Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)2020-09-29T14:16:27+02:00

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Browse our information center to find specific answers to many commonly asked questions. By filtering through our topics, you’ll be able to answer your questions when it’s most convenient for you.

The student has finished his exam but the certificate is not available…..what is wrong?2020-09-23T11:57:45+02:00

Did the student upgrade his profile? If the student didn’t update his/hers profile then he will not get his/hers certificate. (students have to update their profile in the IPC Certification Portal).

Our company name is changed. I would like to change the name in “update my profile” but it is not possible. What can I do now?2020-09-23T11:47:33+02:00

If you can’t change the name in your profile, you can sent a help desk ticket to IPC. Choose “Certification Help Desk”, log in with your Login credentials, and choose “Profile Update/Company Update”. IPC will change your company name.

Some of our employees have been certified as IPC-A-610 CIS. Can we state in our brochures and on our website that we are an IPC certified company?2020-09-29T13:14:10+02:00

No, the IPC-A-610 CIS certifications are individual, personal certifications. There is a separate program however for certification on a company level, which is called IPC Validation Services. Contact the PIEK sales team for more information on these services.

My IPC Certificate has expired. Can I still get re-certified?2020-09-24T10:11:11+02:00

If your certificate is expired, you can’t get re-certified. In this case you will need to attend a certification class.

My CIT certificate will expire soon. I will not be able to attend a recertification training before the expiration date. Is there a solution?2020-09-24T11:10:56+02:00

You have 6 months before the end of your certification to take part in a recertification. If your certificate has expired, you will need to follow a certification.

I have lost my certificate. Can I obtain a copy from PIEK or IPC?2020-09-24T08:28:59+02:00

Each certificate has its unique serial ID number and is granted on an individual basis. In the case of a loss please contact PIEK for possibilities of receiving a substitute certificate. If you obtained your certification after August 2018, you will find your certificate in your digital environment on the website of IPC, my.ipcedge.org.

A customer has specified criteria for his product that deviate from the criteria in the IPC standard. Should I stick to the criteria in the IPC standard or the ones from my customer?2020-09-24T08:23:21+02:00

If your customer specifies an IPC standard in his contract this will be applicable for his products. However, customer criteria in contracts or drawings always take precedence on the criteria in IPC standards.

Should I be an IPC member in order to get certified as an IPC trainer?2020-09-24T11:05:35+02:00

No, IPC membership is not required in order to get certified as a CIT.

What is the difference between an IPC CIS, CSE and a CIT certificate?2020-09-24T08:31:30+02:00

IPC-A-610 CIS (Certified IPC Specialist)
This CIS variant is intended for operators

IPC-A-610 CIT (Certified IPC Trainer)
This CIT variant is intended for anyone who wants to train operators to CIS themselves

IPC-A-610 CSE (Certified Standards Expert)
This CSE variant is intended for anyone who wants to become an expert in the field of the relevant standard. These experts are often used by companies as coordinators to correctly apply the standard within the company.

How can I register my students in the Portal, buy credits at IPC etc.?2020-02-03T15:01:15+01:00

PIEK has made some instruction video’s on Youtube which explains everything in detail. Please watch Part 1 – 6: https://www.youtube.com/

Why can’t I check the mistakes that I made in my final test?2020-09-23T11:46:59+02:00

IPC secures all information, also the answer-keys are secured. Since the possibility of online-testing it is not possible to check your answers anymore.

How can I get help from IPC certification?2020-09-24T08:19:40+02:00

There are three ways:

  1. IPC General Inquiries: certification@ipc.org
  2. IPC Certification Hotline: +1-847-597-2982 if you need urgent answers
  3. IPC Helpdesk for CQI and training related issues.
I have a valid IPC-A-600H CIT certificate. Am I nevertheless allowed to conduct an IPC-A-600J CIS certification training?2020-09-24T11:12:23+02:00

Yes, as long as an IPC-A-600H CIT certificate is valid you are allowed to conduct CIS certification trainings. Actually the certificates do not state the Revision to which a training has been conducted. Of course you have to prepare yourself as a trainer, have the appropriate trainer kit for the J-version available and use it the appropriate way.

Where can I order IPC documents?2020-09-24T08:25:12+02:00

You can order all IPC documents from the IPC Web shop. https://shop.ipc.org/

We want to train and certify the operators in our company according to the IPC-A-610. Because of the costs involved with registering the participants for an official IPC training, instead of this we would rather like to give the participants a testimony we set up ourselves. Is this allowed?2020-09-24T10:12:06+02:00

No, in the IPC training program it is stated that IPC training materials are only to be used for official IPC certification training courses that lead to acquiring an official, serialized IPC certificate. For all other purposes it is forbidden to use them.

Should I get re-certified exactly at the day my current certificate expires?2020-09-24T09:18:52+02:00

All IPC certificates remain valid until the last day of the month. Re-certification can be accomplished in a 6 month window before the existing certification expiration date, without any consequences for the expiration date cycle.

If a new version of an IPC document is published, will this new version automatically be applicable even if in a contract an older one is stated?2020-09-24T08:20:38+02:00

This depends on the way the contract is set out. If a version is explicitly mentioned, than that version stays valid. But if it is stated that the latest version is to be used, than this latest one would automatically become applicable. IPC has no fixed guidelines for situations like this.

The CIS participants feel the theory and online IPC exam for the IPC-7711/7721 CIS training is cumbersome and unnecessary. Am I allowed to certify them based only on their workmanship skills?2020-09-24T10:13:10+02:00

No, IPC explicitly states in the training program that module 1, on which this exam is based, is a mandatory module in the certification flow. Without the successful completion of this module and the online exam you cannot certify your participants.

A customer has stated that his employees must be certified according to the IPC J-STD-001. I have been contacted by an organization that told me they can conduct a training in accordance with this standard. Since I am not familiar with this organization I am not sure if I should do any business with them?2020-09-24T11:04:34+02:00

Only IPC authorized certification centers and/or currently certified IPC trainers may certify people for a certain certification program.

In case of doubt you could get a confirmation on the validity of this organization from IPC or ask the concerned organization regarding the qualification of their trainer for this specific training (does this person have a valid IPC J-STD-001 CIT or MIT certificate?).

PIEK by the way is an IPC authorized training center for all IPC Certifications and employs only certified and experienced trainers.

Am I still allowed to train my people according to the H-version of IPC-A-600 despite the fact that the J-version of the IPC-A-600 has been published?2020-01-31T15:58:08+01:00

Yes, when you create your class in the CQI Portal you can choose between J or H Revision.

Hi, I am a CIT for IPC-WHMA-A-620, do I have to grade the workmanship in the IPC-WHMA-A-620 CIS training?2020-09-23T11:34:48+02:00

No you don’t have to do that if the student didn’t do any workmanship in the training, so you only have to grade their workmanship when they actually did practice workmanship during the IPC-WHMA-A-620 CIS-training.

In his contract a customer refers to the J-STD-001FS. Is this a mistake in writing, since the document we use is designated J-STD-001F?2020-09-24T08:24:01+02:00

No, apparently this customer is related to the space industry. For this group of products IPC has developed a so called addendum, a document containing supplementary specific criteria. This means that this product is subject to the criteria in the regular J-STD-001F as well as J-STD-001FS (mind the priority however). Remark: J-STD-001FS should not be used in conjunction with J-STD-001E.

I have a question and can’t find an answer on this website, what should I do?2020-09-24T08:26:30+02:00

In this case you should contact PIEK International Education Centre (I.E.C.) by telephone +31455703333 or via Email support@piektraining.com.

I’ve discovered a mistake in an IPC standard we use in our company. How can I submit this to IPC?2020-09-24T08:21:56+02:00

At the back of every IPC document you will find a “standard improvement form”. Fill this out and sent it to IPC. In the case of an older document make sure you have the correct address (IPC at the moment is in Bannockburn). You might also fill out such a form in digital format (download from the IPC website) and send it by e-mail.

Will my CQI Portal login get me to the IPC Help Desk?2020-09-29T13:14:26+02:00

No, for the IPC Help Desk you need a separate login. Click on the Certification Help Desk button in the Portal and sign up for a new account.

Where can I download the CIT training material2020-09-23T12:16:24+02:00

24 hours after your CIT certification or re-certification has been registered, it is added to your personal IPC EDGE 2.0 dashboard. In this trainer’s KIT, which you can find under ‘CIT Resources’, you find all available versions and translations of the materials of the training courses. You can download whichever you want.

Every course has its own course materials. Search for the desired course and download the relevant documents. This ensures that you always have the most up-to-date material. The documents can obviously also be used online.

After you have been CIT certified, you can download all translations and revisions of the courses that you have been certified for. For instance, somebody with a CIT 610 certification can download a range of training documents in a range of languages of the 610 standard. It goes without saying that this can be done free of charge.

My CIS certificate will expire soon. I will not be able to attend a re-certification training before the expiration date. Is there a solution?2020-01-31T15:51:32+01:00

You have 6 months before the end of your certification to take part in a recertification. If your certificate has expired, you will need to follow a certification.

Can I use one email address for all participants in my class?2020-09-23T11:45:34+02:00

No, every participant must have his own unique email address (company e-mail or private). The IPC CQI system allows each e-mail address only once, so general e-mail addresses such as info@company.com are not possible. Without an e-mail address registration with IPC is NOT possible.

How long is an IPC certificate valid?2020-09-24T08:30:02+02:00

An IPC certificate is valid for 2 years from the day the training has been satisfactorily completed. It is valid through the last day of the month.

Example: you successfully completed the exam on September 9th 2018, your certificate will be valid until the last day of September 2020.

Does a CIS student needs to do the IPC Essential Program in his training? We finished the mandatory Module final Test but the Module is still stated as “incomplete”.2020-09-23T11:48:33+02:00

No, the CIS student doesn’t have to do the Essentials Program. It is not mandatory but he can do it if he would like to do it. It is normal that the Portal states that the Module is incomplete until the student has downloaded his/hers certificate. So after downloading the students certificate, the Portal will state the module as complete.