Candidate Handbook.
Everything you need to know to qualify for, sit and maintain the PCL-AI — in one place.
Before you apply
- Check eligibility: three years’ professional experience in any field
- Understand the credential, the thirteen domains and the governed-AI domain at their core
- Choose a PCI certification or the AIPC specialist certificate
Booking and sitting
- Schedule online with remote proctoring or at a test centre
- Review the examination rules and identification requirements
- Prepare with Certuvo, PCI's official practice and training partner
On the day
- Valid government photo ID is required
- A proctor monitors the session; follow all instructions
- Maintain candidate conduct at all times — see the examination rules
Results and your credential
- The exam is scored against a criterion-referenced cut score
- On passing you receive a verifiable digital badge and certificate
- Use your PCI post-nominal in line with the certification policies
Maintaining your credential
- Recertify on a three-year CPD cycle with a mandatory AI-currency component
- Track CPD through membership
- See the recertification policy for full detail
Your rights
- Reasonable accommodations are available on request
- Appeal a decision through the independent appeals process
- Raise a concern through the complaints process
This is a published summary of PCI policy; it may be updated as the scheme matures and accreditation progresses. The full controlled document is available on request.
Questions about our governance?
We're happy to help with anything in PCI's policy framework.
Your path to certification
The candidate handbook is there so nothing about certification is a surprise — who can sit the assessment, what it involves, the rules that apply, and what happens afterwards.
Check eligibility
Confirm you meet the experience-based requirement.
Prepare
Get ready against the competency model.
Sit the assessment
Take the scenario-based examination.
Get certified
Receive your credential on success.
What the handbook covers
Eligibility
Based on relevant professional experience, not a specific degree.
The assessment
Scenario-based questions that test applied judgement, including governing AI.
Rules & conduct
Clear, consistent rules that protect the credential’s integrity.
Results
An independent decision based on assessed competence.
Common questions
What is the candidate handbook for?
It sets out how the credential works — eligibility, the assessment, the rules and what to expect — so you can approach certification with no surprises.
Do I need a specific qualification to be eligible?
No. Eligibility is based on relevant professional experience (around three years) rather than a particular degree, keeping the credential open to capable people from many backgrounds.
Does preparation guarantee a pass?
No. The certification decision is independent and based on your assessed competence, not attendance on any course — and no preparation guarantees a pass. That separation between training and assessment is what makes the credential credible.
What does the exam test?
Applied judgement in realistic project situations — including governing AI-assisted work — rather than recall of definitions.
Why this matters
A certification is only worth holding if it is genuinely hard to fake. That is why every PCI certification rests on an independent, competence-based assessment, a clear standard, and a strict separation between training and the certification decision — so a pass means the same thing for everyone who earns it, and an employer can rely on it without re-testing the person themselves.
PCI builds in the open: candid about what is in place today, designed around the ISO/IEC 17024 personnel-certification principles, and careful never to imply recognition it does not yet hold. That honesty is not a caveat — it is the foundation a credible credential is built on.
- Substance over marketing
- Fair, transparent process
- Honesty about our status
- Responsible, governed use of AI
A sensible run-up to exam day
The handbook is not meant to be read the night before you sit. A calm run-up looks something like this:
- Several weeks out — read the handbook end to end once, confirm your eligibility evidence is in order, and book your sitting while convenient slots remain.
- The week before — check that the name on your booking matches your government photo ID exactly, character for character; a mismatch is the most avoidable cause of exam-day problems. If you are sitting remotely, run the proctoring system check on the actual machine, network and room you will use.
- The day before — clear your workspace of notes and second screens, re-read the identification and conduct requirements, and stop revising early. The exam tests judgement, and judgement needs rest.
Most exam-day problems trace back to skipping one of these small steps — none of which takes more than an hour.
The right route for each situation
The handbook also exists so that when something does not go to plan, you already know the route. Each situation below has its own policy, deliberately separated so the decision is made by the right people.
You need an adjustment
Request reasonable accommodations when you book, not on the day. Adjustments are arranged in advance so they support you without compromising the assessment.
The session is disrupted
Tell the proctor immediately and follow their instructions, then report what happened to PCI as soon as the session ends, while the detail is fresh.
You are unsuccessful
The retake policy sets out when you may sit again. Use the outcome to target your preparation rather than simply rebooking the same attempt.
You disagree with a decision
An appeal is reviewed independently of the people who made the original decision, and raising one never prejudices your standing.