Certified Professional Parliamentarian

A candidate for the Certified Professional Parliamentarian credential must be a Certified Parliamentarian, must obtain a minimum score of 90% on an oral examination, and must earn an additional 30 service points in areas such as parliamentary education, service to AIP, and parliamentary services. It is highly recommended that candidates observe at least one oral examination before they apply. The examination fee is $400 US.

All the information you need is contained in the 2021 CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL PARLIAMENTARIAN APPLICATION, EXAMINATION, AND CERTIFICATION PACKAGE, that members may obtain free of charge from AIP headquarters by emailing aip@aipparl.com or in the ‘members only’ section of this website.

Complete applications only will be accepted, postmarked or date stamped no later than 11:59 PM on the deadline date.

The examination will be conducted in the presence of an audience of AIP members, by three examiners who are themselves Certified Professional Parliamentarians. They will grade the examination in compliance with Accrediting Department procedures.

The examination will consist of two parts. One part will test parliamentary theory and the ability of the candidate to explain concepts and procedures to an assembly. The other part will be a presiding demonstration. There will be a 15 minute break between the two parts.

Applicants must have successfully taken their Certified Parliamentarian examination at least one year before the start of the Certified Professional Parliamentarian examination window. In order to successfully complete the examination, applicants must be familiar with Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised, 12th edition, the American Institute of Parliamentarians Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure and Cannon’s Concise Guide to Rules of Order. Other valuable study guides include the American Institute of Parliamentarians Study Manual, the latest edition of Parliamentary Opinions, and Parliamentary Law by Henry M. Robert. 

Other major sources of knowledge and practical application are the West Coast Practicum held in January-February, the East Coast Practicum held in May-June., and educational presentations at the Annual Session, held in July-August. You can find dates for these events on our calendar.

If you have questions about AIP’s CPP Exam, contact AIP headquarters.