Scheduling of Proctored PCI Certification Exams

Scheduling proctored PCI certification exams is solely the responsibility of the certification candidate. A proctored exam request should not be submitted until the candidate has contacted the individual who will proctor the exam and agreed upon all arrangements for the exam. PCI staff does not coordinate the exam arrangements for the candidate, nor does PCI pay any fees the proctor may charge. 

Although it is possible to schedule and take a certification exam prior to applying for certification, candidates are strongly encouraged to complete the certification application first.

To apply for certification, log into the PCI certification management system (CMS) and click on the applicable certification tile on the certification dashboard. The application can then be accessed by clicking on the ‘apply’ button. Complete the application sections: Personal Information; Education, Experience and Endorsement; ACI Certification Information and upload any required documents.

To arrange a certification exam session with an approved proctor, complete the online Proctored Exam Request form. Before submitting the request in the CMS, be sure to have finalized all arrangements with a PCI-approved proctor. This request must be submitted in the CMS no less than two weeks before the planned exam date.

Successfully completing the certification exam is, of course, a prerequisite for PCI personnel certification. However, certification cannot be granted without also completing the certification application. Please visit the CMS Instructions on the PCI website or contact qualityprograms@pci.org with any questions. 

Certification Expiration Reminders

The PCI Certification Management System (CMS) was recently enhanced to include system-generated reminders of expiring certifications. A first notice will be issued three months in advance of expiration, and regular reminders will be sent until several months after expiration. It is expected that these reminders should reduce the number of individuals whose certifications expire without their knowledge. However, to be effective, certified individuals must maintain current email addresses in the CMS. Instructions for accessing the CMS and for updating an individual’s information can be found on page 1 of the PCI CMS Instructions.

PCI’s Certified Plant Customer Satisfaction Surveys

PCI certified plants are well accustomed to completing the audit appraisal forms provided by the plant auditors following each semi-annual plant audit. These appraisals provide valuable feedback supporting our efforts to improve the quality of the audits. In addition to these appraisals, PCI also provides certified plants an opportunity to provide input on the quality of the rest of the services associated with the plant certification process, outside of what happens onsite during a plant audit. This feedback is valuable to PCI, and plants are encouraged to complete these annual surveys.

The PCI Plant Certification Program Customer Satisfaction Survey encompasses the administrative services associated with the certification program, such as the clarity of the audit report, review of corrective action responses, handling of confidential information, the helpfulness and responsiveness of PCI staff, and whether the certification process helps improve the quality of the plant operations and products. Access to the survey is provided as a link in the email from PCI when a plant has successfully resolved the corrective actions from their annual recertification audit. This is the audit that occurs during the July to December cycle.

As noted above, this feedback is valuable to PCI and plants are encouraged to complete these annual surveys. Please email audit@pci.org with any questions.

Reminder - Erector Field Quality Audits due January 15

PCI Policy 29, Erector Certification Program, requires that certified erectors submit a Field Quality Audit Report and an Erectors Post-Audit Declaration (EPAD) for each primary erection crew once each half of the calendar year if that crew erected precast for more than 60 days during the period. Copies of the field quality audits for the second half of 2024 are due no later than January 15, 2025. If the crew did not meet the 60-day threshold, a letter to that effect must be submitted. All field quality audits, EPADS, and letters should be emailed to audit@pci.org.  The EPAD is required even if no nonconformances were noted in the FQAR, as the EPAD serves as confirmation that the erector has received and reviewed the FQAR.

Suggestions

Please forward suggestions for future quality-related articles for this newsletter to Quality Programs at qualityprograms@pci.org .