How CPD providers can verify learning with short assessments

A CPD accredited training provider is an organization whose training an independent body, such as the CPD Standards Office or the CPD Certification Service, has reviewed against published criteria. As of October 2026, neither body’s public pages require a test, a pass mark or a retake rule. A short assessment is therefore your choice, and it is the cleanest way to show that learners learned, not just attended.

This guide is for CPD course providers in the UK and abroad. In our October 2026 search check, most results for the phrase “cpd accredited training provider” were provider listings and “how to get accredited” guides, so buyers hunting for a provider will be better served by a directory. Here we cover the provider side: what accreditors and professional bodies publish, which choices stay with you, and how to design and record a short assessment.

Rules differ by accreditor, profession and country, and they change. Every quote below is dated to the page we read on October 18, 2026. Confirm each one with your accreditor before you rely on it.

Key takeaways

• The CPD Standards Office and the CPD Certification Service publish learning-objective and record-keeping expectations, but no required test format, item count, pass mark or retake limit.
• Professional bodies such as RICS, ICAEW, CIPD and the SRA set what members must record, and most accept a provider’s certificate as one form of evidence.
• Test length, pass rule, attempts and stored evidence are provider choices unless your accreditor or profession sets them, as Optometry Australia does for its members’ CPD.
• A 15-item check built from five outcomes at three items each, with a documented pass rule and a logged record of every attempt, is a defensible starting design.

What does a CPD accredited training provider have to prove about learning?

The public pages of the two main UK accreditors ask providers for clear learning objectives and some way of checking understanding. They name no test format, item count, pass mark or retake rule. The CPD Standards Office reviews assessment “where applicable”, and the CPD Certification Service lists “Clear learning objectives & outcomes”.

The table shows what each source publishes about checking learning, with the date of the page we read. It draws on the CPD Standards Office accreditation readiness check and the CPD Certification Service guide to what CPD accreditation is, plus two other documents for comparison.

Two limits are worth stating. First, the CPD Standards Office describes its accreditation as “independent quality recognition, not a regulated qualification” (page updated July 2026), so accreditation reviews your activity, not each learner. Second, its assessment policy says assessors consider “the delegates’ learning experience” (updated August 2026), which is not the same as a learner pass or fail.

What do professional bodies ask of the learner, and what do they need from you?

Professional bodies set what their members must record, and most accept a provider’s certificate as one form of evidence. In the documents we read, none asks providers to test learners. Their evidence tests differ: ICAEW wants verifiable evidence, RICS wants recorded learning outcomes, and CIPD and the SRA want reflection.

The table compares five bodies. ICAEW’s verifiable CPD guidance and the General Dental Council’s information for CPD providers are the two that say most about what a provider should supply.

Read together, these bodies mostly accept attendance evidence. A short assessment does not satisfy a rule they set. It adds evidence beyond what they ask, and our reading is that a system-generated, time-stamped result is the easiest way to meet ICAEW’s “objective” test. For dental, legal or surveying audiences, check the body’s own page first.

Which parts are accreditor requirements and which are your choices?

On the pages above, the requirement is to have clear learning outcomes and usable records. Whether to test, how long the test runs, the pass rule and the retake policy are provider choices unless your accreditor or profession says otherwise. Some bodies do set these rules, so ask yours in writing.

Optometry Australia shows how specific a body can be. Its page for CPD providers (last updated 19 October 2023) says:

• Assessment is optional, but “you must include a copy of all assessment questions within the application.”
• Multiple choice is preferred, and “each question must have at least four (4) alternate answer choices.”
• “Those who do not complete assessment should be allocated reduced CPD hours.”
• For attendance reporting, an attendee who scored 50% or more is marked “Y”.
• Marked assessments are kept for “a minimum of two (2) years”.

That is one body’s rule set for its own members’ CPD, not a standard. It does show the spread: the two UK accreditors publish none of these rules, and Optometry Australia publishes all of them. The same page sets no question count, attempt limit or time limit, so those stay with the provider even there.

How should a CPD accredited training provider design a short assessment?

Tie every item to a stated learning outcome, keep the check short enough for one sitting, set one documented pass rule, allow retakes with a record of each attempt, and store the result with the form version. The settings below are suggested defaults for providers, not accreditor requirements.

How many items, and how long should the check be?

Start from the outcomes. The CPD Standards Office guide asks for at least five points delegates will know or do differently. Our guide to pre and post course assessments suggests at least three or four items for each outcome you report separately, and calls fewer than three too noisy to act on.

Five outcomes at three items each gives 15 items. As a planning assumption, allow about a minute per recall-and-application item, so the check takes 15 to 20 minutes. Pilot that timing with real learners. If time is tight, cut the number of outcomes you report on, not the items per outcome.

What pass rule should you set?

Choose one pass rule and document how you chose it. A flat 70% is common, but our cut score guide says a flat percentage is defensible only if you can cite where it came from, such as a regulator, accreditor or client contract. Optometry Australia’s 50% is a reporting threshold for its members, not a general standard.

For a low-stakes CPD check, a proportionate method is a short documented review. Two subject experts each estimate the minimum score a borderline learner should reach, and you record both estimates and the agreed pass mark. That is a scaled-down version of the modified Angoff method, and it is our suggestion rather than any body’s rule.

How many attempts should learners get?

No accreditor page we read sets an attempt limit, so choose a number, publish it before the course starts and apply it to everyone. CPD exists to build competence, so allowing retakes is reasonable. Use a different set of items from the same blueprint on each retake, and keep every attempt on file.

What evidence should you store for each attempt?

Store enough that a reviewer could rebuild the result without asking you. At minimum, keep these fields for every attempt:

• learner name and a unique ID
• course, delivery date and CPD hours claimed
• the exact form version and the outcome each item tests
• start and submit times, score and per-outcome scores
• the pass rule, who approved it and the attempt number
• the award decision and the certificate number

Set retention to the longest rule that applies to your accreditors and clients. Optometry Australia asks for two years, and IACET accreditation has its own rule, covered in our IACET assessment evidence guide.

Pro tip: Decide The Award Rule Before Cohort One. Write down what a learner who attends but does not pass receives: an attendance record, reduced hours or nothing. Put that sentence on the course page. Wording the certificate to match the evidence also avoids overclaiming, as our certificate of completion vs certification guide explains.

Which CPD evidence need maps to which assessment setting?

Each row traces one evidence need to a published source, then to a setting you control and a field to store. Use the table as a design checklist: if a row has no setting and no stored field, your record has a gap that a reviewer or client could find.

What does a CPD verification record look like?

A CPD verification record is one document per learner and activity that joins identity, outcomes, assessment result, pass rule and award decision. The sample below uses invented values to show the fields. It is a template for providers, not a format any accreditor has published.

CPD VERIFICATION RECORD (sample, invented values)
--------------------------------------------------
Learner:            Alex Example, ID 000123
Activity:           Data Protection for Managers (online, 2 CPD hours)
Delivered:          2026-11-04
Accreditor ref:     (your accreditor's activity number)
Learning outcomes:  LO1 to LO5 (listed in full on the course page)
Quality assurance:  Content reviewed by (name, role) on 2026-09-15
--------------------------------------------------
Assessment:         15 items, form v3, 3 items per outcome
Pass rule:          11 of 15 (two-expert review, approved 2026-09-20)
Attempt 1:          10:12 to 10:29, score 12 of 15 (80%)
Outcome scores:     LO1 3/3, LO2 2/3, LO3 3/3, LO4 2/3, LO5 2/3
Result:             Passed on attempt 1
Award:              2.0 CPD hours, completion certificate C-2026-0417
Feedback:           Received 2026-11-04
Keep until:         (longest applicable retention date)

What can a short assessment not prove?

A short assessment proves that a learner met a stated standard on a given date. It does not prove that the learner changed their work. RICS and CIPD members must reflect on impact in their own words, and no quiz can write that for them.

Keep the claims on your certificate to what the record shows: attended, or completed with assessment. Do not imply competence in the job, and do not describe the result as a qualification. The CPD Standards Office states that accreditation is “not a regulated qualification”, and a short check carries the same limit.

Pro tip: Add One Unscored Reflection Prompt. After the final item, ask “What will you change in your work in the next 30 days?” and store the answer outside the score. Members of bodies that ask for reflection then have raw material for their own record, and your score stays a clean measure of knowledge.

What should a CPD accredited training provider do next?

Email your accreditor and, for regulated audiences, the relevant professional body. Ask which of these they require: a test, an item count, a pass mark, an attempt limit, a retention period. Save the written reply, because it turns your design choices into documented decisions.

Then draft a blueprint of five outcomes at three items each, pilot it with a small group, and fill in the sample record for each pilot learner. Gaps in the record show you what your tooling must capture. If you need a platform, SimpliAssess’s features page lists question storage (item banking) and test building, examinee administration and scheduling, and analytics with report generation. Its published pages do not mention CPD, so test any platform’s export against the sample record above.

Frequently asked questions

Does CPD accreditation require learners to pass a test?

No accreditor page we read requires one. As of October 2026, the CPD Standards Office and the CPD Certification Service publish expectations about learning objectives, records and checking understanding, not a pass mark. Some bodies, such as Optometry Australia, do set assessment rules for their own members’ CPD, so check the rules for your audience.

What is a CPD accredited training provider?

A CPD accredited training provider is an organization whose training activities an independent body has reviewed against published criteria. The CPD Standards Office calls this “independent quality recognition, not a regulated qualification”. The review covers the activity, such as its objectives, structure and records, and it does not certify individual learners as competent.

Is a CPD certificate proof that someone learned?

Not by itself. A certificate usually proves attendance or completion. ICAEW accepts a certificate of attendance as evidence for external courses, but evidence of learning needs more, such as a scored check tied to stated outcomes. Say plainly on the certificate whether it records attendance or completion with assessment.

What pass mark should a CPD quiz have?

No accreditor page we read sets one. Pick a pass mark you can justify and record how you chose it, for example a two-expert review of the minimum score a borderline learner should reach. Optometry Australia’s 50% is a reporting threshold for its members’ activities, not a general standard, so do not copy it without checking.

How long should I keep CPD assessment records?

It depends on who sets the rule. Optometry Australia asks providers to keep marked assessments for a minimum of two years, and IACET accreditation has its own retention rule. Ask each accreditor and client in writing, then keep records for the longest period that applies to you.

How many CPD hours is a course worth?

The CPD Certification Service says points are typically a 1:1 ratio with CPD hours, so one point is usually one hour. Professional bodies decide what counts for their members, and RICS, for instance, requires 20 hours a year with at least 10 structured. Confirm the hours with your accreditor before you print them on a certificate.

Do I need CPD accreditation to issue CPD certificates?

Not necessarily. The Law Society’s guide says the SRA does not accredit courses or course providers, and the GDC says it does not quality assure CPD. Accreditation adds independent review, and the GDC expects certificates to carry specific details if professionals are to count the CPD as verifiable, so check your audience’s body.