The Business Continuity Institute (BCI) Launches Online Self-Assessment Tool for Business Continuity Professionals BCIscope provides exam simulation supported by Knowledge Gap Assessment and Personalized Study Plan to earn Top Business Continuity Certifications

 

 

The Business Continuity Institute (BCI)  expands number of credential Exam Centers Worldwide. BCI partners with PES and Prometric to increase exam locations to 400-plus in 75 countries

 

 

 

 

 

09.08.09
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Zachary Stopa
The Business Continuity Institute
(703) 637-4378
zachary.stopa@thebci.org

 

 

The Business Continuity Institute (BCI) Launches Online Self-Assessment Tool for Business Continuity Professionals

BCIscope provides exam simulation supported by Knowledge Gap Assessment and Personalized Study Plan to earn Top Business Continuity Certifications

 

 

Caversham, September 8, 2009– The Business Continuity Institute (BCI), the non-profit global leader in educating and certifying business continuity professionals throughout their careers, today announced the launch of a new online self-assessment tool known as BCIscope. The tool aims to enable business continuity professionals and individuals to assess their knowledge of The Business Continuity Institute’s Good Practice Guidelines (GPG), a taxonomy of business continuity topics that serves as the foundation for the CBCI certification

BCIscope provides a simulation of the BCI certification exams. Questions used in this self-assessment are designed to closely mirror those from the actual certification exam and newer questions developed by BCI certified subject matter experts. At the conclusion of the simulation assessments, the test taker will receive a score based on the official algorithm comparable to what is used in the actual exam, helping them assess their overall exam readiness.

“BCIscope is beneficial to both certification candidates and employers,” said Lyndon Bird, FBCI, Technical Director of the BCI, “It helps candidates focus their study efforts more precisely and enhances their comfort level prior to sitting for the official certification exam. For employers, BCIscope is an indispensable management tool, providing an objective, low-cost way to assess their staff’s business continuity knowledge, skills and abilities.”

BCIscope offers a personalized reporting system with learning progress indicators that provides insight into a candidate’s knowledge strengths and weaknesses, as well as a readiness gauge that pinpoints the candidate’s comprehension level of the specific areas of the the Business Continuity Institute’s Good Practice Guidelines (GPG). These features allow candidates to efficiently identify their knowledge level in each of the domain/knowledge areas and focus their study efforts on areas that need the most attention. “Candidates seeking the industry recognized BCI certificate can now find out where they stand in the various areas of the GPGs and what areas they need to focus their study efforts by assessing their knowledge using BCIscope” said Mano Paul, AMBCI, CSSLP, CISSP, President and CEO of Express Certifications, a BCI affiliate company that developed BCIscope. Paul further mentioned that “Combined with robust reporting and a personalized study plan that is generated based on performance, candidates can use BCIscope to focus on weaker areas, and optimize their learning experience.”

Developed to meet the increased visibility of business continuity planning and the critical need for certified professionals, BCIscope is available in three formats: as a one-off purchase by any individual, as a subsidized or voucher purchase tailored for organizations needing bulk access for their personnel, and as a part of a bundle for corporations who purchase an education program or other services from the BCI.

Lyndon Bird was keen to point out that “Those early in their careers wanting to progress to a higher level or those looking to make the transition from another field into business continuity will find BCIscope a powerful career enabler. By allowing candidates to assess their skills and knowledge, it gives them some level of much-needed comfort as they take that critical career step toward certification. The BCIscope assessment tool is part of our continuing commitment to support the continued growth of BCM and to provide services to business continuity professionals throughout their careers.”

The simulated exams can be purchased online in a variety of set depending on the number of questions the candidate chooses. For more information about BCIScope, you can visit the BCI website.

About The Business Continuity Institute

Based in Caversham, United Kingdom, The Business Continuity Institute (BCI) was established in 1994 to “promote the art and science of business continuity management” to assist organizations in preparing for and surviving minor and large-scale man-made and natural disasters. The Institute enables members to obtain guidance and support from their fellow practitioners, as well as offers professional training and certification programs to disseminate and validate the highest standards of competence and ethics. It has more than 4,800 members worldwide in c90 countries.

For additional information on BCM education and certification please visit www.thebcicertificate.org . For information on membership, please visit http://www.thebci.org.

07.27.09
NEWS
For Immediate Release

Mike Kilroy or Stephanie Olsen
Maples Communications, Inc.
(949) 855-3555
mkilroy@maples.com
solsen@maples.com

 

The Business Continuity Institute (BCI)

expands number of credential exam centers worldwide
BCI Partners with PES and Prometric to Increase Exam Locations to 400-Plus in 75 Countries

 

 

VIENNA, Va., July 27, 2009 – The Business Continuity Institute (BCI), a leader in setting and validating standards of professional competence and ethics in business continuity management, today announced an agreement with testing services leader Professional Examination Service (PES) and its delivery partner Prometric that expands the number of exam locations for BCI’s professional certificates to more than 400 in more than 75 countries.

Through Prometric’s worldwide computer-based test delivery network, BCI now has professional certificate exam centers in Africa, China, Europe, India, Japan, Latin America, Middle East, Asia-Pacific, Canada and the U.S. Exams are offered on an ongoing basis in the morning and afternoon with limited evening and weekend sessions. For a complete list of exam test locations, visit http://www.thebcicertificate.org/intapc_locations.html. PES, a non-profit corporation dedicated to ensuring the quality of credentialing processes, will now oversee exam development, scoring and psychometrics, and ensure the ongoing integrity of the BCI examinations.

“BCI is pleased to be working with Prometric and PES because they can assist in managing the administration of our credential on a truly international scale,” said Lorraine Darke, executive director of BCI. “The BCI Certificate, leading to the CBCI, is the cornerstone of our professional membership, and an international network of high-quality examination venues will ensure growth in BCI membership and the professional community of business continuity practitioners.” Linda Waters, Prometric’s vice president for associations business, said, “Prometric has unmatched expertise in expanding credentialing programs internationally, and we look forward to working closely with PES to meet the delivery needs of BCI on a global basis.”

PES President Dr. I. Leon Smith added, “Working closely with clients to develop and maintain valid, defensible credentialing assessments, and ensure the ongoing integrity and security of their intellectual property is perhaps PES’s highest calling as a mission-driven, not-for-profit credentialing services company. We are delighted to be partnering with BCI in this endeavor.” BCI also announced the launch of its revised portal (www.thebcicertificate.org) with a new design and additional content, including educational resources for those studying for a BCI certificate exam and an industry events calendar.

For more information about the BCI certification and education opportunities, please contact education@thebci.org.

 

About Business Continuity Institute (BCI)

Based in Caversham, United Kingdom, The Business Continuity Institute (BCI) was established in 1994 to “promote the art and science of business continuity management” to assist organizations in preparing for and surviving minor and large-scale man-made and natural disasters. The group enables members to obtain guidance and support from their fellow practitioners, as well as offers professional training and certification programs to disseminate and validate the highest standards of competence and ethics. It has more than 4,000 members worldwide in more than 85 countries. For more information, visit http://www.thebci.org.

About PES

Since 1941, Professional Examination Service (PES) has provided a full range of assessment and advisory services to organizations across a broad range of professions, in support of professional licensure and certification, training, and continuing professional education. As a mission-driven, not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting the public welfare through credentialing, PES specializes in the delivery of tailored services that meet the unique needs of each client. To learn more, visit PES online at http://www.proexam.org.

About Prometric Prometric

Promoteic a wholly-owned subsidiary of ETS, is the recognized global leader in technology-enabled testing and assessment services. Its comprehensive suite of services, including test development, test delivery and data management capabilities, allows clients to develop and launch global testing programs as well as accurately measure program results and data. Prometric reliably delivers and administers more than seven million tests a year on behalf of 450 clients in the academic, professional, healthcare, government, corporate and information technology markets. It delivers tests flexibly via the Web or by utilizing a robust network of more than 10,000 test centers in 163 countries. For more information, please visit http://www.prometric.com.