Examination
Taking the Exam
There is one examination for Professional certification regardless of desired designation. The exam consists of 125 multiple-choice questions, in English, and takes approximately 3 hours to complete. It is administered electronically within a one-month window, twice a year at proctored sites across the country as well as internationally.
- Spring exam: April 1-30 - application deadline November 30
- Fall exam: September 1-30 - application deadline April 30
Exception to these deadlines is not possible due to the time needed to process and evaluate each application.
Candidates who need testing accommodation in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) must advise BCPE of their accommodation need(s) at the time their application is submitted for processing and evaluation. See Accommodation Policy for more details.
Scheduling the Exam
Once your application has been approved and you’ve paid the exam fee. It’s time to register for the exam. Approximately 2-3 weeks prior to the exam window you will receive an Exam Registration letter that steps you through the registration process.
You can schedule your exam for any time during the available one-month exam window of the chosen exam offering, following the instructions in your Exam Registration Letter. Sites are available around the US, Canada, as well as internationally.
Visit the EXAM SITE MAP to explore your options. Each exam center maintains its own hours of operation and may or may not offer weekend/holiday hours. The exam site map does not provide location contact information because all contact should be through the registration site. Identify your preferred sites on the map so that you can look them up during the registration process to select your date and time to take your exam.
If you miss your exam appointment you will not be automatically rescheduled and you will forfeit the exam fee. If you are late for your exam you might not be admitted. Late admission is at the discretion of the testing site.
Need to Reschedule or Cancel: You may cancel or reschedule your exam through the exam registration portal with no additional fee up to 72 hours prior to your scheduled exam time. Reschedules within 72 hours of your scheduled exam time will incur an additional $150 fee. Cancellations during this time and no shows will result in the forfeiture of your exam fee altogether.
Exam Day
On-site exam at testing centers:
On the day of your exam, you will need to bring a printed copy of your registration confirmation received by email, as well as a government issued form of identification (such as a driver’s license). The proctor will setup the exam and you will begin.
On-line remote testing:
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, online proctoring has been offered in addition to on-site proctored exams. Online proctored exam participants will need to allow a remote proctor to access their camera to ensure they stay on task. If the participant leaves the computer or accesses adjacent items that are not allowed during the exam, they may be disqualified from the exam. Use of a personal computer is strongly recommended due to company-computer firewalls that might interfere with the ability for live proctoring.
No personal items are permitted while testing, including cell phones, watches, calculators or purses. (A timer and calculator are on the exam interface.)
No breaks are allowed during the 3-hour exam. If leaving is necessary, the exam will end.
Results
Your exam results will be provided by e-mail within 4 weeks of closure of the exam window. Successful candidates receive a certificate, are provided access to the Private Certificant Directory and allowed use of one of our internationally recognized credentials (CHFP®, CPE®, CUXP®), selected at the time of application. Contact our office if you wish to change designations in the future.
BCPE’s Exam Results Policy is to provide a Pass/Fail results. Examinations are scored electronically and converted to a scaled score. The score is provided as a scaled score between 200 – 500 with a pass score of 350. In this way, if a candidate sits the exam more than once, the scaled score can be compared to the previous scaled score. Therefore, a candidate may determine if his or her score improved or not between exams. BCPE does not provide feedback on performance on the sections of the exam because the information is not helpful. However, we do provide Mentoring if desired.
All questions have the same score. There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so Candidates are encouraged to attempt a response to all questions. Each exam version is equated with prior exams using standard statistical processes to ensure the difficulty level is the same for each version and that candidates are evaluated according to the same competency standard.
Retakes
Candidates wishing to retake the examination may do so by contacting BCPE . The exam cannot be taken more than once in the same exam window. A non-refundable retake fee applies to each exam attempt. Upon payment, examination information will be emailed for signing up for the next exam offering. The exam can be retaken as many times as needed, within a candidate’s two-year eligibility period. After this time a new application is required.
Preparation
Exam content is based on the BCPE Core Competencies. described in this link and below on this page.
Sample exam questions and answers (July 2021) from past versions of the test are provided so you can get a feel for the exam.
A list of Suggested Exam Study References is available in this PDF.
You may wish to consult the Educational Resources listings for possible courses for reviewing subject matter. The BCPE does not review, sponsor or endorse any preparation materials or review courses for the certification examination. Separation from courses is a best practice for certification bodies to be sure there is no conflict of interest.
Core Competencies
The Core Competencies linked here and described below provide the framework for the examination.
BCPE CORE COMPETENCIES (based on 2019 Job Analysis)
This above linked document describes the Core Competencies which are tested in the exam as part of the BCPE certification process. The core competencies are grouped into three high level categories: Analyze, Design, and Integrate. Within each category the critical tasks for an early career professional (3+ years of experience) are listed along with the associated knowledge and skills. The relative weighting of each category in the exam is also listed.
The Human Factors/Ergonomics/User Experience discipline is characterized by the following:
- Takes a systems approach, therefore considers the broader context of the human in the environment, organization, job, and task even when focusing on a specific type of interaction.
- Is design driven, involving analysis resulting in approaches, recommendations, and actions for a design.
- Is an iterative, human-centered process.
- Focuses on two related outcomes: performance and wellbeing, which includes efficiency, effectiveness, health, and safety.
- Analyze
- Design
- Integrate (Implement, Validate)
| % | Competency | Section | Tasks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 38% | I | ANALYSIS - discover, gather data | 7 |
| 40% | II | DESIGN - develop systems | 8 |
| 22% | III | INTEGRATION - implement, validate | 5 |