Candidate Handbook

 Table of Contents

• Background and Overview of INFORMS Certified Analytics Professional (CAP) Program
• Vision and Mission Statements
• Contact Information
• Timeline and Steps for the Certification Process 
• Non-discrimination Policy
• Eligibility Requirements
• Description of the Professional Job Task Analysis (JTA) Process
• Application and Payment Submission Process  (to come)
• Fees and Refunds
• Examination Process
  • Sample Test Questions
  • References
  • Scheduling your Examination
  • Cancellation of your Examination
  • Reexamination
  • Examination Score Reports and the Scoring Process
  • Hand Scoring
  • Security and Confidentiality
  • Appeals of Certification Decisions
  • Discipline Process
  • Code of Ethics/Conduct
• Special Examination Arrangements
• Certification Renewal Process
  • Professional Development Units (PDUs)
  • Recording PDUs and Recordkeeping
  • Audit Process
• Changes in Name and Address of Certificants
• Use of the CAP Credential
• Application and Agreement
• Appendices

Background and Overview of INFORMS Certified Analytics Professional (CAP) Program

INFORMS is pleased to announce the development and implementation of a professional certification program that meets the needs of analytics professionals.  The Certified Analytics Professional (CAP) program was developed in 2011 and 2012.  The first examination will be conducted on April 7, 2013, at the INFORMS Analytics Conference, April 7-9, in San Antonio, Texas.  The exam precedes the conference by a few hours.

The CAP program formally began in August 2011 when INFORMS established the INFORMS Certification Task Force to plan and develop this new analytics certification. 

Members of INFORMS Certification Task Force are:

• Terry Harrison (Penn State)
• Lisa Kart (Gartner)
• William Klimack (Chevron)
• David Leonardi (Boeing)
• Jack Levis (UPS)
• Vijay Mehrotra (University of San Francisco)
• Polly Mitchell-Guthrie (SAS)
• Scott Nestler (Naval Postgraduate School)
• Michael Rappa (NC State University/Inst. of Adv. Analytics)
• Barry Thomas (University of Iowa)

INFORMS is the first professional society to develop a professional certification program for general analytics professionals.  Key components of the CAP program include the following:

1. Formal credentialing requirements including a standardized examination and required renewal process.
2. Content based upon the findings of a 14-member Job Task Analysis Working Group that represented a broad background of analytics practitioners.
3. Eligibility requirements agreed upon consisting of academic preparation, work experience in analytics, and an attestation from an employer confirming adequate mastery of soft skills in analytics.
4. The certification program is vendor neutral.
5. Successful completion of the certification enables analytics professionals (and their employers) to have confidence that a certificant brings a core set of analytics skills to a project team.
6. The market value of the CAP is expected to increase over time, as the demand for analytics professionals grows.

Vision and Mission Statements   

Vision:

To advance the use of analytics to transform the world by setting agreed upon standards for the profession.

Mission:

To advance the analytics profession by providing a high quality program of certification and promoting continuing competence for practitioners.

Contact Information  

INFORMS

7240 Parkway Drive, Suite 300
Hanover, Maryland  21076-1300   USA
Phone:  +1-443-757-3500 or 1-800-446-3676
Fax:  +1-443-757-3515
E-mail:  certification@mail.informs.org
Web:  www.informs.org/Build-Your-Career/Analytics-Certification

Timeline and Steps for the Certification Process

1. Potential applicant decides to apply for certification and determines whether he/she meets the eligibility requirements by reading the Candidate Handbook.
2. Applicant secures a photocopy of an official transcript from their college/university documenting the required academic preparation for the CAP credential.
3. Applicant requests that a recent supervisor of analytics in the workplace complete the soft skills confirmation form and send it to INFORMS.
4. Applicant completes and submits the application form and sends it to INFORMS with payment of the required fees.  This step must be completed at least 45 days prior to the preferred examination date.
5. INFORMS staff review application materials to determine whether the candidate is eligible to be scheduled for the examination.
6. INFORMS staff provides eligible candidates with information on the next available test administration and site.
7. Candidate takes examination at the designated test site.  All examinations are scored by a consulting psychometrician or INFORMS certification staff.
8. INFORMS certification staff sends the candidate a written pass/fail notice by postal mail marked CONFIDENTIAL or e-mail within 20 business days of the completion of their examination.  Failing candidates will also receive information about their examination performance in major content areas.
9. Eligible candidates who pass the examination will be sent a certificate and information regarding the use/display of the certification logo within six to eight weeks of the completion of their examination.
10. Failing candidates should begin a process of targeted professional development addressing the weak performance areas cited in their examination results letter.
11. All certificants must renew their certification every three (3) years.

Note:  Certification is only granted to individuals that meet all eligibility requirements and achieve a passing score on the examination.  Grandfathering of certification status is not permitted for any candidates failing to meet these requirements.

Non-discrimination Policy  

INFORMS does not discriminate among candidates on the basis of race, color, creed, gender, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, military discharge status, sexual orientation or marital status.  INFORMS strives to adhere to all applicable law and regulations pertaining to non-discrimination practices.  INFORMS will arrange for reasonable accommodation for any individual requesting it.

Eligibility Requirements  

Eligibility requirements for the CAP credential include the following:

Experience

• At least three (3) years of professional analytics experience for individuals holding an MA/MS or higher degree in a related educational area.  Educational areas considered to be related to analytics are enumerated below under ‘Education’ below. 
• At least five (5) years of professional analytics experience for individuals holding a BA/BS degree in a related educational area.  Educational areas are considered to be related to analytics are enumerated under ‘Education’ below. 
• At least seven (7) years of professional analytics experience for individuals holding a BA/BS degree or higher in an unrelated educational area to analytics.
• Applicants are expected to provide information on professional experience including the name of the company/employer, name and title of the immediate supervisor, contact information for the immediate supervisor, and dates of employment in a professional analytics position.

Education

• A BA/BS degree or an MA/MS degree in an analytics-related area is required for candidates for the CAP program.  These analytics-related areas include but may not be limited to analytics, operations research, management science, statistics, engineering, business administration (and directly related areas like marketing, finance, etc.), applied mathematics, information technology, computer science, decision science, marketing science and others deemed appropriate by INFORMS Analytics Certification Board.  This degree must be obtained from a regionally accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or similar entities in other countries.

INFORMS will require submission of a photocopy of an official college transcript to demonstrate compliance with all education requirements.

Confirmation of Soft Skills  

One of the important traits of a Certified Analytics Professional is the demonstration of an acceptable level of ‘soft skills’ in addition to the knowledge, skills and abilities covered by the CAP examination process.  These soft skills include, but are not limited to:

• Ability to communicate with a client/employer regarding the framing of an analytics problem.
• Understanding the background of the client/employer regarding their organization and specific industry focus.
• Ability to clearly explain the findings of the analytics process in sufficient detail to the client/employer.

Due to the challenges of testing the successful demonstration of these skills, the CAP program will rely upon a confirmation process requiring that all applicants obtain written documentation of their acceptable soft skills proficiency in the official confirmation form (See Appendix A for Employer Confirmation Statement) that will require the signature of a current or previous supervisor of analytics work.  The form is designed for current or previous employers of individuals hired to provide professional analytic services.

Individuals who are unable to contact a past employer, may submit a detailed written summary of a recent analytics project describing in great detail the application of soft skills in the successful completion of the project and in the implementation of its findings. Representatives of INFORMS Analytics Certification Board may also in some cases require a telephone interview with a candidate in addition to a review of the written summary to assess an applicant’s soft skills.  Candidates choosing this option should contact INFORMS staff for additional information.

Description of the Professional Job Task Analysis (JTA) Process  

The Job Task Analysis (JTA) study defines the current knowledge, skill and abilities (KSAs) that must be demonstrated by analytics professionals to effectively and successfully provide these services.   KSAs are validated according to their frequency of use and importance.  The JTA also serves as a “blueprint” for the content (performance domains) of INFORMS CAP examination.

INFORMS upholds stringent guidelines for the construction and implementation of the examination development and administration process.  A 14-member panel of subject matter experts (SMEs) was selected to develop the first Job Task Analysis for the CAP credential.  This group was called the Analytics Credentialing Job Task Analysis Working Group. 

The following leaders in the analytics profession were selected to participate in this important project:

• Arnold Greenland (IBM Global Business Services.)
• William Klimack (Chevron) * #
• Jack Levis (UPS) * #
• Daymond Ling (Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce) N
• Freeman Marvin (Innovative Decisions Inc.)
• Scott Nestler (Naval Postgraduate School) #
• Jerry Oglesby (SAS)
• Michael Rappa (North Carolina State University / Inst. Adv. Analytics) #
• Tim Rey (Dow Chemical)
• Rita Salam (Gartner) N
• Sam Savage (Stanford / Vector Economics)

* - INFORMS Board Member

# - Credentialing Task Force Member
N – Non-Member of INFORMS

The findings of this working group were then validated by a random sample of practicing analytics professionals.  Feedback from this survey resulted in slight modifications of the performance domains, tasks and knowledge that comprise the test blueprint that determines the content of the CAP examination. 

The following chart includes the final domains and weights derived from the job task analysis and a review of validation survey recommendations: 

INFORMS CAP examination is based upon the following test blueprint derived from the Job Task Analysis process.  The final agreed upon weights reflect the percentage of questions from each domain that will be included in each test form.

The JTA and the test blueprint resulting from this process will be reviewed periodically and updated as needed to reflect current practices in analytics.  The following list of domains also includes the key tasks associated with each domain.

(12-18%)         Domain I         Business Problem (Question) Framing

T-1       Obtain or receive problem statement and usability requirements

T-2       Identify stakeholders

T-3       Determine if the problem is amenable to an analytics solution

T-4       Refine the problem statement and delineate constraints

T-5       Define an initial set of business benefit

T-6       Obtain stakeholder agreement on the problem statement

(14-20%)         Domain II       Analytics Problem Framing

T-1       Reformulate problem statement as an analytics problem

T-2       Develop a proposed set of drivers and relationships to outputs

T-3       State the set of assumptions related to the problem

T-4       Define key metrics of success

T-5       Obtain stakeholder agreement

(18-26%)         Domain III      Data

T-1       Identify and prioritize data needs and sources

T-2       Acquire data

T-3       Harmonize, rescale, clean and share data

T-4       Identify relationships in the data

T-5       Document and report findings (e.g., insights, results, business performance)

T-6       Refine the business and analytics problem statements

(12-18%)         Domain IV      Methodology (Approach) Selection

T-1       Identify available problem solving approaches (methods)

T-2       Select software tools

T-3       Test approaches (methods)1

T-4       Select approaches (methods) 

(13-19%)         Domain V        Model Building

T-1       Identify model structures

T-2       Run and evaluate the models

T-3       Calibrate models and data

T-4       Integrate the models

T-5       Document and communicate findings (including assumptions, limitations and constraints)

(7-11%)           Domain VI      Deployment

T-1       Perform business validation of the model

T-2       Deliver report with findings; or

T-3       Create model, usability and system requirements for production

T-4       Deliver production model/system

T-5       Support deployment

(4-8%) Domain VII     Model Lifecycle Management

T-1       Document initial structure

T-2       Track model quality

T-3       Recalibrate and maintain the model¹

T-4       Support training activities

T-5       Evaluate the business benefit of the model over time

Fees and refunds  

All INFORMS certification fees must be drawn on U.S. banks and payable in U.S. dollars.  Specific fees may change from time to time based upon decisions of INFORMS.   INFORMS may offer discounts on certification fees to current INFORMS members or other certification partners. 

Refunds may be provided in some circumstances, but not after a candidate has begun an examination.  INFORMS reserves the right to impose a processing fee on certification refunds.

Note on reexamination fee: 

Reexamination fees apply to 2^nd and 3^rd attempts to pass the CAP examination within the first year of submitting an approved application.

Note on INFORMS membership:

Applicants must be a member of INFORMS in good standing at the time of their application to receive the member discount.  No refunds will be granted for applicants joining INFORMS after submission of certification application materials.

Examination Process   

The CAP examination is a 100-item pencil and paper test composed of four-option, multiple-choice questions.   There is one and only one correct or best answer for each question. This format has been selected because it is the most objective examination method utilized in professional certification.  Candidates will be given a three (3) hours to complete the examination.

SAMPLE TEST QUESTIONS   

The following sample test questions were developed by subject matter experts in the analytics field.  The correct answer key at the end of this list of questions provides the correct answers to each question.

Domain I – Business Problem (Question) Framing

1.  In the kick-off meeting with a client for a new project, which of the following is the most important information to obtain?

a) Business issue and project goal

b) Timeline and implementation plan

c) Analytical model to use

d) Special data issues

Domain II – Analytics Problem Framing

2. Conjoint analysis in market research applications can

a) allow calculation of relative importance of varying features and attributes to customers

b) only trade off relative importance to customers of features with similar scales

c) give its best estimates of customer preference structure based on in-depth interviews with a small number of carefully chosen subjects

d) only trade off among a limited number of attributes and levels

Domain III – Data

3.  Your company is rolling out a new product.  Historically, new products have been profitable 30% of the time. New products that proved to be profitable in the past received positive focus group results 70% of the time.  Focus group sessions give a positive result 35% of the time.   What is the chance the new product will be profitable given a positive focus group session?

a) 60%

b) 35%

c) 30%

d) 70%

Domain IV – Model Selection

4.  A furniture maker would like to determine the most profitable mix of items to produce.  There are well known budgetary constraints. Each piece of furniture is made of a pre-determined amount of material with known costs, and demand is known.  Which of the following analytical techniques is the most appropriate one to solve this problem?

a) Optimization

b) Multiple Regression

c) Data mining

d) Forecasting

Domain V – Model Building

5.  All times in the decision tree below are given in hours.  What is the expected travel time (in hours) of the optimal (minimum travel time) decision?

a)   7.0

b)   6.9

c)   7.4

d)  7.8

Doman VI – Deployment

6. Given an accurate nonlinear prediction model, the actual versus predicted plot will show a

a) linear trend with a positive slope.

b) linear trend with a negative slope.

c) nonlinear trend with a positive slope.

d) nonlinear trend with a negative slope.

Domain VII – Model Lifecycle Management

7.  You are preparing an under-12 swim team for an upcoming event.  You have already selected the fastest team member for the individual events and must now decide on the composition of the relay teams in which a different team member performs each stroke. You know the time of each eligible team member for each stroke.  Which tool should you use to find the combination of team members that will produce the fastest expected time?

a) Assignment model

b) Transportation model

c) Critical Path Method (CPM) model

d) Linear program model

Correct answers:  1-a, 2-a, 3-a, 4-a, 5-a, 6-a, 7a

Note:  None of these questions will appear in any CAP examination.  These sample questions are presented to candidates to demonstrate the format of questions that will be included in the actual exams.

REFERENCES  

INFORMS subject matter experts compiled the following list of key references that may help you prepare for the CAP exam.

Domain 1 -- Strategic Decision Making:  Multiobjective Decision Analysis with Spreadsheets, Craig W.   Kirkwood. 

Domain 2 -- Data Analysis and Decision Making, S. Christian Albright, Wayne Winston, and Christopher Zappe.

Domain 3 -- How to Measure Anything:  Finding the Value of “Intangibles” in Business, Douglas W. Hubbard.

Domain 3 -- Introduction to Management Science:  A Modeling and Case Study Approach, Frederick S. Hillier and Mark Hillier.

Domain 3 -- Risk Analysis: A Quantitative Guide, David Vose.

Domain 4 -- Applied Linear Statistical Models, John Neter, Michael Kutner, William Wasserman, and Christopher Nachtsheim.

Domain 5 --Introduction to Operations Research, Frederick S. Hillier and Gerald J. Lieberman.

Domain 5 -- Simulation Modeling and Analysis, Averill Law and W. David Kelton.

Domain 5 -- Making Hard Decisions:  An Introduction to Decision Analysis, Robert T. Clemen.

Domain 5 -- Introductory Statistics, Sheldon M. Ross.

Domain 6 -- Business Analytics for Managers:  Taking Business Intelligence Beyond  Reporting, Gert H. N. Laursen and Jesper Thorlund. 

NOTE:  Along with these suggested references, there are also many analytics-related continuing education and training courses available from many suppliers.  INFORMS supplies a list of these on our website for the convenience of candidates only.  INFORMS does not endorse any of these courses or ensures the accuracy of these listings.  Completion of preparatory courses are NOT required for eligibility to sit for the CAP examination.

SCHEDULING YOUR EXAMINATION  

Once accepted, INFORMS certification staff will send written confirmation of your scheduled examination date, time and site within seven (7) business days.  The certification web site will provide updated information on additional examination sites as they become available.

CANCELLATION OF YOUR EXAMINATION  

Should the need arise for you to cancel your scheduled CAP examination, you must notify INFORMS certification staff at least 3 days (72 hours) prior to your scheduled examination date. 

Candidates who contact INFORMS more than 3 days prior to the examination date will have their examination rescheduled at no additional cost. Refunds may be provided in some circumstances less a $100 processing fee. Candidates who cancel their examination less than three days before their examination will not receive a refund and be required to pay the full certification/examination fee in order to reschedule their examination. 

INFORMS understands that there may be situations where cancellations are required by circumstances beyond the control of candidates such as the following:

• Natural disasters
• Medical emergencies
• Death or illness in your immediate family

INFORMS certification staff will handle these situations on a case-by-case basis.  Candidates will be expected to submit written documentation along with possible supporting documentation to avoid a potential cancellation penalty.

RE-EXAMINATION  

Candidates who do not pass their initial examination have an option of retaking this examination up to two (2) additional times during the first year following the approval of their application.  Candidates who take the examination a second or third time will be expected to pay the reexamination fee cited in the fee section of the Candidate Handbook.

Candidates who fail the examination three (3) times will be required to wait one year from the date of their last attempt to reapply for certification.  Reapplying under these circumstances involves a complete new submission of all application materials.  Candidates who fail the examination three (3) times are also encouraged to pursue a program of education/training prior to reapplying for certification.

EXAMINATION SCORE REPORTS AND THE SCORING PROCESS  

INFORMS uses a criterion-referenced methodology for determining the passing score for its examinations.  There is no grading on a “curve,” and candidates are not competing with each other.  The specific methodology used is the modified-Angoff technique, which relies upon the judgments of subject-matter experts (SMEs) to determine an acceptable level of knowledge, skill, and ability in analytics.

INFORMS may at times include pretest items in some examination forms.  These items are used for developing future examinations and, accordingly, are not scored and have no impact on a candidate’s pass/fail status.

Each candidate will receive an examination report in the form of a pass/fail letter including additional information on certification status.  Letter will be sent by postal mail or e-mail.  The letters for failing candidates will include some detail on specific performance levels by domain.  Pass/fail letters will not include raw score data.  Pass/fail letters will be sent to all candidates within 20 business days.

Raw examination scores are confidential.  INFORMS will not disclose examination scores to anyone other than the candidate unless INFORMS receives a written request from the candidate to do so or is required by court order or subpoena. Candidates must indicate in writing the particular scores to be disclosed and identify the specific person or organization to which the scores are to be sent.  INFORMS may charge a fee for this service.   INFORMS will publish the names of all individuals who have passed the examination and who maintain current certification status.

HAND SCORING  

Candidates who wish to have their examination results hand scored after the initial scoring process may request this service by contacting INFORMS certification staff and paying a $75 fee.

SECURITY AND CONFIDENTIALITY  

All test related materials including the examination form, test questions, worksheets and graphics included in test items are the exclusive intellectual property of INFORMS.  Accordingly, none of these confidential materials are available for review by any persons other than INFORMS certification staff and INFORMS Analytics Certification Board. 

All certification candidates will sign an application agreement stating that applicants will not discuss or share the specific content of any INFORMS certification examinations with anyone.  Any violation of this provision could result in potential sanctions including revocation of certification status.

APPEALS OF CERTIFICATION DECISIONS  

1. Appealable decisions include the following:
   • Denial of eligibility for certification
   • Denial of  certification
   • Denial of renewal
   • Revocation of certification
      

2. Appeals Process

   Applicants, candidates or certificants wishing to appeal a decision must submit written documentation within thirty (30) business days of the receipt of the written decision by INFORMS.   The written documentation should specify the grounds on which the appeal is based.   A nonrefundable fee of $150 drawn on a U.S. bank in U.S. dollars must be submitted with the letter of appeal.
    

3. Appeals Panel

   INFORMS will appoint an appeals panel consisting of one (1) current member of the INFORMS Board of Directors and one (1) current/former member of INFORMS Analytics Certification Board.   None of these individuals shall have had any affiliation (business, professional, or personal) with the individual filing the appeal.  The appeals panel will conduct their work and render a written decision within 60 business days of their appointment.
    

4. Appeals Decisions

   The appeals panel shall render a decision on any allegations of procedural error or in the making of a decision with insufficient evidence to support it.   Appeals regarding required compliance with existing and published testing standards or program requirements are not accepted.   The appeals panel may render a decision to uphold the INFORMS decision, grant the appeal requested by the appellant or refer the matter back to the INFORMS Analytics Certification Board? for reconsideration.  A written copy of the appeals panel decision shall be sent to INFORMS Analytics Certification Board and to the individual filing the appeal.

DISCIPLINE PROCESS  

Certificants are required to comply with all existing and future rules, regulations, and administrative ethical standards for certification established by INFORMS.   Certificants are responsible for demonstrating compliance, and failure to do so may lead to disciplinary actions, including but not limited to the denial of eligibility, non-renewal of a certification, revocation of certification, probation or suspension, issuance of a letter of censure, or issuance of a written reprimand.

Individuals may report alleged violations of INFORMS rules or regulations in writing to INFORMS.  Written documentation should include the identity of the individual involved in the alleged misconduct and the nature of the misconduct described in as much detail as possible, and the signature of the individual filing the complaint.

INFORMS also has the authority to initiate a disciplinary action without receiving a complaint or notification of inappropriate conduct.   INFORMS also reserves the right to pursue any and all civil and legal remedies available under the law.

Grounds for disciplinary action include, but are not limited to the following list:

1. Conviction of any felony involving moral turpitude.
2. Conviction of any other criminal offense which reasonably calls into question the certificants ability to provide professional analytics services.
3. Engaging in, authorizing, or aiding or abetting fraud, deceit, misrepresentation of materials facts, provision of false or forged evidence,                           or bribery in connection with any application for a certificate or registration.
4. False statements made in any initial or renewal application materials.
5. Obtaining or attempting to obtain certification or renewal by any fraudulent means.
6. Failure to meet renewal requirements. 
7. Use of expired credentials or false or unauthorized use of any INFORMS credentials.
8. Unauthorized possession or distribution of INFORMS examination or testing materials.
9. Unauthorized use of any registered trademark of INFORMS.

INFORMS shall have the authority to establish procedures for hearings and potential reinstatement upon satisfactory assurance of proper conduct.  

Individuals who wish to report a possible certification violation may send a written letter of complaint to:

                        INFORMS Certification Manager
                        Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences
                        7240 Parkway Drive, Suite 300
                        Hanover, Maryland  21076  USA

CODE OF ETHICS/CONDUCT  

INFORMS is in the process of developing a code of ethics/conduct for all Certified Analytics Professionals.  Once this code is developed and approved by INFORMS, all future candidates and certificants participating in the renewal process will be required to agree to comply with the current and future provisions of this code.

Special examination arrangements  

Candidates with Disabilities  

INFORMS complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).   INFORMS strives to ensure that no individual with a documented disability is deprived of the opportunity to take the certification examination solely by reason of that disability provided that reasonable special accommodations can be made.

To request special accommodations, candidates must complete the INFORMS Certification Examination Special Accommodations Form (Appendix B).  The form includes a statement of the disability and a history of previous accommodations in education, training, assessment, or in the workplace.  Candidates must provide all documentation with their application and fees at least 45 business days prior to a desired examination date.  INFORMS also requires that applicants notify INFORMS of any requests for special accommodations when calling to schedule examinations.

Candidates requesting other Special Arrangements  

Religious Obligations:  If attendance at a scheduled examination date conflicts with a candidate’s  religious obligations, INFORMS will try to arrange an alternate examination day. INFORMS must receive these requests at least 45 business days prior to the scheduled examination date.

Limited English Proficiency: At this time, INFORMS certification examinations are offered in English only. If English is not a candidate’s first language, the candidate may request additional testing time by submitting documentation establishing birth or schooling in a non-English speaking country.  INFORMS must receive this information at least 45 business days prior to the scheduled exam date.

Certification Renewal Process  

All certificants must participate in an ongoing formal renewal process to maintain their certification status.  Certificants must demonstrate compliance with renewal requirements during their three year certification cycles. 

One of the hallmarks of a strong professional certification program is the implementation of a process to help assure the continuing competence of certificants in the discipline.  INFORMS will use a Professional Development Unit (PDU) system similar to those used in other professional certifications.

 All CAP certificants will be required to achieve a total of 30 PDUs in a three (3) year renewal period.  The following chart describes various options for achieving the required PDUs along with any required minimum or maximum PDUs specified in each category:

 All claimed PDUs must be submitted/verified to INFORMS prior to the conclusion of a certificant’s three-year renewal cycle.  Certificants are reminded that they will not be able to claim more than the maximum PDUs allowed in any specific category.

Certificants are required to keep accurate records of all professional development activities including all certificates/letters confirming attendance/participation in approved education/training programs.  INFORMS will periodically audit a sample of certificants to verify the PDUs claimed in their renewal application.

 Transfer of excess PDUs to your next renewal cycle

Certificants earning more than the required 30 PDUs in their three-year renewal cycle may transfer a maximum of 5 PDUs to their next renewal cycle.  The transferred PDUs may be from any category.

Changes in Name and Address of Certificants  

All candidates and certificants must notify INFORMS immediately of any change in name or address used for purposes of commutation regarding certification matters. 

You may notify INFORMS in one of the following methods:

1. You may send an email message to certification@mail.informs.org.
2. You can call INFORMS certification staff at +1-443-757-3500 or 1-800-446-3676.
3. You can send a fax to INFORMS at +1-443-757-3515.

Note:  Individuals who are changing their names must contact INFORMS certification staff to review the necessary legal documentation required to verify such changes.

Use of the CAP Credential  

Once you receive written confirmation from INFORMS regarding your new certification status, you may use the CAP mark after your name.  Always list your designation in block (capital) letters.  CAP designation may only be used in conjunction with a certificant’s name.  The CAP designation should not be used in reference to a company or organization.

INFORMS will send new certificants a packet of materials including the following:

• Letter conferring certification status
• Information on the dates of your certification cycle for renewal purposes
• Your unique certification number
• Your certification certificate

INFORMS will publish on their web site an official list/registry of all current CAPs.

Application and Agreement Form  

Coming soon

Certified Analytics Professional (CAP) Program Sponsored by INFORMS For more information, contact INFORMS.