Policies
 

Equal Opportunity Policy

APBM does not discriminate against candidates applying for the CABM and CBM Exams or for APBM membership based on color, religion, gender, age, race/ethnic background, nationality, and physical disabilities.

 

The CABM and CBM Exams are open to any candidate meeting the eligibility requirements. APBM membership is open to anyone interested in joining the association.

 

APBM follows the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) policy and adheres to employment-at-will concept. For those APBM employees covered by a formal and individual employment contract, APBM follows the provisions of that contract. For those APBM employees not covered by a formal and individual employment contract, APBM follows the employment-at-will concept, which does not constitute an implied contract. This concept means that either the employer or the employee may separate employment at any time for any reason. APBM will carefully follow tort theories, public policies, and "good faith and fair dealing" doctrine with all of its employees.

 

Anti-Harassment Policy

APBM does not tolerate any of its employees harassing the APBM’s customers, contractors, or third parties doing business with the APBM. APBM does not tolerate any of its employees involved in sexual harassment indications and/or allegations against co-workers, opposite genders, subordinates, or supervisors. Violators will be subjected to disciplinary actions and eventual termination of employment.

Privacy Policy

APBM does not divulge, share, or sell any of a candidate’s information to others. APBM does not reveal a candidate’s exam results to third parties. APBM does not release any of its employee’s personal, medical, or financial information to others unless requested or approved by the employee in writing.

Confidentiality and Conflict of Interest Policy

APBM’s employees, whether full-time or part-time, must maintain confidentiality of information that they deal with as part of their work duties. They cannot or should not divulge confidential information about APBM or CABM/CBM Exam candidates to unauthorized parties. Employees should not get involved in situations leading to conflict of interest. Non-compliance with this requirement can lead to termination from the job and legal action may be taken against them.

 

APBM’s Board of Governors must maintain confidentiality of information that they deal with as part of their board duties. They cannot or should not divulge confidential information about APBM or CABM/CBM Exam candidates to unauthorized parties. The Board members should not get involved in situations leading to conflict of interest. Non-compliance with this requirement can lead to termination from the board duties and legal action may be taken against them.

 

APBM’s external bodies (e.g., contracted persons and subcontractors, online testing firms, web design firms, outsourced firms, business partners, firms on a retainer fee, and other outside parties) must maintain confidentiality of information that they deal with as part of their work duties. They cannot or should not divulge confidential information about APBM or CABM/CBM Exam candidates to unauthorized parties. These external bodies should not get involved in situations leading to conflict of interest. Non-compliance with this requirement can lead to termination from the contract or business relationship and legal action may be taken against them.

 

Pricing Policy

Prices are subject to change. Please always check the website for the current price. There is no adjustment for previous purchases. Promotional offers cannot be combined.

 

Exam Registration Policy

To complete the CABM Exam Registration process, the following documentation is required:

 

• CABM Exam Application (click here to view the application)
• Current Resume/CV
• Official Copy of Community College/Undergraduate/Graduate degree or Transcripts (where applicable)
• Applicable CABM Exam Fee Payment

 

 

Everyone is eligible to sit for the CABM Exam.

To complete the CBM Exam Registration process, the following documentation is required:

• CBM Exam Application (click here to view the application)
• Current Resume/CV
• Official Copy of Undergraduate/Graduate Degree or Transcripts
• Applicable CBM Exam Fee Payment

 

All non-English transcripts must be translated into English by a reputable translation organization before submitting then to APBM. We use the above documentation to verify its authenticity and to determine a candidate’s eligibility to take the CABM/CBM Exam. If the documentation is deemed unauthentic or the candidate's integrity is in question, the candidate is barred from taking the exam due to violation of APBM’s Code of Professional Ethics.

 

Exam registration cannot be transferred from individual to another.

 

Exam Sequence Policy

The APBM recommends that you take one exam part per testing window in the sequence indicated below due to time required to study the voluminous amount of preparation materials. If you are confident of taking more than one exam part per testing window, please do so at your discretion. Here is the APBM’s recommended sequence:

 

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4

 

You will be allowed to progress to the next exam part once you pass the previous exam part.

Pearson VUE Testing Center Policy

Once a candidate’s exam registration process is complete, he will receive an Authorization To Test (ATT) from APBM, enabling him to make a testing appointment directly with Pearson VUE.

 

Candidates are encouraged to schedule testing appointment to meet his specific scheduling needs. Pearson VUE must be notified of your cancellations and postponements within 48 hours of your original testing appointment. The candidate must cancel the testing appointment himself. A fee of US$200 will be charged for ‘No Show,” which is in addition to any exam retake fees involved.

 

Please do not contact Pearson VUE to schedule an exam until you have registered with APBM first.

 

Exam Postponement Policy

Beginning November 1, 2010, once APBM issues an Authorization To Test (ATT), a candidate must pay a fee of US$200 to postpone testing from one testing window to another. Any change in testing window needs to be made to APBM before the start of the testing window for which the candidate is currently registered.
 

Exam Retake Policy

A candidate has a total of three attempts to pass each exam part, including the first attempt. In other words, only two retakes are allowed for each exam part. The retake fee is US$200 for each exam part. No additional documentation is needed to register for the exam retake. Candidates must notify the APBM about their intention to retake the exam in the next testing window. Exam retake cannot take place in the same testing window in which a candidate did not pass.

 

Refund and Withdrawal Policy

There are no refunds once a candidate's transaction has been successfully processed. If a candidate wishes to withdraw from the CABM/CBM program, there is no refund, and he may do so at any time by notifying APBM via email or via mail. Withdrawals made by phone will not be processed.

 

Membership Policy

A candidate must be an APBM member to take either the CABM or the CBM Exams. Click here to review the APBM Member Benefits. Members will be billed automatically on an annual basis to the credit card on file. Membership benefits cannot be transferred from one individual to another.

 

Payment Policy

If paying by credit card, we accept VISA, MasterCard, and American Express only (both debit and credit cards). Payments must be made prior to shipment of Exam Preparation Guides and Exam Registration. If paying by check or bank draft, it must be drawn on an US bank and payable in US dollars only. If paying by wire transfer, please call the APBM office for approval. A fee of US$25 is required to cover the receiving bank’s service charges.

 

Continuing Education and Recertification Policy

Each CABM and CBM must complete 20 hours of Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credit hours per calendar year. The first calendar year starts in the year following the year in which a candidate becomes CABM or CBM. For example, if a candidate becomes a CABM or CBM anytime in the 2004 calendar year, his continuing education period starts in January 1, 2005. Recertification is required to keep the certification active. The recertification period is one calendar year. The CABM or the CBM holder must meet the following three conditions to be recertified every year:

• Must complete 20 credit hours of Continuing Professional Education
• Must physically sign the Code of Professional Ethics document to demonstrate commitment

• Must physically sign the Use and Misuse document
• Must pay the CABM/CBM annual certification maintenance fee of US$48

 

Failure to meet any one of the above three conditions will make the certificate holder’s status inactive. Inactive status means the certificate holder’s resume information will not be available to prospective employers, his name will be excluded from the APBM Membership Directory, and at the same time the inactive status provides an exit point from the profession. An individual receives an active status when all of the following three conditions are met:

• Fulfill outstanding CPE hours
• Physically sign the Code of Professional Ethics document for outstanding years
• Physically sign the Use and Misuse document for outstanding years
• Pay the outstanding annual certification maintenance fee of US$48 per year

 

If the CABM/CBM holder is inactive for a period of three or more years, he will need to take the CABM/CBM Exams respectively by paying the full price of the exams and achieve the passing score. In other words, this is similar to taking the exams for the first time. After passing the exam, the inactive status will be changed to active status.

 

Individuals who are retired from the workforce are not required to annually submit CPE documentation. However, they still need to pay the CBM Maintenance Fee of $48.

Each CABM and CBM Certificant is assigned a status code of Active, Inactive, Retired, or Deceased in APBM's database. Prospective employers can request in writing the exact status of the certificant. APBM will notify the employer in writing the status by checking its internal database by giving the date when the status is in effect.

 

CBM Exam Part 4 Exam Results Notification Policy

The CBM Part 4 exam results will not be displayed at the end of the exam because the narrative answers require human analysis outside of computer-based testing. Later, the exam results will be communicated directly to the exam candidate notifying the Pass or No Pass grading status, due to manual grading of the case analysis.

 

Transition Exam Policy

If APBM decides to introduce a new exam part based on new job analysis or for other market reasons, all current applicants who are registered into the program and are in the pipeline of moving from one part to the other, are required to take the transition examto demonstrate the equivalent knowledge with that of the new certificants. The transition exam is a mandatory requirement for recertification.

 

A notice will be sent to all the affected applicants in advance of the change in the exam scheme to allow enough time to prepare for the new part. This notice will be posted on the APBM website. Individual letters will also be sent to the applicants at the last known address.

 

Dual Certification Holder Policy

When an individual holds both CABM and CBM certifications, he is required to pay the CBM Annual Maintenance Fee of US$48 instead of US$96 for the two certifications. Similarly, he is required to earn 20 CPEs to maintain the CBM Certification instead of 40 hours for the two certifications.

 

Certification Verification Policy

APBM often receives certification verification request from potential employers of CABM and CBM. APBM will verify the following information in writing:

• Certificate number
• Certification date
• Certification status (active/inactive)

All certification verification requests must made in writing either by regular mail or facsimile.

 

Certificate Replacement Policy

If you need another CABM/CBM Certificate issued for whatever reason, the cost to reissue you a new CABM/CBM Certificate is US$50.

 

Use of Certificates and Logos

Individuals who earned the CABM and CBM credentials are allowed to use them on their resumes and business cards, and can place them in personnel employee files for recognition purpose. Business schools, training course providers, or others should not use these credentials to give the impression to the public that they are the owners of these credentials. Individuals, business schools, training providers, or others should not use these credentials in such a manner as to bring the APBM into disrepute by making misleading or unauthorized statements to the public as to their source or ownership. CABM and CBM holders who violates the APBM trademark rights obtained on these credentials will be suspended from APBM membership and their certifications will be revoked. APBM will take legal action against any individual, business schools, training providers, or others who violate the trademark rights.

 

Resolution of Appeals and Complaints

APBM intends to resolve all appeals and complaints received from exam applicants and candidates, certified persons and their employer organizations, and other parties about the certification process and criteria in a reasonable period of time (i.e., within two to three business weeks). The complaints and appeals can be submitted to APBM via electronic mail, regular mail, or facsimile. Timely acknowledgment of such appeals and complaints will be sent to the same person who submitted the appeals and complaints within two to three business days. APBM policy is to resolve all appeals and complaints in an independent and unbiased manner.

 

Granting of CABM/CBM Certification

The decision to grant CABM or CBM final certification to an individual is made only after passing all the required exams and only after meeting the education and experience requirements. An individual cannot pass the exams first and obtain the required education or experience later. Both education and experience requirements must be met before taking the exams, as there will be no exceptions to these requirements.

 

Whistleblower Policy
APBM's Whistleblower Policy is intended to encourage and enable employees and others to raise serious concerns within the organization prior to seeking resolution outside of APBM. It is the responsibility of all directors, officers, and employees to comply with the policy and to report violations or suspected violations in accordance with this Whistleblower Policy. No director, officer, or employee who in good faith reports a violation of the policy shall suffer harassment, retaliation, or adverse employment consequence. An employee who retaliates against someone who has reported a violation in good faith is subject to discipline up to and including termination of employment.

Disclaimers

APBM does not guarantee the CABM/CBM Exam candidate that he will pass the respective exams. Success on the CABM/CBM Exams depends on many factors, such as the candidate’s time-management skills, previous work experience and education, amount of time and effort expended for study, memory recall of the subject matter, decision-making skills, and personal state of mind.

 

APBM does not guarantee the CABM/CBM Exam candidate that the use of CABM/CBM Online Learning System published by Pearson Education will lead to passing the respective exams.

 

With no bias intended and for the sake of simplicity and convenience, the words he, his, and him are used throughout the APBM’s Web site instead of he/she, his/hers, or him/her.