YOUR APPLICATION FOR CERTIFICATION 

Q. How long do I have to complete the certification process with INCOSE UK?

A. You have one year from when your application is formally submitted to INCOSE UK. You will receive an email from our Professional Development and Membership team detailing your expiry date.

 

 THE EXAMINATION

Q. How do I take the exam?

A. Exams are taken online using a company called Examity. Once an application has been processed you will be sent a link with which you will be able to contact Examity directly to schedule and pay for your online exam.

Alternatively, it is possible for candidates to sit a paper version of the examination. Further information can be found here Certification Examination - INCOSE UK

Q. How long do I have to take the exam?

A. When you have submitted your application and paid the fee you have one year to sit the exam. However, because of the one-year overall limitation on processing a certification application we suggest that candidate’s book and sit the exam as soon as possible. This allows time for participants to schedule and retake the examination if not successful first time.

Q. Are there any study guides available for the examination?

A. Currently there are no study guides for the certification exam. To prepare for the exam we recommend studying the current version of the INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook which is Version 4. Members can obtain a free pdf copy of the handbook by emailing profdev@incoseuk.org. There is also a member only discount code available through the INCOSE international online store for members to purchase the handbook directly from the publishers.

Q. Are there any courses available to help me prepare for Certification via INCOSE UK?

A. As part of our Endorsed Training Provider scheme we are able to offer the following course which can support preparation for the SEP examination; INCOSE Systems Engineering Professional Training Course: Prepare to Pass the SEP Examination.

Planned dates for this course will be posted on our Endorsed Training Scheme Events page ETP Schedule - INCOSE UK and shared via emailers and the regular ePreview newsletter.

Further training providers are also listed in the Professional Development section of Training Providers - INCOSE UK. It should be noted that INCOSE UK is not endorsing the companies that are listed, just enabling our members to have access to the information.

Q. What is the format of the certification examination?

A. The examination is currently computerised and compiled of multiple-choice questions. A two-hour time period is allowed for completing the exam. All correct answers must be selected from the possible answers given to receive credit for answering a question. A typical question may have five possible answers listed of which three are correct. Partial credit cannot be given for a question.

Q. Are candidates permitted to use reference documents during the examination?

A. The certification examinations are closed book. The applicant is not allowed to bring any type of reference materials, writing tablets, notes etc into the room where they are taking the exam. All devices that might compromise the security of the examination process are forbidden. This includes computers, mobile telephones, smart watches and other electronic equipment.

Q. When will I receive my exam result?

A. Examity will tell you the result within minutes of completing the exam as the process is computerised. Formal notification of your Certification will follow from INCOSE UK once it has been processed by INCOSE Central.

 

CSEP PROCESS

EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Technical Bachelor's degrees include BEng, BSc (or international equivalents through mechanisms such as the Washington Accord or the Bologna Agreement) in the following or related engineering disciplines: aeronautics, astronautics, biomedical, chemical, civil, computer, electrical, environmental, mechanical, nuclear, software, systems.

Other acceptable fields of study include: chemistry, computer science, mathematics, chemistry, physics.

If the Bachelor's degree does not come from the above fields, then a Masters or Doctorate degree (or international equivalent) in those fields is acceptable.

The acceptability of degrees outside this guideline is subject to the decision of the INCOSE Certification Program Office.

To expedite review in cases where they may be any doubt about the acceptability of a degree, applicants should submit with their application a copy of their transcript showing all courses taken to obtain the degree.

Other degrees, such as Information Technology and Systems Management may be accepted as "Technical" if they are shown to include the calculus and physics courses typically studied within engineering programs of study.

Q. Is there any guidance to support me in completing my application form for CSEP?

A. Guidance is provided on the application form. You can also refer to the attached CSEP guidance for applicants.

We recommend applicants review the technical aspects of their application with someone who has already been through the CSEP Review process successfully. If you do not know of anyone who can provide this, please contact profdev@incoseuk.org who may be able to put you in touch with someone who can offer further support.

 

REFERENCES

Q. Do each of the references that I select need to be able to confirm my experience for the full number of years that I need to qualify for certification?

A. No. Each individual reference does not have to verify your experience for the entire period of experience. However, your collective set of references does need to be able to verify your personal technical contribution for the entire number of years claimed by you on your application, including any additional years of experience required due to your educational status. Failure to do this may result in rejection of your application or significant delay at the review stage.

Q. When selecting references should I choose supervisors or co-workers?

A. If possible, select one or more current or former supervisors as their input is given greater credibility by the review committee than that from co-workers. References must provide their assessments in their own words.

 

CERTIFICATION RENEWAL

Q. How long is my Certification valid for?

A. A Systems Engineering Professional Certification is valid for a period of three years for CSEP and five years for ASEP. The date of the renewal period starts on the same month and day of the week as the original certification. The ESEP is valid indefinitely, but INCOSE UK membership must be maintained.

Q. How do I renew my Certification?

A. You will be contacted by INCOSE UK using your preferred email address a couple of months prior to your certification expiry date.

Renewals can be made through the INCOSE UK website, by logging in and navigating to “My Profile”, then scrolling to “My Professional Certification”. You will need to download and complete the log of Professional Developments and make payment at this stage.

To renew you need to submit a minimum of 120 Professional Development Units (PDUs). A copy of the log can be found here.