Frequently Asked Questions
General
Professional Certification is an international program developed by buildingSMART to support openBIM training and assessment. It comprises two phases: Phase 1 - Individual Qualification; and Phase 2 - the application of openBIM principles in the project environment.
Individual Qualification is the first Phase of Professional Certification
Phase 2 of the Professional Certification program will be released at different time in different countries. We expect the first release to be in 2021.
The process for professional ‘certification' is defined in the international standard ISO 17024 and must conform to fairly strict requirements. Phase 1, Individual Qualification, does not adhere to these requirements and therefore uses the term 'qualification' in place of 'certification'.
The Professional Certification program is currently only offered in specific countries, Please refer to our website, for contact details in your region. https://education.buildingsmart.org/contact/
Individual Qualification is conferred on a candidate after successfully completing an online Qualification exam.
The Qualification Exam is a 25 question mutliple-choice test. It is administered through the buildingSMART Qualification Platform, which is built on the Moodle learning platform.
buildingSMART International sets no restrictions on where the online test is taken, however, Chapters are free to require the test be undertaken in training centres.
Yes. Upon successfully completing the Qualification exam, the candidate will be issued with a digital certificate to attest to their qualification.
No, but you will be able to note that you have completed the bSI Individual Qualification exam and will have a certificate to prove this.
It will demonstrate that you have a basic knowledge of BIM that is consistent with international standards and best practices.
The cost of the exam is set by each buildingSMART Chapter, however, the cost will fall within the range of 75.00-125.00 Euro. This fee is included in the course fee and is paid by the training provider on behalf of the candidate.
Candidates can sit can sit the exam for a second time, however, they will have to pay a re-exam fee of 50.00 EUR.
No. You must attend a buildingSMART approved course from a registered training provider before you can sit the qualification exam.
Yes. Online trainings are recognised by buildingSMART, however, the courses must be approved by a buildingSMART Chapter.
Training Providers
This is to be decided by each chapter individually. Contact your local Chapter to find out more. https://education.buildingsmart.org/contact/
The company must have at least three years' experience in organising and delivering professional training. The training personnel must have three years' experience in the construction industry, experience with Building Information Modeling and didactic experience.
Registered training providers can offer their courses in any country where there is no established buildingSMART Professional Certification program. In countries where there is an established program, the training provider must have their course approved by the national buildingSMART chapter.
Learning Content
buildingSMART has drawn on recognised international standards (such as ISO 19650-1) to define the Learning Outcome Framework (LOF) for Individual Qualification.
The Learning Outcome Framework (LOF) lists the individual Learning Outcomes that must be delivered in each course (25-30).
Yes. The Learning Outcomes are made publicly available by buildingSMART, however, the learning content (the so-called Body of Knowledge) is only provided to registered training providers.
The Body of Knowledge is a resource of all learning content that is covered in the learning outcomes. It is provided by buildingSMART to registred training providers to develop their courses.
