Frequently Asked Questions

Working professionals, MBA students, and holders of other premier qualifications can all register for CPEP™. Please refer to the CPEP™ Education and Professional Experience Requirements to check the eligibility criteria.

You get 365 days from the date of payment confirmation to complete the entire process. So, this is the time you have to prepare for, take, and pass your CPEP™ exam. The result is shown immediately after you submit your exam. The result report is shared within 96 hours on your myUSPEC dashboard. Once you pass your certification exam a digital badge is immediately issued to you by CredBadge as proof that you are certified. The CPEP™ credential kit – carrying your certificate and lapel pin – will be shipped to your address within 3-4 weeks.

If your candidature gets rejected for some reason, you need to fill in the 'Candidacy Consideration Request Form' to request reconsideration for the certification. You must download the form and email the filled form along with supporting documents (if any) within five business days of receiving the candidature disapproval notification.

The submission of an application indicates that you agree to comply with the terms of the auditing process. If your application is picked for an audit, a notification is sent to you carrying the necessary details of the process, required documents, and timelines. You need to fill out the 'Random Candidacy Audit Form' and email it with the required documents mentioned in the form.

Acquire CPEP™ if you want to become an influencer and a leading professional sooner than later in the PE space. CPEP™ is the most powerful global qualification today proving a finance professional’s super-specialized readiness for working in large, global PE firms. CPEP™ assures employers in the private equity and alternate investments industry that you are ready with the skills required to measure, analyze and evaluate investment environments, scenarios, threats and opportunities. You must acquire CPEP™ because you want to exhibit to the best of PE employers that you have the knowledge of techniques and best-practices of making optimal, risk-weighted judgements and decisions on valuation, investing and exit.

The foremost, clearest, unmatched CPEP™ advantage is standards-backed focus on knowledge areas that excellence in PE demands. The CPEP™ certification journey provides the insider view of the PE industry and  leads to highly specialized and focused learning of techniques, tools, approaches and best-practices of analysis and decision making that PE professionals require. Framed on the USPEC IFIS™ model, CPEP™ proves your knowledge of the PE Industry; your understanding of Firm-level challenges and dynamics of PE funds; and your grip on the science of investing in companies for optimal returns.

Your study material (the CPEP™ Resource Box) will be shipped to the shipping address that you have provided in your myUSPEC account. Please ensure that your information is correct and complete.

No. The charges for your study material (the CPEP™ Resource Box) are included in the certification fees. You may have to pay the customs duties and other levies – if any – in your country.

No. The CPEP™ Resource Box is not intended for the open market, and its availability and access are restricted to only authorized users, including candidates pursuing CPEP™.

CPEP™ exam is completely digital and taken online through the ExamStrong™ platform. A typical exam generally includes a mix of 50 Type 1 (on concepts and awareness) and Type 2 (on critical analysis and judgment in gauging decision challenges) questions, though some exams may feature only one type of question. Also, the number of questions may change without notice. You can read more about examinations here.

Yes. CPEP™ exam is proctored online, and you can take them at your convenience after your computer and surroundings are ExamStrong verified. Please make sure you give mock test before final exam to test your system.

The examinee must carry two valid forms of ID from the list below. Please note that both IDs can either be primary IDs or one primary and one secondary ID.

Primary ID

The primary ID must be an original and valid ID, containing both, the examinee’s photo, and signature.

• Government-issued driver’s license
• Passport
• Military ID
• State/Country ID card
• Employee/School ID

Secondary ID

The secondary ID must be an original and valid ID, containing the examinee’s name and signature, or the examinee’s name and a recent photo.

Please Note: All IDs required must be issued by the country in which the candidate is testing. If the candidate does not have a qualifying primary ID issued from the country they are testing in, an International Travel Passport from their country of citizenship is required, along with a secondary ID.

The first and last name that the candidate uses to register must match exactly the first and last name on both of the IDs that are presented on test day.

USPEC assessment policy prescribes a multi-stage evaluation to qualify for the award of the CPEP™ credential.

You must complete and submit two assignments (available on the myUSPEC dashboard) before taking the exam. The assignments are available throughout the 365 days examination window, which opens from the date of payment.

The final assessment component is to take the certification exam on the ExamStrong™ portal on a pre-booked schedule.

Please note that submission of both assignments is mandatory in order to schedule your CPEP™ exam. Get more details here.

The duration of the CPEP™ exam is 90 minutes.

CPEP™ is a multiple-choice examination with 50 questions. Each question has four choices, with one or more options being the correct answer. You don't need to answer every question before moving to the next. You can review or alter the responses to previously answered questions before submitting the exam.

No. You are not allowed to use any electronic devices during the examination. Please check out our examinee conduct policy here to know more.

No. The exam is proctored live and must be completed all at once without any breaks.

You should reach the chosen exam room/location at least 60 minutes before the scheduled time to ensure the exam room and the computer are thoroughly checked, verified, and approved by the USPEC-authorized testing body.

To avoid delays and added stress during your exam, you’re required to test the compatibility of the ExamStrong™ application and give mock test prior to the start of your exam.

System requirements:

• Display (resolution): 1024 x 768 [recommended]
• Network connection: Wired network [strongly recommended by authorized exam machine for better exam delivery performance]
• Internet connection speed: Minimum 1 Mbps
• Web browser(s): Latest version of Google Chrome only
• Webcam: Internal or an external webcam connected to the computer
• Firewall(s): Corporate firewalls (including VPNs) often cause this exam delivery method to fail. Please take your exam in a setting without these firewalls.
• Admin rights: Should have admin rights on your laptop/computer

You can view your results immediately after submitting the online test. We will also post the detailed exam report on your myUSPEC dashboard within the next 96 business hours.

If you fail in your first attempt, you will be required to pay a nominal fee of USD 50 via myUSPEC dashboard to retake the exam. Please note that you can apply to reappear right after your examination result gets published.

After you pass the exam, we will publish your detailed result on your myUSPEC dashboard within 96 business hours. If you qualify, you will also receive an email with the Unique Credential code to showcase your digital badge within 96 business hours of passing the exam. The official CPEP™ credential kit will be issued and delivered to you within 3-4 weeks.

If you voluntarily cancel the scheduled examination appointment, you can immediately reapply from your myUSPEC dashboard by paying a nominal fee of USD 50.

If you wish to reschedule your exam, you must log in to your myUSPEC account 72 hours before your scheduled examination to reschedule without any additiional fee. If you are rescheduling within 72 hours before your examination date, you can do so by paying a nominal fee of USD 50.

USPEC gives applicants 365 days from the date of payment to earn their certification. The first slot to appear for your exam will be available after 120 days from the date of payment.

Examinees missing a scheduled exam should contact us to report the matter. Please read our examination policies for more details.

USPEC accept the following payment methods:

• All major debit and credit cards such as Visa, American Express, MasterCard, etc.
• Wire transfers or electronic cheques from company-sponsored registrants.

For withdrawal requests made within 24 hours from payment, the total fee paid will be refunded after deducting the processing charges of US$ 80. However, no refund will be processed for withdrawal requests after 24 hours.

No. Payments must be made in a single installment.

CPEP™ certification is digitally badged by Credbadge™, which describes your qualifications and skills and provides your prospective/existing employers, licensing boards, and peers concrete evidence of your achievement. The CPEP™ digital badge is issued within 96 business hours after you qualify the certification exam.

CredBadge™ powered digital badge will help you to verify your qualifications across all digital platforms at any time. You can use it in your electronic resume and share it on social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and X profiles.

No. There will be no additional cost for your digital badge for displaying, storing, managing, and broadcasting your CPEP™ credential.

With CredBadge's sharing options, you can easily share your digital badge with employers, colleagues, recruiters, on your resume, job portals, and other professional networking sites. Each digital badge includes a unique credential link that you can embed wherever you wish.

Yes, you will receive both - a digital badge and the hard copy of your certificate. The official Credential Kit will be shipped to you directly.

Credbadge™, USPEC's digital badging services partner, provides you an effective way to convey your verified knowledge and expertise to employers, colleagues, and recruiters after completing the CPEP™ program.

CPEP™ Digital Badge provides an easy way of credential verification compared to traditional methods as paper certificates that cannot be readily verified or shared online. Digital credentials, often called badges, are a way to reliably recognize professional achievements such as certifications and continuing education experiences.

A digital badge has 24/7 access to a verifiable and current record of your accomplishment that can be shared through email and popular social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and X. Your credential information can also be shared on your resume, job portals, and other professional networking sites, making presenting yourself in the best light easier.

We strongly suggest that you double-check all your relevant information on your myUSPEC account before scheduling your exam.

However, if you still need to change your name on the certificate, please contact us and attach the required supporting documents. You also need to pay a fee of USD 50 for processing the request and the additional USD 100 for issuing a different certificate with the changed name on it.

Follow the step-by-step instructions here to inform your employer about the successful achievement of your CPEP™ charter:

• Login to your ‘myUSPEC’ dashboard
• Click on the "Notify Your Employer" button under the View Result section
• Enter the email ID of your employer and click on "Send Notification"
• Your employer will then receive an email from USPEC about your achievement

To get a duplicate certificate in the event of losing your original certificate, you must generate a service request for it from your myUSPEC dashboard. We charge an additional fee of USD 100 for the print and shipment of the certificate.

USEPC logistics team will ship the CPEP™ learning resources via one of the leading global carriers. If you want to know more details about your shipment, you can contact us.

You will get shipment and tracking notifications from the outsourced logistics vendor as soon as your CPEP™ Resource Box is shipped.

If you've received a shipment delivery e-mail but still have not received your CPEP™ Resource Box, we advise you to:

• lodge a complaint with the specified carrier service
• contact us

Note:The Logistics team can provide documentary proof issued by the shipper after completing the delivery to your shipping address. This Proof of Delivery shall be the only document accepted by USPEC to confirm the delivery. We regret in advance that we will not be able to entertain or take any complaint after we receive the Proof of Delivery of a shipment.

In this case, please lodge a complaint with the carrier using the tracking details provided by the Logistics team.

If you are not available to accept the shipment delivery, the shipper may deliver the Box at your mentioned address after verification.

The shipping/mailing address can be changed till you get the shipping information from the logistics team. Once the Resource Box is shipped, the address cannot be changed. So, please make sure that you provide us with the correct address to avoid any hassle at the time of delivery of your CPEP™ Resource Box.

Yes, it may be possible. Please refer to the shipping details and contact your carrier for rescheduling your shipment delivery date.

If you have received the wrong set or damaged books in your CPEP™ Resource Box, please contact us within 24 hours of receipt of your CPEP™ Resource Box. We shall not be able to entertain or accept any complaint after that.

You may have to pay the customs duties and other levies, if any, in your country. As a recipient, you are responsible for the clearance of the CPEP™ Resource Box consignment.

Note: USPEC or its partners/representatives will not be responsible for any delays due to delivery carrier factors, weather, natural calamities, international customs regulations, holidays, customer error, or any other unforeseen events beyond the control of the shipper.