable points are given in the header of the question. To pass the exam you have to score at least 70 percent of the points. During the exam it is not allowed to use aids, nor to take breaks outside the exam room.

The joint exam regulations of the CPRE FL and RE@Agile Primer can be found here: Download exam regulations CPRE FL & AP

Preparing for your IREB CPRE-FL exam

To prepare for your IREB CPRE exam you have a choice of Training Providers as well as a body of official Self-Study literature to use individually or in addition to a training.

The first place to consult to aid your preparations for any CPRE exam is IREB’s downloads section. This contains a number of documents available free of charge, such as the CPRE Foundation Level Syllabus, which lists and describes all the topics that are relevant for both the certification exam and your career as a requirements engineer. The syllabus is condensed and compact, and as such the perfect starting point and reference for your self-study.

Another helpful resource is the CPRE Foundation Level Handbook, which provides a more comprehensive overview than the syllabus, while remaining more compact than the official books or a training course and free of charge.

IREB also offers a Glossary (applicable to all levels), aligned with both the official book (see below) and the syllabus and examination questions. The new CPRE glossary will also be aligned with the official ISTQB Glossary.

Of additional help is the CPRE FL practice exam containing solutions and correction aids, in the same form, structure, and style of the actual examination.

For an in-depth guide, we recommend the official Study Guide Requirements Engineering Fundamentals by Klaus Pohl & Chris Rupp. Their book is designed for self-study and covers the curriculum for the CPRE Foundation Level exam as defined by the IREB.