Who is Experience Assessment for? 

New members

Experience Assessment offers a direct route to membership for those with recent experience in the people profession, without the need for additional study. 

It lets you showcase your skills, knowledge, and career achievements to demonstrate that you have the necessary real-world expertise required for your desired CIPD membership grade. The evidence must come from the last five years of professional experience. 

Members wanting to upgrade to Chartered

You can also use Experience Assessment if you are already in CIPD membership and want to upgrade to Chartered Member or Chartered Fellow, without additional study. 

If you're a Foundation Member or Associate Member and do not hold a CIPD Advanced Diploma, you may be eligible for an upgrade. You can check if you qualify using the Experience Assessment tool.

 

Reasonable adjustments

Full details of the Experience Assessment process and what it involves can be found on this page including an FAQ section below. 

If you'd like to talk about the assessment and reasonable adjustments, email us at ea@cipd.co.uk or call us on +44 (0) 20 8612 6208 (09:00 - 16:00 Mon - Fri UK time) to find out more.

 

What membership can I get through Experience Assessment? 

Use the membership standards to identify which membership grade is right for you. Depending on your level of experience, you can achieve one of the following CIPD membership grades with Experience Assessment:

  1. Associate Member: For professionals involved in operational work with some complexity, contributing to people-related solutions.
  2. Chartered Member: For those who work both strategically and operationally, driving change to meet organisational needs.
  3. Chartered Fellow: For senior professionals who combine strategic insight with business acumen to create long-term impact on organisations' people strategies.

What does Experience Assessment involve?

Experience Assessment timeline

Step 1: Complete the pre-assessment 

Use our free 10-minute pre-assessment tool to find out if you're eligible for Experience Assessment. The pre-assessment can also help you to choose the right grade to apply for and identify areas for development.

Step 2: Register and pay for Experience Assessment

Choose when to start your assessment within three months. After registration and payment, you'll get access to your CIPD member benefits, including a range of materials, online research and communities that’ll help and support you throughout your online assessment. 

Step 3: Online assessment

Your online assessment will take about three days over a four-week period. It comprises two elements: knowledge and impact report, and information on your professional development.

Step 4: Professional Discussion

You’ll have a virtual discussion with an experienced CIPD assessor to talk about your career and explore your evidence in more detail. This discussion takes around 1.5 hours. 

Step 5: Outcome

You'll get the outcome of your Experience Assessment within four weeks. If you're successful, you'll be awarded Associate Member, Chartered Member or Chartered Fellow grade and receive your CIPD certificate. 

How much does Experience Assessment cost?

Our membership year runs from 1st July to 30th June, and you can join membership at any time. 

Membership type Joining fee (New members only) One-off assessment fee* Membership fee, up to 18 months** Total (New members) Total (Existing members)
Associate Member £40 £1,996 £276 £2,220 £1,996
Chartered Member £40 £2,045 £321 £2,299 £2,045
Chartered Fellow £40 £2,375 £363 £2,657 £2,375

*The one-off assessment fee is non-refundable

**Your Membership fee covers up to 12 months, valid until 30 June 2025

***Next time you renew your membership, you’ll pay the membership fee for the grade you’re awarded.

Frequently
asked questions

Help and support

Need some help? Visit our frequently asked questions page where you'll find answers to common queries. 

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Talk with
other candidates

Discussion forum

Join the discussion forum and get in touch with other candidates who are currently completing the Experience Assessment process, or who've been through it.

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Other routes to CIPD membership

Explore other ways to join the CIPD as a member.

CIPD qualifications

A CIPD qualification gives you the skills to thrive in the workplace at any stage of your career. Find out more with CIPD today.

Chartered status and upgrading

Shape the future of the world of work by achieving Chartered status. Becoming a Chartered Member (MCIPD) or Chartered Fellow (FCIPD) is the ultimate badge of expertise, credibility and authority in the people profession.

Membership for organisations

We have a range of CIPD membership options that will support the diverse needs of your team.

Discover more about membership