Important Update to CPE Point Limits Starting January 2025

Important Update to CPE Point Limits Starting January 2025

To help you as an SECO-Institute certified professional to stay up-to-date with the latest developments in your field of expertise, we are introducing an update on our Continuing Professional Education (CPE) points system. This update limits the number of CPE points you can submit each year while allowing flexibility in how points are accrued and submitted.

 

What’s Changing?

Starting January 2025, there will be an annual cap on CPE points submissions of 2 times the yearly required amount of CPE points:

  • Practitioner Certification: The requirement is 20 CPE points yearly, so the cap will be 40 points you may submit.
  • Expert and Certified Officer Certifications: The requirement is 40 CPE points yearly, so the cap will be 80 points you may submit.

These new rules allow you to plan your CPE activities as needed each year, provided you meet the renewal requirements.

 

How It Works: Example Scenario

For example: as an Information Security Expert in your first year of certification, you have completed a study that provides 100 CPE hours. Here’s how your CPE points are managed under the new system:

  1. Starting Point: You will start with a CPE balance of -40 points (the initial yearly requirement for an Expert certification).
  2. Submitting Points: You submit the 100 CPE points from your study, which automatically will be capped to a maximum of 80 points, bringing your balance from -40 points to +40 points
  3. Renewal and Carry-Over: At the end of your certification year, 40 points are deducted to meet your renewal requirement, bringing your balance to 0.
  4. Second-Year Options: In your second year, you can decide to submit up to 40 new points (bringing your total back to a maximum of +40 points) or decide not to submit any new points since you already have enough points in your balance for the renewal requirement for the second year, bringing your total to –40 points. In that scenario, you must submit at least 40 points for the third year, bringing your balance back to a minimum of 0 points.
  5. Ongoing Renewal: Each certification year, your balance must be 0 or higher at renewal to maintain your certification.

 

Key Takeaways

  1. Annual Flexibility: You can submit your CPE points as one large amount or spread them throughout the year, with a maximum yearly cap.
  2. Renewal Requirements: You must maintain a balance of 0 or higher at the end of each certification year.
  3. Roll-Over Limits: Extra points above your annual cap do not carry over to the following year.

If you have any questions about this update, please don’t hesitate to contact our support team. Thank you for your commitment to continuous learning and professional excellence!