Yes. No other association within the Lean Six Sigma industry offers certification without also offering training. Offering training to candidates, particularly on a commercial level, along with self-defined certification criteria is a conflict of interest. This is known as “second-party certification”, see the next frequently asked question for more information.

Third-party certification is the only method of certification that is independently developed and verified thereby removing conflict of interest and providing significant meaning.

The classifications of certification methods are:

First-party certification, which is a self-declaration. “I am a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt because I meet the criteria which I have defined and therefore can say that I am a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt”

Second-party certification, which is when a company or training provider creates its own verification program for candidate certification. “I am a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt because I meet the criteria defined by the single organization who provided my training.”

Third-party certification verifies that a product, process or service meets defined, industry-independent criteria or standards as reviewed by an impartial party. “I am a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt because I meet the criteria defined by the impartial association who maintains the industries standard.”

Historically second-party certification has been the norm in the Lean Six Sigma Industry. Due to the problems with second-party certification more and more people, training providers and organizations, are moving to and incorporating IASSC’s third-party certification.

An Exam Institute is an organization who is responsible for certain administrative aspects of delivering high-stakes certification exams. For example, The PeopleCert Group, IASSCs official Examination Institute handles the coordination of candidate scheduling, exam delivery, security protocols and question and candidate reporting.

The cost for the IASSC Certified Black Belt Exam is $395 USD. The cost for the IASSC Certified Green Belt Exam is $295 USD. The cost for the IASSC Certified Yellow Belt Exam is $195 USD. There are no other charges associated with these certifications. IASSC Accredited Organizations and Exam Administrators receive special pricing and may qualify for volume discounts.

All exam questions are multiple choice and true/false.

IASSC Exam Candidates are allowed up to 4 hours for the IASSC Certified Black Belt Exam, up to 3 hours for the IASSC Certified Green Belt Exam and up to 2 hours for the IASSC Certified Yellow Belt Exam.

No. IASSC provides a Reference Document in either paper or electronic form, subject to which form of exam one is taking. This document contains all formulas and tables one will need during the examination. Scratch paper is also furnished to candidates but must be destroyed prior to leaving the testing facility.

IASSC Certification Exams are professionally developed to assess a person’s knowledge as it relates to the subjects defined in the ILSSBOK. While things such as work experience and application experience are helpful in obtaining the knowledge required to successfully complete the exams they are not requirements.

The sole objective of the ICBB, ICGB and ICYB exams is to measure the examinee’s knowledge not their work or project experience. This is in alignment with the Certification Industries Best Practices.

For more information about IASSC’s position on this topic view the IASSC Position.

There is no limitation or time restriction on examination retakes.

No. Retakes are priced at the normal fees.

We offer a number of methods for certification testing. Review our How to Get Certified page in order to determine the method that best suites you.

Search the IASSC Accredited Providers, obtain training from the one that best suits your needs and the make arraignments to sit for the IASSC Certification exam when you are ready. In many cases your training provider will be equipped and authorized to make your arrangements to sit for the IASSC certification exam as well.

Yes. The IASSC Certification Exams are offered by IASSC’s Official Examination Institute, The PeopleCert Group and PearsonVue, an examination administrator, and are available in 165 countries within a network of more than 8,000 Testing Centers worldwide. Click here to search for a locations. You may also choose to conduct your certification exam via our On-Demand Web-Based testing method.

The ILSSBOK is a document that defines the topics that are expected knowledge requirements of a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, a Lean Six Sigma Certified Green Belt and a Lean Six Sigma Certified Yellow Belt.

The ILSSBOK was developed by the industry and organized by IASSC. The ILSSBOK is continually updated to ensure that it maintains an accurate reflection of the knowledge expectations of the industry.

The difference becomes apparent when comparing the two documents. The ASQBOK defines areas outside of what the industry considers standard knowledge requirements for the designated belt.  These areas include Enterprise Wide Deployment and DFSS, among others. However the D-M-A-I-C components of the BOKs are almost identical.

These can be downloaded from the Black Belt Body of Knowledge page, the Green Belt Body of Knowledge page and the Yellow Belt Body of Knowledge page.

Once you submit a request for an application we will typically be in contact within 48 to 72 hours. Once you submit your application along with any required supplemental documentation you can except on average anywhere from 2 to 3 weeks for us to review your submittal.

Our official Examination Institute, The PeopleCert Group assists in the processing of the IASSC Accreditations. During the process of accreditation to IASSC you will likely be in direct contact with qualified representative from the PeopleCert Group who will help facilitate the submittal and issuance of your IASSC accreditation.

Psychometrics is the field of study concerned with the theory and technique of educational and psychological measurement, which includes the measurement of knowledge, abilities, attitudes and personality traits. The field is primarily concerned with the study of measurement instruments such as questionnaires and tests. It involves two major research tasks: (i) the construction of instruments and procedures for measurement; and (ii) the development and refinement of theoretical approaches to measurement.

In 1956, Benjamin Bloom headed a group of educational psychologists who developed a classification of levels of intellectual behavior important in learning. Bloom found that over 95% of the test questions students encounter require them to think only at the lowest possible level…the recall of information.

Bloom identified six levels within the cognitive domain from the simple recall or recognition of facts, at the lowest level, through increasingly more complex and abstract mental levels, to the highest order that is classified as evaluation.

These levels are from “Levels of Cognition” (from Bloom’s Taxonomy – Revised, 2001). They are listed in order from the least complex to the most complex.

Remember (Lowest)
Recalling memorized information. May involve remembering a wide range of material from specific facts to complete theories, but all that is required is the bringing to mind of the appropriate information. Represents the lowest level of learning outcomes in the cognitive domain.
Learning objectives at this level: know common terms, know specific facts, know methods and procedures, know basic concepts, know principles.
Question verbs: Define, list, state, identify, label, name, who? when? where? what?

Understand
The ability to grasp the meaning of material. Translating material from one form to another (words to numbers), interpreting material (explaining or summarizing), estimating future trends (predicting consequences or effects). Goes one step beyond the simple remembering of material, and represent the lowest level of understanding.
Learning objectives at this level: understand facts and principles, interpret verbal material, interpret charts and graphs, translate verbal material to mathematical formulae, estimate the future consequences implied in data, justify methods and procedures.
Question verbs: Explain, predict, interpret, infer, summarize, convert, translate, give example, account for, paraphrase x?

Apply
The ability to use learned material in new and concrete situations. Applying rules, methods, concepts, principles, laws, and theories. Learning outcomes in this area require a higher level of understanding than those under comprehension.
Learning objectives at this level: apply concepts and principles to new situations, apply laws and theories to practical situations, solve mathematical problems, construct graphs and charts, demonstrate the correct usage of a method or procedure.
Question verbs: How could x be used to y? How would you show, make use of, modify, demonstrate, solve, or apply x to conditions y?

Analyze
The ability to break down material into its component parts. Identifying parts, analysis of relationships between parts, recognition of the organizational principles involved. Learning outcomes here represent a higher intellectual level than comprehension and application because they require an understanding of both the content and the structural form of the material.
Learning objectives at this level: recognize unstated assumptions, recognizes logical fallacies in reasoning, distinguish between facts and inferences, evaluate the relevancy of data, analyze the organizational structure of a work (art, music, writing).
Question verbs: Differentiate, compare / contrast, distinguish x from y, how does x affect or relate to y? why? how? What piece of x is missing / needed?

Evaluate
The ability to put parts together to form a new whole. This may involve the production of a unique communication (theme or speech), a plan of operations (research proposal), or a set of abstract relations (scheme for classifying information). Learning outcomes in this area stress creative behaviors, with major emphasis on the formulation of new patterns or structure.
Learning objectives at this level: write a well organized paper, give a well organized speech, write a creative short story (or poem or music), propose a plan for an experiment, integrate learning from different areas into a plan for solving a problem, formulate a new scheme for classifying objects (or events, or ideas).
Question verbs: Design, construct, develop, formulate, imagine, create, change, write a short story and label the following elements:

Create (Highest)
The ability to judge the value of material (statement, novel, poem, research report) for a given purpose. The judgments are to be based on definite criteria, which may be internal (organization) or external (relevance to the purpose). The student may determine the criteria or be given them. Learning outcomes in this area are highest in the cognitive hierarchy because they contain elements of all the other categories, plus conscious value judgments based on clearly defined criteria.
Learning objectives at this level: judge the logical consistency of written material, judge the adequacy with which conclusions are supported by data, judge the value of a work (art, music, writing) by the use of internal criteria, judge the value of a work (art, music, writing) by use of external standards of excellence.
Question verbs: Justify, appraise, evaluate, judge x according to given criteria. Which option would be better/preferable to party y?