CPD requirements at a glance
Continual Professional Development (CPD) includes qualifying professional activities completed while your certificate is valid. These activities help you maintain, improve, or expand the knowledge and skills relevant to your certification.
To qualify for recertification, you must earn at least 72 qualifying CPD hours during the 3-year certification period, unless your applicable certification scheme states otherwise. Alternatively, you may meet the recertification requirement by retaking and passing the full certification examination.
Your certification period starts on the certification issue date and ends on the expiry date shown on your certificate. Only activities completed within that period may be counted.
Eligible activities and relevance
Each CPD activity must be relevant to your credential. For example, CPD for an ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Implementer may cover information security management, implementation, auditing, risk management, compliance, governance, related technologies, or a similar professional area.
Depending on the activity, one documented hour earns between one and three CPD hours, as shown in the table. Claim only the time spent on the qualifying activity; breaks and unrelated time do not count.
You may not count the same activity more than once toward the same certification. If you hold several Advisera certifications, you may use an activity for more than one certification only when it is relevant to your credential.
Qualifying activities, calculations, and evidence
| Activity | CPD calculation | Minimum CPD hours credited per 3-year period | Maximum CPD hours credited per 3-year period | Examples of evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professional experience | 1 hour = 1 CPD hour | No minimum | 36 CPD hours | Employer or client confirmation, project record, contract, timesheet, work record, or similar evidence |
| Learning activities: attending webinars, courses, training, workshops, conferences, or seminars | 1 hour = 1 CPD hour | 12 CPD hours | No maximum | Certificate, attendance or registration record, transcript, or similar evidence |
| Writing professional articles, guides, white papers, or similar material | 1 hour = 2 CPD hours | No minimum | 12 CPD hours | Published material plus records supporting the time spent on the work |
| Creating webinars, training materials, or other professional educational content | 1 hour = 2 CPD hours | No minimum | 12 CPD hours | Published material, course or webinar program, project record, contract, or similar evidence |
| Delivering courses, training, workshops, or webinars | 1 hour delivered = 3 CPD hours | No minimum | 12 CPD hours | Agenda, invitation, recording, contract, attendance record, or organizer confirmation |
How CPD hours are calculated
The minimums and maximums in the table apply to the CPD hours credited after any multiplier is applied. For example, 6 hours spent writing professional material earns 12 CPD hours and reaches the 12-hour maximum for that activity.
Creating training materials and delivering the training are two separate CPD activities. You may claim the actual time spent on each activity and apply the corresponding multiplier from the table.
If you deliver the same training more than once, you may claim each delivery separately, provided you submit evidence for each session.
Activities may be completed for Advisera or any other organization.
Professional experience
Professional experience may include relevant work performed as an employee, consultant, contractor, manager, auditor, advisor, project participant, or in another professional role.
Only selected, documented working hours that are directly relevant to the scope of your certification may be counted.
For an ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Implementer, qualifying work may include:
- implementing or improving an ISMS;
- providing information security consulting;
- performing risk assessments or risk management;
- performing compliance activities;
- supporting information security governance;
- preparing organizations for audits;
- performing internal audits;
- managing information security projects; or
- maintaining and continually improving an ISMS.
Do not report every hour of ordinary employment. Routine work, administrative work, and work unrelated to the certification scope do not qualify.
How to document and submit your CPD
For each activity, submit a CPD record that includes:
- your name and a clear description of the activity;
- the date or period when the activity was completed;
- the organization or provider and, where applicable, the activity title;
- the activity duration, calculation used, and number of CPD hours claimed; and
- supporting evidence showing your participation, completion, published work, or relevant professional work.
A self-declaration alone is not sufficient. Where applicable, evidence should identify you, the activity, its date, and its duration or completion status.
Submit your CPD record and supporting evidence before your current certification expires, using the submission method provided in your recertification instructions. Advisera will review the evidence during recertification and may request additional information if it is incomplete, unclear, inconsistent, or insufficient.
When necessary, Advisera may verify information with an employer, client, training provider, event organizer, publisher, or another relevant party. Advisera will handle personal data in accordance with its applicable privacy notice and will notify you if additional information is required.
Activities that do not qualify
You may not claim CPD hours for:
- activities unrelated to your credential;
- routine administrative activities;
- promotional or sales activities without relevant professional content;
- activities completed outside the period in which your certificate is valid – that is, before its issue date or after its expiry date;
- the same activity claimed more than once for the same credential;
- activities for which sufficient supporting evidence cannot be provided.
If you do not have enough CPD hours
If you cannot provide evidence of at least 72 qualifying CPD hours before recertification, you may recertify by retaking and passing the full examination.
If you meet neither requirement, your certification cannot be renewed.