International

Updated on 23 September 2026. What’s new: cipm exam fee corrected to USD $599, the amount IAPM works out from the candidate's citizenship rather than charging one flat price worldwide

Two organisations issue a certificate abbreviated CIPM, and they have nothing to do with one another. One sits in the privacy profession. The other is the subject of this guide: the Certified International Project Manager (IAPM), awarded by the International Association of Project Managers to people who deliver projects across borders. It asks 80 questions in 60 minutes, needs 65% to pass, and refuses to let you sit it until you already hold an IAPM project management certificate.

That entry condition is the part most candidates find out about late, and it changes how you should plan. The CIPM is not a starting point and not a rung above the senior level; it is a specialisation bolted onto a certificate you already own. Everything below follows from that: who the credential is built for, what IAPM tests in its 60 minutes, what it costs when the price is set by your passport, and how a certified project manager can get ready in about four weeks.