How the Exam Was Developed

The CMPC® certification examination was developed by a diverse group of subject matter experts in partnership with test development experts in a manner consistent with generally accepted psychometric principles and best practices for certification exam development. The initial Job Analysis (JA) identified and weighted six Task Domains (listed below) and component tasks that provided the foundation for the exam. A subsequent revision of the JA retained the original six weighted

 

Task Domains (and associated tasks) and resulted in revised Test Specifications that include 15 Knowledge Groups weighted within each domain. The full JA can be accessed here.

 

The CMPC® exam is 115 multiple-choice items. Applicants have 90 minutes of seat time to complete the exam. Topics covered are:

• Domain 1: Rapport, Roles and Expectations  - 13%

• Domain 2: Assessment  - 16%

• Domain 3: Goals, Outcomes, and Planning -  20%

• Domain 4: Implementation  - 35%

• Domain 5: Evaluation - 11%

• Domain 6: Professional Issues - 5%

 

The general recommendation for studying for the exam is to find the list of the 15 Knowledge Groups on page 25 of the Certification Program Candidate Handbook and use this as your guiding point, even if also utilizing the Essential Guide for Mental Performance Consultants. The weight for a Knowledge Group appears in parentheses following each group title. The weights indicate the number of exam items out of 100 items that target that Knowledge Group. The weights summed for all 15

 

Knowledge Groups equals 100, reflecting the 100 items on the exam. Let the weights guide your study time. If there is a Knowledge Group that has a low weight (e.g., 2 or 3) and you do not know anything about this Knowledge Group, you might consider not studying that group because there will be only two or three test items on that content. On the other hand, if a Knowledge Group has a higher weight, it is an indication there will be more exam items on that Knowledge Group and that it merits more study time.

 

To link these Knowledge Groups back to the six domains (sections of the exam listed above), look at pages 22-27 of the Candidate Handbook. On these pages, the domains/sections are listed along with the Knowledge Groups and weights (number of exam items to expect addressing both the domain and the Knowledge Group).

For retesting candidates: Combined with your test performance feedback on exam section scores (i.e., domains) from AASP, consider which Knowledge Groups you may need to study within the domains. The key concept is to study based on the Knowledge Groups and weights within the test domains as  identified in the Candidate Handbook. 

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CMPC® Exam Pass Rate

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81% of exam takers have passed (as of March 31, 2022.) There are almost 600 Certified Mental Performance Consultants® in 15 countries around the world.