Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How long does my IPC CIS certification last?

Your IPC Certified IPC Specialist (CIS) certification is valid for two years from the date of issue. You will need to recertify before it expires to maintain your certification status.

How long does my IPC CIT certification last?

Your IPC Certified IPC Trainer (CIT) certification is also valid for two years. CITs are responsible for training CIS-level students, so maintaining an active certification is essential.

When should I renew my IPC certification?

We recommend beginning the renewal process at least 3-6 months before your certification expires. This ensures you maintain continuity and avoid any lapse in certification status.

Does AIM Training offer IPC private courses onsite?

Yes, AIM Training provides private, onsite IPC training for companies across Australia. These courses can be tailored to suit your team’s schedule and specific requirements. Please contact us for more information and availability.

What is the difference between CIS and CIT levels of IPC certification?

CIS (Certified IPC Specialist): Designed for hands-on operators, inspectors, and technicians who will apply the IPC standards in day-to-day work.
CIT (Certified IPC Trainer): Intended for individuals responsible for training and certifying CIS students. CITs must have a deeper understanding of the standards and teaching capabilities.

Where can I find available dates for upcoming IPC courses from AIM Training?

You can view all upcoming course dates on our Course Calendar. We update this regularly with available public course sessions.

Can I obtain a quote for IPC certification?

Absolutely. Pricing is available online to be able to secure your seats instantly, but if you require an official quote contact us directly, and we’ll provide a detailed quote based on the course type, location, and number of participants.

For IPC online courses, where do I obtain the IPC materials to sit the course?

Attendees are required to have either hard copy or digital version of the IPC materials for the course. IPC Materials are available for purchase through the www.okay.com.au website. Ensure you order your copy early to ensure travel time is factored in.

I would like to buy hard copy standards for our company. Can we buy these from AIM Training?

Yes, AIM Training is an authorised distributor of IPC standards. You can purchase hard copy or digital versions directly through us. IPC Materials are available for purchase through the www.okay.com.au website.

We are unsure if we should send our staff to your courses or train an internal CIT. What are the pros and cons?

Here’s a quick comparison:

Option

Pros

Cons

Send staff to AIM Training courses

- No need for internal trainer
- Access to experienced IPC instructors
- Lower up-front costs and we supply books and materials

- Scheduling around course dates

Train an internal CIT

- In-house training capability
- Flexible scheduling for your team
- Long-term cost efficiency

- Higher initial investment
- Requires commitment to recertification every 2 years

- If your CIT leaves the company they take the certification with them

We’re happy to consult with you directly to determine the best fit for your organisation.

Is AIM Training a division of Chemtools?

Yes, AIM Training is a division of Chemtools, a trusted Australian manufacturer of soldering, cleaning, and industrial consumables. This partnership allows us to offer both IPC training and technical support tailored to the electronics manufacturing industry.

If a new version of an IPC document is published, will this new version automatically be applicable even if in a contract an older one is stated?

This depends on the way the contract is set out. If a version is explicitly mentioned, than that version stays valid. But if it is stated that the latest version is to be used, than this latest one would automatically become applicable. IPC has no fixed guidelines for situations like this.

My CIS certificate will expire soon. I will not be able to attend a re-certification training before the expiration date. Is there a solution?

You have 6 months before the end of your certification to take part in a recertification. If your certificate has expired, you will need to follow a certification.

Hi, I am a CIT for IPC-WHMA-A-620, do I have to grade the workmanship in the IPC-WHMA-A-620 CIS training?

No you don’t have to do that if the student didn’t do any workmanship in the training, so you only have to grade their workmanship when they actually did practice workmanship during the IPC-WHMA-A-620 CIS-training.

Does a CIS student needs to do the IPC Essential Program in his training? We finished the mandatory Module final Test but the Module is still stated as “incomplete”.

No, the CIS student doesn’t have to do the Essentials Program. It is not mandatory but he can do it if he would like to do it. It is normal that the Portal states that the Module is incomplete until the student has downloaded his/hers certificate. So after downloading the students certificate, the Portal will state the module as complete.

My IPC Certificate has expired. Can I still get re-certified?

If your certificate is expired, you can’t get re-certified. In this case you will need to attend a certification class.

How long is an IPC certificate valid?

An IPC certificate is valid for 2 years from the day the training has been satisfactorily completed. It is valid through the last day of the month.

Example: you successfully completed the exam on September 9th 2018, your certificate will be valid until the last day of September 2020.

Where can I order IPC documents?

You can order all IPC documents from the IPC Web shop. https://shop.ipc.org/

A customer has stated that his employees must be certified according to the IPC J-STD-001. I have been contacted by an organization that told me they can conduct a training in accordance with this standard. Since I am not familiar with this organization I am not sure if I should do any business with them?

Only IPC authorized certification centers and/or currently certified IPC trainers may certify people for a certain certification program.

In case of doubt you could get a confirmation on the validity of this organization from IPC or ask the concerned organization regarding the qualification of their trainer for this specific training (does this person have a valid IPC J-STD-001 CIT or MIT certificate?).

PIEK by the way is an IPC authorized training center for all IPC Certifications and employs only certified and experienced trainers.

I have a valid IPC-A-600H CIT certificate. Am I nevertheless allowed to conduct an IPC-A-600J CIS certification training?

Yes, as long as an IPC-A-600H CIT certificate is valid you are allowed to conduct CIS certification trainings. Actually the certificates do not state the Revision to which a training has been conducted. Of course you have to prepare yourself as a trainer, have the appropriate trainer kit for the J-version available and use it the appropriate way.

The CIS participants feel the theory and online IPC exam for the IPC-7711/7721 CIS training is cumbersome and unnecessary. Am I allowed to certify them based only on their workmanship skills?

No, IPC explicitly states in the training program that module 1, on which this exam is based, is a mandatory module in the certification flow. Without the successful completion of this module and the online exam you cannot certify your participants.

How can I register my students in the Portal, buy credits at IPC etc.?

PIEK has made some instruction video’s on Youtube which explains everything in detail. Please watch Part 1 – 6: https://www.youtube.com/

I have lost my certificate. Can I obtain a copy from PIEK or IPC?

Each certificate has its unique serial ID number and is granted on an individual basis. In the case of a loss please contact PIEK for possibilities of receiving a substitute certificate. If you obtained your certification after August 2018, you will find your certificate in your digital environment on the website of IPC, my.ipcedge.org.

We want to train and certify the operators in our company according to the IPC-A-610. Because of the costs involved with registering the participants for an official IPC training, instead of this we would rather like to give the participants a testimony we set up ourselves. Is this allowed?

No, in the IPC training program it is stated that IPC training materials are only to be used for official IPC certification training courses that lead to acquiring an official, serialized IPC certificate. For all other purposes it is forbidden to use them.

My CIT certificate will expire soon. I will not be able to attend a recertification training before the expiration date. Is there a solution?

You have 6 months before the end of your certification to take part in a recertification. If your certificate has expired, you will need to follow a certification.

Am I still allowed to train my people according to the H-version of IPC-A-600 despite the fact that the J-version of the IPC-A-600 has been published?

Yes, when you create your class in the CQI Portal you can choose between J or H Revision.

Will my CQI Portal login get me to the IPC Help Desk?

No, for the IPC Help Desk you need a separate login. Click on the Certification Help Desk button in the Portal and sign up for a new account.

Our company name is changed. I would like to change the name in “update my profile” but it is not possible. What can I do now?

If you can’t change the name in your profile, you can sent a help desk ticket to IPC. Choose “Certification Help Desk”, log in with your Login credentials, and choose “Profile Update/Company Update”. IPC will change your company name.

Can I use one email address for all participants in my class?

No, every participant must have his own unique email address (company e-mail or private). The IPC CQI system allows each e-mail address only once, so general e-mail addresses such as [email protected] are not possible. Without an e-mail address registration with IPC is NOT possible.

I’ve discovered a mistake in an IPC standard we use in our company. How can I submit this to IPC?

At the back of every IPC document you will find a “standard improvement form”. Fill this out and sent it to IPC. In the case of an older document make sure you have the correct address (IPC at the moment is in Bannockburn). You might also fill out such a form in digital format (download from the IPC website) and send it by e-mail.

Should I be an IPC member in order to get certified as an IPC trainer?

No, IPC membership is not required in order to get certified as a CIT.

How can I get help from IPC certification?

There are three ways:

IPC General Inquiries: [email protected]
IPC Certification Hotline: +1-847-597-2982 if you need urgent answers
IPC Helpdesk for CQI and training related issues.

The student has finished his exam but the certificate is not available…..what is wrong?

Did the student update his profile? If the student didn’t update his/hers profile then he will not get his/hers certificate. (students have to update their profile in the IPC Certification Portal).

Should I get re-certified exactly at the day my current certificate expires?

All IPC certificates remain valid until the last day of the month. Re-certification can be accomplished in a 6 month window before the existing certification expiration date, without any consequences for the expiration date cycle.

Why can’t I check the mistakes that I made in my final test?

IPC secures all information, also the answer-keys are secured. Since the possibility of online-testing it is not possible to check your answers anymore.

A customer has specified criteria for his product that deviate from the criteria in the IPC standard. Should I stick to the criteria in the IPC standard or the ones from my customer?

If your customer specifies an IPC standard in his contract this will be applicable for his products. However, customer criteria in contracts or drawings always take precedence on the criteria in IPC standards.

Where can I download the CIT training material

24 hours after your CIT certification or re-certification has been registered, it is added to your personal IPC EDGE 2.0 dashboard. In this trainer’s KIT, which you can find under ‘CIT Resources’, you find all available versions and translations of the materials of the training courses. You can download whichever you want.

Every course has its own course materials. Search for the desired course and download the relevant documents. This ensures that you always have the most up-to-date material. The documents can obviously also be used online.

After you have been CIT certified, you can download all translations and revisions of the courses that you have been certified for. For instance, somebody with a CIT 610 certification can download a range of training documents in a range of languages of the 610 standard. It goes without saying that this can be done free of charge.

What is the difference between an IPC CIS, CSE and a CIT certificate?

IPC-A-610 CIS (Certified IPC Specialist)
This CIS variant is intended for operators

IPC-A-610 CIT (Certified IPC Trainer)
This CIT variant is intended for anyone who wants to train operators to CIS themselves

IPC-A-610 CSE (Certified Standards Expert)
This CSE variant is intended for anyone who wants to become an expert in the field of the relevant standard. These experts are often used by companies as coordinators to correctly apply the standard within the company.

In his contract a customer refers to the J-STD-001JS. Is this a mistake in writing, since the document we use is designated J-STD-001J?

No, apparently this customer is related to the space industry. For this group of products IPC has developed a so called addendum, a document containing supplementary specific criteria. This means that this product is subject to the criteria in the regular J-STD-001J as well as J-STD-001JS (mind the priority however).

Some of our employees have been certified as IPC-A-610 CIS. Can we state in our brochures and on our website that we are an IPC certified company?

No, the IPC-A-610 CIS certifications are individual, personal certifications. There is a separate program however for certification on a company level, which is called IPC Validation Services. Contact the PIEK sales team for more information on these services.

Hi, I am a CIT for IPC-WHMA-A-620, do I have to grade the workmanship in the IPC-WHMA-A-620 CIS training?

Does a CIS student needs to do the IPC Essential Program in his training? We finished the mandatory Module final Test but the Module is still stated as “incomplete”.

My IPC Certificate has expired. Can I still get re-certified?

If your certificate is expired, you can’t get re-certified. In this case you will need to attend a certification class.

How long is an IPC certificate valid?

An IPC certificate is valid for 2 years from the day the training has been satisfactorily completed. It is valid through the last day of the month.

Example: you successfully completed the exam on September 9th 2018, your certificate will be valid until the last day of September 2020.

Where can I order IPC documents?

You can order all IPC documents from the IPC Web shop. https://shop.ipc.org/

I have a valid IPC-A-600H CIT certificate. Am I nevertheless allowed to conduct an IPC-A-600J CIS certification training?

The CIS participants feel the theory and online IPC exam for the IPC-7711/7721 CIS training is cumbersome and unnecessary. Am I allowed to certify them based only on their workmanship skills?

How can I register my students in the Portal, buy credits at IPC etc.?

PIEK has made some instruction video’s on Youtube which explains everything in detail. Please watch Part 1 – 6: https://www.youtube.com/

I have lost my certificate. Can I obtain a copy from PIEK or IPC?

We want to train and certify the operators in our company according to the IPC-A-610. Because of the costs involved with registering the participants for an official IPC training, instead of this we would rather like to give the participants a testimony we set up ourselves. Is this allowed?

My CIT certificate will expire soon. I will not be able to attend a recertification training before the expiration date. Is there a solution?

You have 6 months before the end of your certification to take part in a recertification. If your certificate has expired, you will need to follow a certification.

I have a question and can’t find an answer on this website, what should I do?

In this case you should contact PIEK International Education Centre (I.E.C.) by telephone +31455703333 or via Email [email protected].

Am I still allowed to train my people according to the H-version of IPC-A-600 despite the fact that the J-version of the IPC-A-600 has been published?

Yes, when you create your class in the CQI Portal you can choose between J or H Revision.

Will my CQI Portal login get me to the IPC Help Desk?

No, for the IPC Help Desk you need a separate login. Click on the Certification Help Desk button in the Portal and sign up for a new account.

Our company name is changed. I would like to change the name in “update my profile” but it is not possible. What can I do now?

Can I use one email address for all participants in my class?

I’ve discovered a mistake in an IPC standard we use in our company. How can I submit this to IPC?

Should I be an IPC member in order to get certified as an IPC trainer?

No, IPC membership is not required in order to get certified as a CIT.

How can I get help from IPC certification?

There are three ways:

IPC General Inquiries: [email protected]
IPC Certification Hotline: +1-847-597-2982 if you need urgent answers
IPC Helpdesk for CQI and training related issues.

The student has finished his exam but the certificate is not available…..what is wrong?

Did the student update his profile? If the student didn’t update his/hers profile then he will not get his/hers certificate. (students have to update their profile in the IPC Certification Portal).

Should I get re-certified exactly at the day my current certificate expires?

Why can’t I check the mistakes that I made in my final test?

IPC secures all information, also the answer-keys are secured. Since the possibility of online-testing it is not possible to check your answers anymore.

Where can I download the CIT training material

What is the difference between an IPC CIS, CSE and a CIT certificate?

IPC-A-610 CIS (Certified IPC Specialist)
This CIS variant is intended for operators

IPC-A-610 CIT (Certified IPC Trainer)
This CIT variant is intended for anyone who wants to train operators to CIS themselves

Some of our employees have been certified as IPC-A-610 CIS. Can we state in our brochures and on our website that we are an IPC certified company?

My CIS certificate will expire soon. I will not be able to attend a re-certification training before the expiration date. Is there a solution?

You have 6 months before the end of your certification to take part in a recertification. If your certificate has expired, you will need to follow a certification.

Does a CIS student needs to do the IPC Essential Program in his training? We finished the mandatory Module final Test but the Module is still stated as “incomplete”.

My IPC Certificate has expired. Can I still get re-certified?

If your certificate is expired, you can’t get re-certified. In this case you will need to attend a certification class.

How long is an IPC certificate valid?

An IPC certificate is valid for 2 years from the day the training has been satisfactorily completed. It is valid through the last day of the month.

Example: you successfully completed the exam on September 9th 2018, your certificate will be valid until the last day of September 2020.

Where can I order IPC documents?

You can order all IPC documents from the IPC Web shop. https://shop.ipc.org/

How can I register my students in the Portal, buy credits at IPC etc.?

PIEK has made some instruction video’s on Youtube which explains everything in detail. Please watch Part 1 – 6: https://www.youtube.com/

I have lost my certificate. Can I obtain a copy from PIEK or IPC?

I have a question and can’t find an answer on this website, what should I do?

In this case you should contact PIEK International Education Centre (I.E.C.) by telephone +31455703333 or via Email [email protected].

Will my CQI Portal login get me to the IPC Help Desk?

No, for the IPC Help Desk you need a separate login. Click on the Certification Help Desk button in the Portal and sign up for a new account.

Our company name is changed. I would like to change the name in “update my profile” but it is not possible. What can I do now?

I’ve discovered a mistake in an IPC standard we use in our company. How can I submit this to IPC?

How can I get help from IPC certification?

There are three ways:

IPC General Inquiries: [email protected]
IPC Certification Hotline: +1-847-597-2982 if you need urgent answers
IPC Helpdesk for CQI and training related issues.

The student has finished his exam but the certificate is not available…..what is wrong?

Did the student update his profile? If the student didn’t update his/hers profile then he will not get his/hers certificate. (students have to update their profile in the IPC Certification Portal).

Should I get re-certified exactly at the day my current certificate expires?

Why can’t I check the mistakes that I made in my final test?

IPC secures all information, also the answer-keys are secured. Since the possibility of online-testing it is not possible to check your answers anymore.

What is the difference between an IPC CIS, CSE and a CIT certificate?

IPC-A-610 CIS (Certified IPC Specialist)
This CIS variant is intended for operators

IPC-A-610 CIT (Certified IPC Trainer)
This CIT variant is intended for anyone who wants to train operators to CIS themselves