CFSE/CFSP Application Information

1. Applicability
The Certified Functional Safety Expert (CFSE) and the Certified Functional Safety Professional (CFSP) are global programs that apply to the field of functional safety. The knowledge required for the CFSE/CFSP programs that are based on current industry accepted practices and standards.

2. Deadline for Filing Applications
Completed application materials must be received by the CFSE Governance board at least 3 weeks prior to the exam date. The specific date is usually noted on the exam schedule information page. Please note that because of the tight deadline, incomplete applications will not be guaranteed a place at the exam. It is strongly recommended that all applicants send in their information well in advance of this deadline to insure a place at the exam. If the Governance Board does receive your application prior to the exam, you may take the CFSE/CFSP exam at your own rise prior to acceptance to the exam. There are no refunds.

3. Application Fees
The applicable fees for the CFSE/CFSP examination are listed on the Examination Fee information sheet. Fees should shortly follow with the application. Application fees can be paid by bank check, money order, credit card (Visa, MasterCard or Amex only), or purchase order. Applications will not be reviewed until the FULL application process has been received by the CFSE GB and the payment has been made.

4. Two Levels of Recognition are Available

a. CFSE - Certified Functional Safety Expert
b. CFSP - Certified Functional Safety Professional

a. Eligibility Requirements for Examination - CFSE
A candidate must have 4 referee statements from other professionals (preferably CFSEs) recommending candidates.

*** New requirement for CFSE Applicants ***
A case study must be submitted candidates to provide a description of project where they demonstrated their skills, knowledge, and responsibility for a significant element of the safety lifecycle in accord with the relevant areas of 61508/61511/62061. This will also include a supporting statement from one of the referees. Please see application form and example.

A candidate must have a minimum of 10 years related experience with credit given for education as follows:

Highest Educational Level	Engineering Degree	Other Technical degree	Non-Technical Degree
No higher level education	Subtract 0 years	Subtract 0 years	Subtract 0 years
Bachelor Degree	Subtract 3 years	Subtract 2 year	Subtract 1 year
Master Degree	Subtract 4 years	Subtract 3 years	Subtract 1 ½ years
PhD	Subtract 6 years	Subtract 4 years	Subtract 2 years
Professional Engineering Certification/License (PE)	Subtract 1 additional year	Subtract 1 additional year	Subtract 1 ½ additional years

Using this table as guidance, a person with no higher level education would need at least 10 years of related experience to be considered for the CFSE program. A B.S./B.Sc./B. Eng. degree in an engineering discipline immediately reduces the minimum experience requirement to 7 years while additional certification as a licensed professional engineer by a recognized state or national body reduces the minimum requirement to 6 years. Similarly, someone with a B.S. degree in a scientific discipline such as physics or chemistry would need at least 8 years of relevant safety and engineering experience to meet the requirements.

5. CFSE Material To Be Submitted
CFSE applicants must arrange to have the following materials submitted before the application deadline (see attached schedule):

1. Examination Application Form – submitted by applicant
2. Case Study Form - Submitted by Applicant - a description of project where they demonstrated their skills, knowledge, and responsibility for a significant element of the safety lifecycle in accord with the relevant areas of 61508/61511/62061
3. Record of Graduation - submitted by educational institution (one for each institution listed in Examination Application Form)
4. Referee Statement - (four are required) - submitted by referee (one for each referee listed in Examination Application Form) This will also include a supporting statement from one of the referees for the Case Study.
5. Copies of Licenses, Registrations & Certification -submitted by applicant (one for each listed in Examination Application Form)
5. Professional Conduct Statement – submitted by applicant
6. Payment for Application Fee

b. Eligibility Requirements for Examination - CFSP
A candidate must have 2 referee statements from other professionals (preferably CFSEs) recommending candidates.

A candidate must have a minimum of 2 years related experience with credit given for education as follows:

Highest Educational Level	Engineering Degree	Other Technical degree	Non-Technical Degree
No higher level education	Subtract 0 years	Subtract 0 years	Subtract 0 years
Bachelor Degree	Subtract 3 years	Subtract 2 year	Subtract 1 year

6. CFSP Material To Be Submitted
CFSP applicants must arrange to have the following materials submitted before the application deadline (see attached schedule):

1. Examination Application Form – submitted by applicant
2. Record of Graduation - submitted by educational institution (one for each institution listed in Examination Application Form)
3. Referee Statement - (two are required) submitted by referee (one for each referee listed in Examination Application Form)
4. Copies of Licenses, Registrations & Certification -submitted by applicant (one for each listed in Examination Application Form)
5. Professional Conduct Statement – submitted by applicant
6. Payment for Application Fee

7. Application Checklist

¨ Application forms: The application forms must be typed or printed (legibly) in blue or black ink, and each must bear an original signature. Applications MUST be mailed into the CFSE GB. Where a form is greater than one page in length, all pages must bear the candidate’s initials.

¨ Case study: The case study application form must be submitted by candidates to provide a description of project where they demonstrated their skills, knowledge, and responsibility for a significant element of the safety lifecycle in accord with the relevant areas of 61508/61511/62061. This must also include a supporting statement from one of the referees. (Applies to CFSE candidates only)

¨ University/College Education: Requires the applicant to give an overview of attended educational institutions. For each listed institution the information must be verified by submitting a Record of Graduation form to each institute/college/university for completion. If the applicant has both an undergraduate and graduate degree, both must be verified by completion of individual forms. Please note that the educational institution must mail the Record of Graduation form directly to the CFSE Governance Board.

¨ Professional References: Requires the applicant to list referees. The following applies:

A minimum of four (4) references must be provided by the CFSE applicant and two (2) references by the CFSP applicant. An applicant is encouraged to use an immediate supervisor as a referee.

A supporting statement from one of the referees for the Case Study. (CFSP not applicable)
Referees should have personal knowledge of applicants experience and collectively be able to attest to the entire amount of experience claimed.
Referees must NOT be related to the applicant.
Each referee must complete a Referee Statement form, and forward it directly to the CFSE Governance Board.
The CFSE Governance Board reserves the right to contact any referee for verification purposes.
Original referees should be mailed to the CFSE GB.

8. Notification Of Examination
Admission Applicants must allow two (2) weeks for full processing of their complete applications. At least one week prior to the examination date, an admission notice will be sent to eligible candidates and will confirm dates, times, and location of the examination. For the due date of the examination fee see paragraph 3. If the admission notice has not been received at least one (1) weeks prior to the examination date, the candidate must contact the CFSE Governance Board.

9. CFSE Examination Format
The examination will take five (5) hours and is divided into two (2) sessions. The examination consists of two (2) categories of questions - multiple choice and short answer/case study. The multiple choice section is two (2) hours and the short answer/case study section is three (3) hours. There will be a one (1) hour break in between.

Category	No. of Questions	Points	Minimum Score
Multiple Choice	50	1	30
Short Answer/Case Study	Candidate chooses 50 points worth of 2-20 point questions from ~20 possible questions	50	35

In order to pass the exam the candidate will have to score at least 60% in the multiple choice, 70% in the short answer/case study category, and 80% for the total examination.

All CFSE exams are open book with all readily available published references allowed to be used during the exam. Please also note that the candidates are specifically encouraged to at least bring a copy of part 1 of 61508 and similar relevant parts of the sector-specific IEC standards relevant to their area. For example, Process Applications candidates should also bring at least part 1 of 61511, Machine Applications candidates should also bring at least 62061, Software candidates should also bring at least part 3 of 61508, and Hardware candidates should also bring at least part 2 of 61508.

Other textbooks, publicly available published course materials, and workbooks are also allowed and may be useful to the candidates. Although occasional general hand notes in these reference materials may be allowed at the discretion of the Governance Board appointed exam proctor, it is expressly forbidden to bring in any personal exam-specific notes.

10. CFSP Examination Format
The examination will take three (3) hours and is one (1) session. The examination consists of two (2) categories of questions - multiple choice and short answer.

Category	No. of Questions	Points	Minimum Score
Multiple Choice	40	1 each	None except 80% overall requirement
Short Answer	Candidate chooses 10 out of 12 possible questions	2 each	None except 80% overall requirement

In order to pass the exam the candidate will have to score at least 80% for the total examination.

All CFSP exams are open book with all readily available published references allowed to be used during the exam. Please also note that the candidates are specifically encouraged to at least bring a copy of part 1 of 61508 and similar relevant parts of the sector-specific IEC standards relevant to their area. For example, Process Applications candidates should also bring at least part 1 of 61511, Machine Applications candidates should also bring at least 62061, Software candidates should also bring at least part 3 of 61508, and Hardware candidates should also bring at least part 2 of 61508.

11. Examination Dates And Locations
The CFSE Governance Board will publish a general list of dates and locations. For all dates and locations the cancellation policy applies. Organizations can also request examination dates and locations. Contact the CFSE Governance Board for more information.

12. Examination Rules And Conduct
Candidates are expected to exhibit proper examination decorum throughout the examination. Government issued identification is required. Candidates will be required to arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the scheduled time of examination. Candidates will not be admitted to the examination after the announcements have been given. Detailed instructions concerning arrival will be included with the admission notice. Published reference materials are permitted. Only non-programmable calculators will be allowed.

13. Examination Results
Results will be mailed approximately 8 weeks after the examination. No results will be given over the phone. Please do not call the CFSE Governance Board for test results. If the applicant did not report for the examination, or did not pass the examination, the results letter will explain how to schedule for a retake examination, and state the applicable fees.

14. Cancellation Policy
The CFSE Governance Board reserves the right, to cancel without specified reason any examination three (3) weeks before the examination date. The CFSE Governance Board will reschedule any canceled examination at their convenience. The applicant has the right to reschedule prior to payment due date.

15. Refund Policy
There will be no refunds.

16. Language of Examination
Currently examinations are only available in the English language.

17. Training Courses
Training classes are not required to be eligible for the test. However, many candidates may prefer to receive training oriented toward the curriculum required for the examination.

18. Certificate Renewals
The initial CFSE/CFSP certificate is only valid for a period of three (3) years. After that date it must be renewed by submitting the renewal application form and accompanying fee. It is not necessary to take the exam again unless nine (9) years have passed since the initial certificate was issued. The renewal basically consists of a confirmation that the renewal applicant is still active in their corresponding certificate specialty along with opportunities for additional supporting qualifications and experience. Once the renewal has been accepted, the certificate is valid for an additional three (3) year period. Repeated renewals are permitted without re-examination up to a period of nine (9) years since the initial exam pass. In the event that the certificate expires through either lack of renewal from the initial issue of the certificate, it can be renewed by re-taking the examination. It is the responsibility of the candidate to renew their CFSE/CFSP certificate on time.

19. Mailing Address
For all correspondence concerning the Certified Functional Safety Expert or Certified Functional Safety Professional program please use the following address:

CFSE Governance Board
PO Box 525
Sellersville, PA 18960
USA