FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: What is the PLS Ethics Exam?
A: The IAPP Privacy Law Specialist™ (PLS) Ethics Exam is a one-hour, 15-question, multiple choice test based on the Model Rules of Professional Conduct. Candidates are required to either pass the IAPP Privacy Law Specialist™ Ethics Exam or submit a recent (within five years) MPRE score of 80+.
Candidates must correctly answer 11 out of 15 questions to pass. Each question includes a short scenario and four answer options, one of which is correct. The topics include: safeguarding information, fee sharing, advertising, conflict of interest, professional independence, unauthorized practice of law, client communication, evidence and privilege, competence, candor, and organization as client.
You can schedule your IAPP PLS Ethics Exam through the Purchases section of your MyIAPP account once you have purchased the exam.
Q: How do I prepare for the Ethics Exam?
A: There is no official IAPP study guide for this exam.
The Ethics Exam is a one-hour, 15-question, multiple choice test based on the Model Rules of Professional Conduct. Candidates must correctly answer 11 out of 15 questions to pass. Each question includes a short scenario and four answer options, one of which is correct. The topics include: safeguarding information, fee sharing, advertising, conflict of interest, professional independence, unauthorized practice of law, client communication, evidence and privilege, competence, candor, and organization as client.
Q: What happens if I fail the Ethics Exam?
A: You are able to purchase a retake exam through the IAPP store.
Q: What if I already have a CIPP/US or a CIPM certification through the IAPP?
A: That’s great news! You’re already halfway there. You can purchase whatever you still need individually, such as training, an exam (including the PLS Ethics Exam) and exam prep materials. All products can be found in the IAPP Store.
Q: Where and when do I take the three exams?
A: Pearson Vue is the IAPP’s computer-based testing (CBT) provider. You may sit for your exam at one of Pearson Vue’s 6,000+ testing locations around the globe or test online from the comfort of your home or office with remote proctoring. You have one year to schedule and take your exam(s) from date of purchase.
Q: Is there a deadline for taking the exams after registering or after taking the online course? How should they be passed: all at once, or one after the other?
A: You have one year to schedule and take your exam(s) from date of purchase.
There are no prerequisites for the exams, so you may take them in any order.
Q: Is there a time limit for the exams?
A: Yes. You are allotted 2.5 hours for the CIPP/US and CIPM exams and 1 hour for the PLS Ethics Exam. You can find more information about the exam structure and process in the IAPP Certification Candidate Information Handbook. Exams are available at our 6,000 computer-based testing centers worldwide.
Q: Do I have to watch the online training all at once? Does it always start from the beginning?
A: You can exit online training and return at any time to pick up where you left off.
Q: Can I revisit each of the modules of each course as many times as I like online?
A: Yes. Your course never expires, and you may view it as many times as you like. In fact, we recommend reviewing the content within each module more than once to increase retention.
Q: Do you offer in-person or live online trainings for the required certifications?
Q: Is there any difference between the in-person or live online training and the online training?
A: The content is the same for all—the only difference is in the delivery.
In-person training follows a traditional classroom setup. You and your classmates attend at a specific location, date and time for learning led by an expert instructor.
Live online training is also led by an expert instructor at a specific date and time. The difference is you and your classmates can attend from anywhere in the world where there is internet access. You can even ask questions and converse with the instructor and other trainees via a real-time chat function.
Traditional online training is available from anywhere you have internet access. It is self-paced and includes no “live” instruction.
Q: Can you recommend any additional training material, such as textbooks for CIPP/US and CIPM?
A: Digital versions of the official textbooks for the CIPP/US and CIPM programs:
- U.S. Private-Sector Privacy: Law and Practice for Information Privacy Professionals
- Privacy Program Management: Tools for Managing Privacy Within Your Organization
Please refer to this resources page for the CIPP/US and CIPM Bodies of Knowledge and Exam Blueprints. They will help you discover which areas you may need to focus on more than others, based on your existing knowledge of the subject matter. The Body of Knowledge is a comprehensive outline of all the subject matter covered on the exam. The Exam Blueprint gives you an idea of how many questions from each topic area you can expect.
Q: Is there a mobile app for iPhone and iPad which I can use to access the course materials? Can I download the online training and watch it on my mobile device?
A: No, there is not a mobile app. Although some of the features of the online courses will work on a tablet, they are not yet fully compatible with all mobile devices. You can view our trainings online, but you cannot download them. Trainings are best accessed through a browser window.
