IPC Certification: Leading the Way in Ensuring Quality in Electronics

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When high school students face an upcoming test, they may experience a mix of dread and excitement, depending on the source material and how well they’ve prepared. Similarly, professionals sitting for a certification exam to test their knowledge of IPC standards may feel a whirlwind of emotions. However, these aren't just any exams; they’re meant for operators, engineers, and managers building the critical infrastructure of our world’s most essential electronics systems.

Why is certification necessary? Simply put, standards certification provides a foundation of proven knowledge for our most vital electronics manufacturing systems. The process to create the standards against which these systems are measured is both rigorous and meticulous. The examination process mirrors that depth, ensuring that individuals remain proficient in applying IPC standards even while the technology evolves.

Each IPC standard has a separate certification committee, and those committees are tasked with writing and developing new exam questions and answers. “Some of the standards are very broad, with more than 400 pages of technical guidelines and instructions,” says Joe Williams, IPC director of certification, “so obviously we can’t test on every detail, but we make sure to assess the most pertinent information.”

Certification committees work closely with IPC staff liaisons to provide guidelines about what the committee believes professionals in the field need to know, such as common elements in the workplace. We repeat this process for each standard, which amounts to hundreds of items under review.

To read more about IPC's certification process, click here. This article originally appeared in the Winter 2024 issue of IPC Community.