CPSM Certification
What is CPSM?
The Certified Professional Services Marketer (CPSM) designation serves as a mark of distinction for professional services marketers and business developers, raising their standing with their employers, peers, and the public. Offered by SMPS, the recognized leader in education and information for marketing professional services, the CPSM credential is a certification designed to elevate professional standards in marketing and influence the future of the profession.
Why Become a CPSM?
Becoming a CPSM is a way to position yourself as a leader in the A/E/C industry. Having this designation on your resume gives you a differentiator over someone else with the same experience but without the certification.
The achievement provides important benefits:
- Increased knowledge of the six Domains of Marketing practice: Marketing Research, Marketing Planning, Client and Business Development, Proposals, Promotional Activity, and Management
- Demonstrated dedication to the professional services marketing profession
- Industry recognition of professional competence
- Enhanced credibility with employers, clients, and peers
- Improved ability to compete in the job market
- Potential for increased compensation and benefits and career advancement
- Public recognition in the roster of CPSMs on the SMPS website
- Invitation to CPSM-only educational and networking programs
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Access to the CPSM communities on MySMPS and LinkedIn
Benefits of CPSM Certification:
CPSM Study Group
The Ontario Chapter offers a complimentary CPSM Study Group for SMPS members and non-members. The Study Group is led by experienced and knowledgeable CPSMs in Ontario and provides a structured program for reading the material and reviewing study guide questions. More than anything, it helps to provide students with a schedule and be accountable—both individually and to the group.
Exam Period
The CPSM examination is administered every year during two three-week testing periods in March and September. Professional Testing Corporation (PTC) will send approved candidates an email called the Scheduling Authorization approximately 11 weeks before the first day of the testing window. Candidates may not make an appointment to test until they receive this authorization.
Exam Content
The SMPS Domains of Practice serve as the foundation for the Society’s Certified Professional Services Marketer (CPSM) Exam. The MARKENDIUM, also known as the SMPS Body of Knowledge, further defines the six Domains of Practice for the Society and professional services marketing. The refreshed MARKENDIUM was released in Spring 2023 and is available for purchase though Amazon.
Application Deadline for 2025/26
| Date | Exam Period |
| February 5, 2025 | March 1 through March 22, 2025 |
| August 6, 2025 | September 6 through September 27, 2025 |
| January 28, 2026 | February 28 through March 21, 2026 |
| August 5, 2026 | September 5 through September 26, 2026 |
More Information
For more information on certification, changes to the CPSM program or the study group, please e-mail: [email protected].
