Lesson 0 · IRB and HRPP Administration: From Coordinator to CIP

0. How the CIP Exam Works: Eligibility, Blueprint, Study Plan

54 min

After this lesson you can

  • Describe the exam structure, timing, scoring, and delivery
  • State the eligibility rules and what counts as relevant experience
  • Map the three domains and their weights to the 26 lessons
  • Distinguish an IRB from an HRPP and name HRPP components
  • Build a study plan keyed to domain weights

How the CIP Exam Works: Eligibility, Fees, Format, Study Plan is the place to start if you are considering a career in IRB administration or planning to sit for the Certified IRB Professional exam. This lesson maps the entire 2025 exam blueprint to a 26-lesson course and shows exactly who qualifies, how the test is scored, and how to study by weight.

5 Key Facts from This Lesson

  1. The CIP exam has 130 multiple-choice questions, 115 scored and 15 unscored pretest items, with three hours to finish and no reference materials allowed.
  2. Eligibility requires two years of full-time relevant HRPP experience within the past seven years, and serving as an IRB member alone does not count.
  3. The 2025 blueprint weights Human Subjects Protection at 29 percent, IRB Responsibilities at 54 percent, and Institutional Responsibilities at 17 percent.
  4. United States exam fees are 350 for PRIM&R members and 475 for nonmembers, and the historical pass rate is about 72 percent.
  5. Certification lasts three years and is renewed by continuing education or by re-examination.

Exam traps

The distinctions exam questions on this topic are most often built to test. Know them cold.

  • No scenario questions: study definitions and thresholds, not case reasoning

  • The exam does not test institutional policies or pending guidance

  • IRB and HRPP are not synonyms

Practice quiz

  1. Question 1
    The CIP exam contains how many scored questions?
  2. Question 2
    Which activity, by itself, does NOT satisfy the CIP relevant-experience requirement?
  3. Question 3
    The largest domain on the CIP exam is:
  4. Question 4
    A CIP must recertify every:
  5. Question 5
    Which best describes an HRPP?

Recap

  • Exam: 130 questions, 115 scored, 3 hours, closed book, no scenarios
  • Eligibility: 2 years of HRPP administration in 7; membership alone does not count
  • Blueprint: 29, 54, 17 across three domains and 26 lessons
  • IRB is the committee; HRPP is the system
  • Study by weight, then by weakness

Coming next

Lesson 1, Why IRBs Exist.

Saved in your browser only: no account, no server.

This course is for educational purposes only and is not legal, regulatory, or compliance advice. Regulations and guidance change, so confirm every requirement against the current eCFR text, OHRP and FDA guidance, and your institution's IRB policies before relying on it. CIP® is a registered certification mark of Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R). This course is produced independently by Subthesis and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by PRIM&R or the CIP Council. The instructor is not a Certified IRB Professional. Completing this course does not confer CIP certification, satisfy CIP eligibility requirements, or count as CIP recertification continuing education.