OMG Certified UML Professional 2™ (OCUP 2™):
FAQ
THE PROGRAM:
The OCUP 2 examinations are totally new - No questions carried through from the original OCUP program to this one. (So new, in fact, that studying from the original OCUP Certification Guide book will not prepare you for the OCUP 2 Foundation exam! Study from the new OCUP 2 Certification Guide by Michael Chonoles instead.) If you're OCUP-certified, we encourage you to upgrade your certification to OCUP 2 where you'll notice that most of the questions, even those that touch on UML element definitions, relate that definition to the way it gets used in a model. Another difference is that the knowledge and skills tested, especially at the Foundation level, apply to model users as much as to the model builders addressed exclusively in the original OCUP. It's important that these users - a group that includes implementers (coders!), end-users, and stakeholders - be able to read and interpret the model diagrams that foretell what the final application will do, and how it does it, and OMG is pleased to be able to serve this important group of professionals.
If you upgraded to Advanced during the interim period by taking its original OCUP exam, your effort (and investment) were not wasted - - everyone who paid for and took this original OCUP Advanced exam during this transition period starting 1 March 2014 may apply to OMG for a voucher to take the OCUP 2 Advanced exam for free by filling in this form. Vouchers will expire on 31 January 2019, one year after the OCUP 2 Advanced exam became available. Remember that lower level OCUP 2 certifications are prerequisite for higher level OCUP 2 certifications.
Note that the prerequisite for OCUP 2 Intermediate certification is (only!) OCUP 2 Foundation certification - Your original OCUP Fundamental cert is not enough. These conditions apply to the Advanced level also. Keep in mind that each lower level OCUP 2 certification is prerequisite for the next higher - While you are allowed to take the exams out of order, OMG will not award your certification until you meet the prerequisite requirements.
OBTAINING REFERENCE SPECS, ARTICLES, AND BOOKS
PREPARING FOR THE EXAMS
TAKING THE EXAMS
You should arrive at the testing center at least 30 minutes before the test is scheduled to begin. During that time you will provide (2) two proper identifications and the test center administrator will give you a short orientation and then escort you to a workstation. If you do not provide appropriate identification, you will not be allowed to test for security reasons. Late arrivals will not be admitted.
You must have two (2) forms of ID, one with
a photo and both with a signature.
Acceptable forms of primary (photo) identification
include:
- Government issued driver’s license
- Employee ID work badge
- School ID
- Military ID*
- Passport*
- Alien registration card
- Permanent resident visas (Green Cards)
- State/Country ID
* Primary ID’s which contain an embedded signature are permitted as long as the Secondary ID presented has a visible signature.
Acceptable forms of non-photo identification include:
- Bank ATM card
- Credit card
- Any ID on the Primary list
The Exams are administered only at authorized Pearson VUE testing centers, in their secure environment, on their secure equipment.
You may bring your identification, but not much else. No computers, PDAs, cellphones, pagers, books, notes, scratch pads, writing instruments, coats, jackets, backpacks, briefcases, purses, and so on.
Some centers may have lockers, but they are usually small, and there may be none available when you take your Exam. Please do not bring personal items to the test center.
No. There may be candidates taking other professional exams at the same time using Pearson VUE's computer-based delivery system technology.
Yes. When you sit down to take an Exam at the test center, you will be asked to agree to keep the contents of the Exam confidential and to accept some terms and conditions relating to the Exam and your certification. You will not be allowed to take the Exam if you do not agree to these requirements.
You can review the Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) here. You can review the Candidate Agreement here.
All questions are multiple choice. All Exams are closed book. No written materials, notebook computers, cell phones, etc. will be allowed in the testing area.
Yes: As you take the exam, you may either mark questions that you feel are too difficult, or just skip them, to go back to after you reach the end. After you finish the last question, you will see a review screen that lets you jump back to any questions that you want to review. On the review screen, different symbols will identify questions that you marked, and questions that you skipped. Both marked and unmarked questions will be scored when you finally submit your exam. Unanswered questions will be scored as incorrect.
The Exams are not scored negatively - that is, no points are deducted for incorrect answers. This means that you can safely - and should - guess an answer to every question that you don't know. It is best to check if you have actually answered ALL questions before completing the exam (and the Review Screen makes this easy). If you are running short on time, just click any answer and move on. This way, you will at least have a chance to get some of them right.
Yes. Candidates with documented visual, physical, hearing, or learning disabilities, which would prevent them from taking an examination under standard conditions, may request special testing accommodations and arrangements. Please contact Pearson VUE directly.
(If you are taking a Beta exam) You'll know that you're taking a Beta exam because you've applied for, and been accepted into, the Beta program for your exam and received a voucher to take the exam for free. (It is not possible to register and pay to take an OMG Beta exam.) Your Beta exam will contain more than 200 questions, and have a scheduled time of 4 hours or more. You will not receive a score or pass/fail notice when you finish - Instead, your results will be combined with those of all our other Beta candidates and analyzed statistically to produce the final 90-question forms of the exam, and set the cutoff score - a process that takes several weeks and cannot start until the last Beta exam has been taken. When this work is complete, we will calculate your score on the final forms of the exam and, if it meets or exceeds the cutoff score, you pass - Congratulations! If you have also passed the required prerequisites for your level, you'll receive a certificate in the mail, and an email notice on how to download the certification logo for your level and opt in to the OMG Certified Professionals Directory.
THE EXAMS
You can receive a substantially larger discount by purchasing a larger number of vouchers directly from OMG:
Package Designation | Bronze | Silver | Gold |
Number of Vouchers | 25 | 50 | 100+ |
Discount % | 10% | 15% | 20% |
Discount is applied to the price in your country. For more information, or to purchase one of these voucher bundles, email <certificationinfo@omg.org> or directly to OMG's Director of Certification Dr. Jon Siegel at <siegel AT omg.org>.
NOTE: For details about discounts on the updated OCUP 2 Advanced exam for candidates who took the original version, see this FAQ question. The update discount program for Foundation and Intermediate levels has expired.
REGISTERING FOR AND SCHEDULING YOUR EXAM
ATTENTION: OMG is not responsible for the scheduling or rescheduling of exams, or for exam refunds. These matters must be facilitated through our testing partner Pearson VUE. Furthermore, OMG strongly stresses the importance of carefully reviewing your confirmation letter sent by Pearson VUE upon scheduling an exam - Check especially that you have scheduled for the exam and level that you intend. Any discrepancies should be brought to the attention of Pearson VUE immediately.
Go to the OMG Exam Registration page at Pearson VUE: http://pearsonvue.com/omg. From here you can;
- Locate a Test Center
- Schedule a Test (requires a Pearson VUE web account)
- Reschedule a Test (requires a Pearson VUE web account)
- Cancel a Test (requires a Pearson VUE web account)
- Access Your Account
- View Available Tests
- Contact Pearson VUE Customer Service
At the bottom of the page, you can;
- Schedule Online (requires a Pearson VUE web account)
- Schedule by Phone
- Schedule through a Test Center
To create a free Pearson VUE Web Account: On the sign-in page that appears when you click on any function that requires an account, click on the link labeled "create a new web account" and follow the instructions that appear.
When you schedule your Exam, you should be prepared to provide any of the following information:
- Your name (you may be asked to provide your name as you would like to have it appear on your certificate)
- Your Social Security, Social Insurance or Pearson Vue Testing I.D. (SP#) Number
- Contact phone numbers - If there is a problem, we will use these numbers to reach you
- Mailing address - Please provide the address to which you would like your certificate mailed
- Exam number and title
- e-Mail address - Once again for contact purposes, this is often the fastest and most effective means of contact. Many test sponsors require e-mail contact information for registration
- Method of payment
Yes, you must cancel and/or reschedule your test through the Pearson VUE Web site and not through OMG. Please read the rescheduling policies in the confirmation letter for your appointment.
AFTER YOU TAKE AN EXAM
If you fail an Exam, you can retake it after a minimum of 30 days, but you cannot take a particular Exam more than three times in a twelve-month period. There is no discount price for re-taking an Exam. The fee is the same as for the initial Exam. The diagnostic feedback that you will receive with the test score report will indicate the areas that need further study.
How do I use the OCUP 2 Certification logo, and what are my rights and responsibilities in using it?
While your OCUP 2 Certification remains valid (see below), you may use the Logo on your business cards, letterhead stationery, resume, Web site, and marketing materials for individual service, to indicate that you have earned a credential in the OCUP 2 Program. If you write a book or course and your name appears as author (or a co-author), the logo may appear associated with your name; not in a way that associates it with the work as a whole. The logo may not appear on any other type of product or other material. You may not use it for any purpose other than to designate your OCUP 2 certification credential.
You may use the OCUP 2 Certification Logo only as permitted by the OMG Trademark Usage Guidelines at http://www.omg.org/legal/tm_guidelines.htm.
Some of these guidelines are:
- You may not alter the Logo in any way.
- Your name, trade name, or company name must appear on any materials where the Logo is used.
- The Logo cannot appear larger or more prominent than your name, product or service name, trademark or service mark, logo, or trade or company name.
- OMG may, in its sole discretion, terminate your right to use the Logo at any time.
OMG will re-issue a lost certification kit for a fee calculated based on your location and shipping costs, that must be paid before we ship. Please send an email to certificationinfo@omg.org with the following:
- full name
- current address
- candidate ID number
Once we've determined shipping costs, we'll reply with an invoice and as soon as payment is received your kit will be shipped.
You should receive your certification kit within one month of passing an Exam although shipment to some locations remote from our fulfillment service in the US may take a bit longer. If you have not received your kit within this period, please contact OMG by email at certificationinfo@omg.org.
Yes, it does. Each OCUP 2 Certification expires 5 years from the date that you pass your exam, and this expiration is printed on your certificate and recorded in our Certified Professionals Directory.
However, any time-limited OMG certification can be renewed or extended during its term by passing the exam for either that same certification or the next certification level higher in its program for which the original is prerequisite. Any certification extended or upgraded in this way will remain valid for its full five-year term even though its lower-level prerequisites expire sooner.
For a detailed explanation of how this affects prerequisites (consistent with this policy), see the next question:
NOTE THAT Certifications earned in the original OCUP program (NOT OCUP 2) do not expire. However, these certifications, which are based on UML 1.X, the previous major release version of UML, may be considered obsolete. OMG recommends that holders of these certifications update to OCUP 2 by studying and taking the current examinations. Start with the Foundation exam, because only OCUP 2 lower-level certifications can serve as prerequisites for OCUP 2 higher-level examinations.
Certifications are associated with individuals, not companies. Your certification is granted to you and it will move with you wherever you go. If your listing in the OMG Certified Professionals Directory shows your previous company address and contact information, you can update it by emailing your new location to certificationinfo@omg.org but you must update your record at Pearson VUE first.
You can contact OMG by email at certificationinfo@omg.org.
For more information or questions about the OMG Certification Program, contact certificationinfo@omg.org.
OCUP, OCRES, OCEB and OCSMP are joint programs of the OMG and the UML Technology Institute (UTI).