How Certification Works at Certible

Certible operates as an independent third-party certification body. This page describes the full lifecycle of a Certible certification, from initial application through ongoing obligations after certification has been granted. Detailed, scheme-specific rules are defined by each scheme owner and linked where applicable.

Overview

The Certible certification lifecycle consists of the following stages:

  1. Application & Registration: the candidate selects a certification and registers.
  2. Preparation: the candidate prepares for the examination, optionally through a training course or self-study.
  3. Examination: the candidate sits the examination under proctored or controlled conditions.
  4. Certification Decision: Certible evaluates the examination and issues a formal certification decision.
  5. Receiving Your Certificate & Credentials: the candidate receives the certificate and, if chosen, a digital badge.
  6. Maintaining Certification: the certified person complies with the applicable code of ethics and any ongoing scheme requirements.
  7. Recertification: where a certification has a limited validity period, the certified person follows the applicable recertification requirements.
  8. Suspension, Withdrawal, and Reinstatement: in the event of a breach of certification conditions.
  9. Appeals & Complaints: candidates and certified persons may appeal decisions or raise complaints.

Each stage is described below. All stages apply equally regardless of where the exam is taken, online or on-premise, in any time zone.

1. Application and Registration

Candidates register for a Certible certification through our online exam registration. During registration, the candidate:

Where a certification requires prerequisites (for example, holding a lower-level certificate or demonstrating professional experience), the candidate submits the required evidence during or after registration. Admission to the exam is conditional on verification of these prerequisites. Verification is carried out in accordance with the applicable scheme requirements.

Certible does not discriminate in access to certification; see the Non-Discrimination section below. Accommodations for candidates with special needs are described on our Exam Support page.

2. Preparation

Attending a training course is not a formal requirement for most certifications, but is generally recommended. Certible does not provide training for the certifications it delivers, in order to maintain independence. Lists of officially recognised training providers are linked from our Training Providers page. Candidates who prefer to prepare on their own may consult our Self-Study resources and the official syllabi published by the relevant scheme owners.

3. Examination

Certible offers examinations in three modalities:

Proctoring is performed exclusively by Certible’s own employees. Candidates in the European Union are proctored from within the EU by employees of Certible GmbH; for candidates outside the EU, proctoring may additionally be performed by employees of our subsidiary Certible Inc. Certible does not use third-party proctoring providers or freelance proctors.

Identity Verification

Candidates are required to verify their identity before the examination begins. Acceptable identification is a valid government-issued photo ID, for example a national ID card, passport, or driver’s licence. The ID must be presented to the proctor at the start of the session and must be legible. Details on the ID are checked against the registration data; inconsistencies may result in the exam being deferred. Certible does not retain copies, screenshots, or recordings of identity documents.

Exam Regulations

Exam rules, duration, permitted aids, identification requirements, and other conditions are defined by the respective scheme owner and summarised on our Exam Procedures page and on each certification’s detail page. For remote exams specifically, additional rules and technical requirements are described on our Remote Exams page.

4. Certification Decision

Immediately after completing an automatically scored examination, the candidate receives a preliminary result by email, including score and passing threshold. This is not yet the final certification decision.

Certible then conducts a standard integrity review of proctoring and system logs applicable to the exam. For examinations that include practical or written-assignment components assessed by a scheme-owner-designated examiner, the final decision is taken once that assessment has been completed.

Upon successful completion of the review, Certible issues the final certification decision by email, typically within 24 hours for automatically scored examinations. The decision is taken by authorised Certible personnel, applying the criteria defined by the scheme owner.

Where a certification decision is negative, the candidate is informed of the outcome and, where applicable, of the reasons. Candidates have the right to appeal the decision; see stage 9 below.

5. Receiving Your Certificate and Credentials

Following a positive certification decision:

What Your Certificate Contains

Every Certible-issued certificate identifies:

6. Maintaining Certification

All certified persons, training partners, and Certible employees are bound by the Certible Code of Ethics, which sets out the ethical and professional conduct expected throughout the certification lifecycle.

Certified persons are responsible for:

7. Recertification

Some certifications Certible delivers are valid for life. Others have a defined validity period and require recertification. Where recertification applies, the applicable scheme owner defines the recertification requirements, for example continuing professional development, submission of evidence, or re-examination. The specific recertification requirements are summarised on each certification’s detail page and on the scheme owner’s website.

8. Suspension, Withdrawal, and Reinstatement

Certible may suspend, withdraw, or reduce the scope of a certification in the event of a breach of certification conditions, including, but not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, breach of copyright, other breaches of examination regulations, submission of false information to obtain certification, non-payment of certification fees, or misuse of trademarks, logos, certificates, or other intellectual property belonging to Certible or its partners.

Upon a change in certification status, Certible will notify the affected person of the matter and the reasons for the decision. The person has the right to appeal the change within four weeks. During a period of suspension, the certification is not valid and may not be used, and the holder must cease any claim to certification, including any use of certificates, logos, or digital badges associated with that certification. If, during the suspension period, the grounds for suspension no longer apply, Certible may reinstate the certification. Reinstatement decisions are documented and made by personnel who were not involved in the original suspension decision. If the grounds for suspension are not resolved, the certification may be withdrawn permanently and the certificate must be returned or destroyed. Full details are set out in our Conditions of Certification.

9. Appeals and Complaints

Both are handled fairly, confidentially, and without penalising the submitter. Appeals are reviewed by Certible personnel who were not involved in the original certification decision; where the appeal concerns a practical assessment, review is performed in coordination with the scheme owner’s designated examiner, independent of the original assessor.

The full process, including the applicable time limits and contact details, is described on our Exam Support page under Appeal handling process and Complaint handling process.

Expanding or Reducing the Scope of Certification

Where a scheme provides for additional levels, specialisms, or modules, a certified person may expand their certification by applying for and passing the additional examination(s) under the same process described above. Each level or module is awarded on its own merits.

Certible does not offer a separate mechanism for a certified person to reduce the scope of a certification that has already been granted; certifications that the holder no longer wishes to hold may be allowed to lapse where the scheme defines a validity period. Certible may reduce the scope of a certification on its own initiative only as a proportionate response to a partial compliance failure, as part of the suspension or withdrawal process described in our Conditions of Certification.

Your Rights as a Candidate or Certified Person

Fees

All fees that apply to the certification process (including examination, re-examination, rescheduling, printed certificate copies, and inspection of records) are published on our Certification Fees page.

Non-Discrimination

Certible provides its certification services on equal terms to all candidates. Access to certification, the conduct of examinations, and certification decisions are not influenced by nationality, ethnicity, gender, age, disability, religion, political affiliation, training provider, employer, or any other personal characteristic, outside of the requirements defined by the applicable scheme owner. Reasonable accommodations for disability or other qualifying reasons are provided on request; see our Exam Support page.

Governance and Impartiality

Certible is independent of the training providers whose delegates it certifies, and has no commercial interest in whether a candidate passes or fails. Our commitment to impartiality, and the mechanism by which we safeguard it, are described in our Impartiality Statement.

Questions

For any question about the certification process that is not answered above or on our FAQ page, please contact us at support@certible.com.