ASEP to CSEP: How the INCOSE Certification Path Works
ASEP or CSEP? At the School of Systems Engineering, we get asked this a lot, and the answer is both, in that order. INCOSE uses one knowledge exam for both certifications, so ASEP is the first step on the path and CSEP is the second.
Starting at step 1? Our Nail the INCOSE ASEP Exam course takes 8 hours, is self-paced and costs £249.
One exam, two stages
Both certifications use the same knowledge exam. It is a multiple-choice test on the INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook, fifth edition. ASEP shows you know the material. CSEP shows you have also applied it at work for at least five years. Once you pass the exam, you never sit it again to move up.
What each stage asks of you
ASEP
Exam: the INCOSE knowledge exam
Experience: none required
Education: none required
References: none
Valid for: 5 years, renewed with 120 PDUs
CSEP
Exam: the same knowledge exam
Experience: at least 60 months of direct systems engineering experience, including at least 12 months in 3 experience areas
Education: a qualifying degree, or 10 years of engineering experience including 5 in systems engineering
References: yes
Valid for: 3 years, renewed with 120 PDUs
PDUs are professional development units. You earn them through training, conferences and professional work. A qualifying degree is a four-year engineering or science degree that includes 2 calculus courses and 2 physical science courses.
The path, step by step
Step 1 is ASEP. You pass the knowledge exam and INCOSE certifies you, with no experience or references needed. Our Nail the INCOSE ASEP Exam course takes 8 hours, is self-paced and costs £249.
Step 2 is CSEP. When you reach 60 months of systems engineering experience, you send INCOSE your experience application and your references. You don't sit the exam again. Our Become INCOSE CSEP course is mentored. It helps you map your experience to INCOSE's areas and choose your references, and we review your application before you submit it.
Going straight for CSEP: how it works
If you already have five years of systems engineering experience, you can go for CSEP from the start. The exam and the application are linked. You pass the knowledge exam first, then submit your CSEP application with your experience and references. INCOSE gives you 12 months from passing the exam to apply.
After you apply, INCOSE contacts your references and reviews your experience. This usually takes four to six weeks once everything has arrived. If you pass the exam but your experience review doesn't go through, you can appeal or choose to become an ASEP. Your exam pass still counts, and you can move up to CSEP later without taking the exam again.
What each step gives you
ASEP shows an employer that you know the handbook and speak the same language as the systems engineers around you. CSEP shows that INCOSE has checked your experience and that senior engineers have vouched for your work.
Why train with us
Our exam course covers the fifth edition handbook content the exam tests. The School of Systems Engineering is an endorsed training provider with the Institute for Systems Engineering (IfSE), and you can find us on the IfSE register.
For one engineer's route through step 1, read how a recent graduate passed INCOSE ASEP first time.
What to do this week
Count your months of systems engineering experience and write down which three areas you have spent at least 12 months in. If you reach 60 months, go straight for CSEP. If not, start with ASEP and apply for CSEP when you get there.
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