The New AIIM Exam-Based CIP Renewal Process - Take Two

Updated 5/12 to note that the exam is NOT behind the AIIM+ Pro paywall. 

Updated 5/24 to note the results of retaking the exam again because I'm a completionist. 

TL; DR: Besides the broader issues I'd noted with the CIP exam being not proctored and therefore compromised, the exam, the process to take it, and the results are all still very much works in progress, despite AIIM having had nearly 3 months from the date of the announcement that the exam would be unproctored, more than 3 months since they actually flipped the switch, and more than 9 months since I was told with little uncertainty that that was where it was going. 

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I wrote a post in February 2022 outlining my attempt to use the newly unproctored AIIM CIP exam to "renew" my "certification". (The quotes are because, absent a proctored exam, in my considered professional opinion the CIP is now a certificate program, and certificate programs do not require renewal. Yes, there are standards for certificate programs as well.) In it, I noted that I hadn't received the promised "recertification email that you’ll receive closer to your renewal date." I updated that post on Mar 2 to note that I still hadn't received it.

On April 30, exactly 30 days out from my renewal date of May 30, I sent another email and got a response to the effect that CEUs would be allowed for renewal, but no details were readily available yet (confirmed, the renewal verbiage on the AIIM website hasn't changed since Feb 10) and that I could either take the currently unproctored exam or do CEUs. In both cases, the price is $150, and the person I talked to knows (or should know) that I am currently an AIIM+ Pro Member. I take this to mean that there is no longer a member discount for renewal, even though the Stay Certified tab still references the member discount. If this is not the case, and I just overpaid by $15 as a result of using the link AIIM sent, I'll update this post. Note that I still haven't received any sort of automated reminder and as of this writing I'm 19 days out from expiration. 

I had some time last week so I decided to attempt the process again. The verbiage still hasn't been updated on the Stay Certified tab to allow renewing CIPs to pay the reduced exam fee for renewal, so it's still a "reach out to hello@aiim.org and ask" manual process. 

Last week's email response included the following: If you would like to take the currently unproctored exam you can pay for your renewal here (link to the renewal-priced exam; since AIIM didn't post it I won't either) we will then add the exam into your Northpass (AIIM+) profile. As promised, the exam appeared in my profile, listed after the AIIM21 sessions and before the CIP Study Guide courses. 

Aside: I meant to test whether you had to have an AIIM+ or AIIM+ Pro account in order to be able to access the exam. I'll get confirmation of that next week when the person who runs that is back in the office. I know when I canceled my AIIM+ Pro subscription for a day or so, it immediately removed all access to AIIM training - my "CEUs", the courses I'd completed, the certificates, everything, so I wouldn't be surprised if membership was now basically a requirement. Once I confirm one way or the other I'll update this post. 

Update 5/12/2022: I canceled my sub, and have no courses, and no learning paths, but I still do have access to the CIP exam. 

I clicked the View button, and it opened up an interface similar to other AIIM+ Pro resources. Interestingly, the domains were listed, but in reverse order, and Domain 1 was renamed from Creating and Capturing Information to Creating, Capturing, and Sharing Content. The other four domains remained the same. 

I clicked the Start Course button, and the description noted that it's 100 questions, and will take about two hours, but "Luckily, there's no time limit!" It also references the renewal requirement to retake the exam, so this will presumably need to be updated as well if the reversion to allow CEUs does happen. It also references AIIM's arbitrary change to the passing score from 60%, which was derived using psychometrically valid modified Angoff scoring, to 70%, which, again, was an arbitrary value. So much for Peggy Winton's and AIIM's concerns about the CEU renewal process being arbitrary. 

I clicked the Continue button, and the first question appeared. Because it's not proctored, I can tab out to the study guide or any other resources. More importantly, I can copy & paste questions from the test interface: 

1 of 100

Which is the most significant challenge to [rest of question removed so *I* am not contributing to the compromise of the exam]?

Or take screenshots and sell the questions to one of the many cheating cheatery cheater websites. Or get help from someone else. Or have someone else take the exam for me. 

It looks like the exam was made harder in another way. Many of the exam questions were multiple choice multiple response constrained, e.g., "Select two". It looks like all of those were rewritten to be "Select all that apply." Multiple response questions are already harder than single response; removing the constraint just makes them harder still. In addition, you are allowed to provide only one answer to a multiple-response question - which I did inadvertently by clicking Next Question too fast - and, importantly, there is no way to go back to a previous question. 

It appears that at least some of the questions have been edited as well - for example, I saw one that only has 3 response choices, and I don't recall there being so many 5- and 6-choice questions on the exam.  

When I clicked Continue after the final question, I got my score (88%, but I was trying to get through it quickly....) and a list of every question with the correct answer and my answer. I could also toggle to show all possible answers, so again, I could absolutely capture this and make it available pretty readily. I would despise whoever does this, but AIIM's kidding itself if it thinks it won't happen.

Once you're done reviewing the exam, there's an option to "Retake quiz" which starts it over, and another Continue button. Hitting Continue returned this message: "Congratulations! You've passed the exam and are officially a Certified Information Professional." Clicking Continue led to another message, with links to add CIP to your LinkedIn profile (but it just loads the standard LinkedIn view) and to "Join the Super-Exclusive Online Community Group Only CIPs Have Access To!" This is the CIPs Unite group on the AIIM community. 

I retook it twice. I can't readily tell if the back end is using the two forms I'd developed or if it's an item bank, but I did see different questions and some of the same questions in different order so it's at least being randomized. 

When I clicked Back to My Courses, my courses completed had incremented to 51; the Certified Information Professional (CIP) Exam was listed at the top as 0 CEUs, but there is no direct link to the certificate in the main interface. 

I clicked the Retake Course in the CIP Exam course to see if I could access it there, and doing so apparently reset the course entirely! It now shows that it's not started, and I have to complete it all over again, despite having received an email from Peggy Winton and two from AIIM+ with links to view or download the certificate. Both of those links now take me to the start of the exam.

So there's definitely something off there - as you can see, I did complete the thing. 

I've been assured that my certificate and passing grade have been added to both the LMS and the marketing automation system, which then allows AIIM to track expiration dates. However: 

1) The CIP exam "course" still shows up as not started, as noted in the first screenshot

2) There still appears to be no way to display CIP status, expiration, etc. in the AIIM+ Pro interface, meaning that CIPs will need to contact AIIM directly to confirm, check renewal date, etc. 

3) I still have no way to get my certificate. Yes, I had the foresight to do it immediately, so I have a copy; that's not the point. The email AIIM sent me to allow me to download my certificate now takes me back to the start of the exam as described above. 

4) Since I still have yet to receive an email about my then-current expiration date of May 30, 2022, I don't trust AIIM's marketing automation system here at all. 

Update 5/24: Because I'm a completionist, I took the exam again, and passed, and can once again download my certificate...which now says my CIP date is today and my renewal date is May 23, 2025. Technically, I suppose this is correct - but I'd think this now means that I don't have to renew, or pay, until that date. So... if I take it again, say, December 31 of this year, will that reset my date again? In other words, as long as I keep retaking the exam, I can keep my CIP status for free...?