Congratulations on your decision to start your payroll certification journey! Whether it is the Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) certification, Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC), or another certification, being prepared to take that journey includes more than just attending a class and taking an exam. And although the certification road may seem daunting, I can tell you the rewards are well worth it.
The Journey
Learning is a lifelong commitment because nothing stays the same from year to year. There’s growth in technology, changes in legislation, and changes in how we approach data, systems, and processes that occur as we grow in our careers. My journey for the CPP certification started many years ago with PayrollOrg.
When asked when I started my prep for the CPP exam, I can honestly say in 1981—my first exposure to PayrollOrg (then the APA). Availing myself of all the education available repeatedly allowed me to stay up to date on the fast-paced changes in the payroll world. Regardless of whether your certification is from PayrollOrg, SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management), or PMI (Project Management Institute), getting prepared ahead of time will be the key to your success.
PayrollOrg requires payroll professionals to have several years of payroll experience before they are allowed to take the FPC or CPP certification exam. The decision to add that is purposeful; it allows the payroll professional to gain some basic knowledge of payroll in preparation for the certification.
After many years in the payroll industry, I had mastered the technical side of payroll, accounting, programming, logic and process definition, management, and systems. But I was missing the designation that would prove to those who have not taken that journey that I knew what I knew.
Engaging in PayrollOrg’s CPP Boot Camp® allowed me to be reminded of so many aspects of the journey I hadn’t realized I’d lost touch with. Weekly video training sessions with experienced payroll professionals, getting involved in a study group of eight attendees all moving towards the same goal, and finally partnering directly with my one-on-one, ride or die study buddy, prepared me to pass the exam on the first try.
Preliminary Questions
In preparing to start the certification process, the first question to ask yourself is why you want to achieve this goal. Is it career growth, a personal achievement, becoming the subject matter expert (SME) in the conversation, or perhaps all the above? Once you know that, ask yourself the following questions to identify how best to prepare for the exam:
What is your learning style?
Identifying how you learn best is integral to your success. The VARK model of learning styles classifies learners into four main types based on sensory preferences:
1. Visual Learners prefer to see information. They benefit from diagrams, charts, pictures, and written instructions.
2. Auditory Learners learn best by listening. They benefit from lectures, discussions, podcasts, and audiobooks.
3. Reading/Writing Learners prefer written words, such as reading and taking notes. They excel in environments with a lot of reading and writing assignments.
4. Kinesthetic Learners learn through hands-on experiences. They prefer physical activities, experiments, and building or manipulating objects.
My learning style may not work for you, and yours may not work for me. People often have a combination of learning preferences, and these can change depending on the task or situation. Understanding these types can help tailor teaching or self-study methods to suit individual needs for better engagement and retention.
When and how much time are you devoting to your certification?
Blocking out the time in your calendar for classes, study time, test prep time, and any other study group needs is important to successfully earning your certification. Make sure you understand how much time is available for you to successfully learn the information and pass the eventual exam.
Who am I learning with and from?
Ensure you are partnered with study groups, instructors, and peers that will help you along this journey. Understand their availability as well as your own. Find time to meet and ask questions that may come up during the journey.
Where do I find materials, accesses, and contacts?
Prior to your first session, understand where the study material is stored and how to access it. If you are attending an online learning solution, make sure you are connected before your first session. And then build your contacts along the way. Your first contact is the organization or instructor. Take a moment to introduce yourself.
How am I learning the material?
This final question goes back to the first point as well but is not only associated with a learning style. The course will most likely include options for outside learning, resources you can access, and people and relationships you will build along the way. Take advantage of all of them.
Preparation
The amount of effort you put into passing the exam will determine whether you are ready. The following resources are invaluable for studying:
• Boot Camps: If you are taking one of PayrollOrg’s online Boot Camps—CPP Boot Camp or FPC Boot Camp—be prepared to spend at least four hours each week in structured classes. The courses cover basic payroll calculations, taxability of items, DOL regulations, systems configurations, management tools, process definitions and enhancements, as well as other topics.
• The Payroll Source®: You will need to leverage The Payroll Source (online or hardcover book) as reference material. The Payroll Source is a great reference tool and the basis for the coursework. Contained in the text are sample questions for the exam.
Study Groups: Find and participate in study groups with other class participants. Additionally, there are local chapter study groups across the country running all year round. Our study group took each chapter of the CPP Boot Camp and broke it down. We found we had a variety of SMEs on different subjects who could instruct and give a more in-depth explanation of what we were studying that week. Our study group spent an additional 6-8 hours each week preparing.
• Chapter Participation: Find a group that allows you to participate online. You may not need to belong to that chapter; however, participation in PayrollOrg chapters is another great resource.
Collectively, we spent 12-15 hours each week preparing for the exam. Over a five- to six-month period of total prep time, we put in approximately 500-600 hours to successfully pass the CPP exam.
The Exam
Exam day had finally come. The question I am asked the most is how to prepare during that last week. Over the last three months, I took the sample exams in The Payroll Source and tracked my scores by segment so I knew where my strengths and weaknesses were and focused on the weaknesses. So, the last week, I retook the tests each day—about two hours a day—until I was confident I had the details down pat.
When asked what advice others can provide, Sarah Chasney, CPP, offers that by the time test day comes around, “You only know what you know.” The night before the exam, I was told to relax, not study. At this point, you know it. I took that to heart and enjoyed some downtime.
The morning of the exam, I ensured I had all the items I needed (the CPP Candidate Handbook explains what you can bring on exam day), got to the exam center early, and checked in. I spent the next four hours in exam mode, answering the questions I was 100% comfortable with, marking the ones I wanted to review, and bypassing any I clearly needed to give more thought. This technique allowed me to get through the exam in about two and a half hours, and left plenty of time for reviewing and completing questions I had bypassed earlier.
At the end, after a long pause and a deep breath, I clicked submit and held my breath. The system returned the longawaited validation of my career! I PASSED! I checked, double checked, and triple checked the results to be sure I wasn’t reading it wrong.
The first person I called was my PayrollOrg ride or die buddy, Laurie Urban. While she is half a country away, we celebrated our success. The second person was my husband. He was with me all the way—but only Laurie REALLY got it.
More Than a Certification
An immense amount of knowledge and understanding can be gained through continued education. Not once have I heard from anyone that studying for the CPP exam was a waste of time.
By following the steps and preparation the instructors in PayrollOrg’s study courses will walk you through, you too can experience that sense of jubilance and satisfaction certification brings. The payroll community is a wonderful community to participate in. Making lifelong friendships, all starting from the bond of the test prep and PayrollOrg members and instructors, is a benefit of the exam I had not expected to receive. I am so glad I recognized the importance of those relationships as well.
Be confident, put the effort in, and start your certification journey to the highest designation for a payroll professional. I look forward to seeing your name among the next certification success stories.
