topic Re: Do you have to take the cert and pass for a CPE in CPE Opportunities

Do you have to take the cert and pass for a CPE

steampunk — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 10:12:34 GMT

Ok, I know i can earn points for taking a course.

Let's use ITIL. I take a 20-hour course and receive 20 credits provided I show proof of attending the class.

The question is do I need to take the Certification or do I have to pass it?

I tried to email support but didn't get a response and it has been a week (the Holiday might be delaying).

The issue is, certs are crazy expense. Even ITIL is upwards of $600. I can take all the coursework I want, but have to pony up for the certs.

So, if I read everything correctly, the coursework is 20 credits for 20 hours with concrete proof.

I do not need to take the cert.

If I do take the cert do you get any CPE credits?

Thanks in advance, If this is not the correct forum please let me know,

Re: Do you have to take the cert and pass for a CPE

emb021 — Mon, 06 Jun 2022 21:29:13 GMT

You can get CPEs for taking training.

You can get CPEs for getting a cert.

Two separate things.

Re: Do you have to take the cert and pass for a CPE

gidyn — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 08:40:24 GMT

How many CPEs can you get for obtaining a certification? I couldn't find any mention of this in the handbook, just the training.

Re: Do you have to take the cert and pass for a CPE

nkeaton — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 09:26:36 GMT

You can get CPEs for courses and study time, but (ISC)2 does not award any for the certification itself. ITIL though would be one that I would have to ask about as to me seems more like a B CPE as is not really cybersecurity.

Re: Do you have to take the cert and pass for a CPE

AndreaMoore — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 13:11:36 GMT

https://www.isc2.org/-/media/ISC2/Certifications/CPE/CPE---Handbook.ashx

See page 9 of the Handbook: Self-study related to research for a project or preparing for a certification examination

The time actually spent taking the exam is not included in the "study" part.

Feel free to ask specific CPE credit-related questions to our team at membersupport@isc2.org. (edit: Apologies, I see you said you already reached out, I'll send a note asking them to reach out to you with clarification).

Re: Do you have to take the cert and pass for a CPE

CraginS — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 14:16:37 GMT

@emb021 wrote:
You can get CPEs for taking training.
~~You can get CPEs for getting a cert.~~
Two separate things.

NO! You cannot get CPE for getting a cert.

You can, however, claim CPE for the study and training you do to prepare for that cert.

Re: Do you have to take the cert and pass for a CPE

AlecTrevelyan — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 14:52:09 GMT

@nkeaton wrote:
...
ITIL though would be one that I would have to ask about as to me seems more like a B CPE as is not really cybersecurity.

ITIL is about Service Management, but this broad topic includes Change Management and Asset Management - two areas that are definitely covered by the CISSP domains.

Any of those 20 hours spent covering those two specific areas could definitely be submitted for class A CPEs.

The remainder would be a judgement call on whether they would be group A or B - there's a fair amount of requiring to understand aspects of Services (e.g. Managed Services, Service Level Agreements, etc.) in the CISSP domains that could also qualify as group A.

Re: Do you have to take the cert and pass for a CPE

steampunk — Fri, 10 Jun 2022 13:13:38 GMT

Thank you, everyone, for your responses.

I have access to stormwinds which allows me to study for exams.

This program gives me a cert showing I completed the course and tracks my hours.

I do find it strange there isn't a credit for taking the exam or a requirement. I shouldn't complain because these certs cost too much, and most certs are technical, and since I got CISSP to move beyond being an engineer,r it would seem (in my opinion) like a waste of money. Ethical hacking is over 1200?!

It is getting frustrating being told to refer to a handbook that does not answer the question, or they can not confirm the CPE I took as being valid, yet they may audit and determine then that it is accurate. (?!)

I believe ITIL is a Group A because it was in 2 chapters from the CISSP handbook and at least one domain, but I don't think I will have an issue with the CPEs because of conferences and StormWinds courses.

I need to read up and figure out what happens when I hit 120 early. I believe I read somewhere I can take some CPE credits and apply them to Year 4.....

Please note that the more questions I ask, the more I can contribute to the group. At one point, I will stop asking redundant questions. Right now still a little new, AND I NEVER WANT TO TAKE THIS TEST again.

I will one day write a blog on how I passed it in another post.

Re: Do you have to take the cert and pass for a CPE

denbesten — Fri, 10 Jun 2022 17:27:22 GMT

@steampunk wrote:
I do find it strange there isn't a credit for taking the exam or a requirement.

To understand, one must first think about why we have CPE (continuing professional education). It is the mechanism by which we demonstrate that we continue to invest in our "CISSP knowledge" and in staying current with the state-of-the-art. It is not about "how much we know", but rather that we are "continuing to learn". The "evidence" requirement for CPEs memorializes the effort ("hours") put forth and that it was "relevant".

The thing about exams is that they do not "teach" you anything, so the one hour spent taking an exam does not earn a CPE because you did not learn anything. And passing an exam does not attest to the hours spent studying, so they are not a requirement for claiming CPEs.

The only things an exam does are to demonstrate knowledge, induce stress and teach humility, but none of those are relevant from a CPE perspective. Make sense now?

It is getting frustrating being told to refer to a handbook that does not answer the question, or they can not confirm the CPE I took as being valid, yet they may audit and determine then that it is accurate. (?!)

That is true for much of life. I cannot say if "your" apple is poisonous, and a lawyer can not definitively tell you if killing someone would be self-defense. The best we can do is explain how to reduce risk and to identify the relevant rules so that you can hopefully act in a way that avoids the doctor and is defensible if you find yourself in front of an auditor/judge.

I need to read up and figure out what happens when I hit 120 early. I believe I read somewhere I can take some CPE credits and apply them to Year 4.....

CPE handbook, page 11 -- Rollover CPE credits 😋. I have found that it sometimes happens automatically and sometimes I need to ask member support to manually do the rollover for me.