The GRI Professional Certification
Program - Exam Policy© GRI 2023

ContentsEligibility ..................................................................................................................................... 3
Registration and system requirements ....................................................................................... 3
Exam Questions......................................................................................................................... 3Availability .................................................................................................................................. 5
Breaks ....................................................................................................................................... 5
Exam Scoring ............................................................................................................................ 5
Exam Materials .......................................................................................................................... 5
Certificates and recognition ........................................................................................................ 5
Pricing ........................................................................................................................................ 6
Purchasing the Exam ................................................................................................................. 6
Retake ....................................................................................................................................... 6
Refund ....................................................................................................................................... 7
Faulty internet connection .......................................................................................................... 7
Proctoring .................................................................................................................................. 7
Personal Data & Privacy Policy .................................................................................................. 8

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Eligibility
The GRI Professional Certification Exam has a defined learning path consisting of four coursesthat make up the GRI Professional Certification Program 2021. These courses cover thefundamentals of GRI reporting. Each is worth one point. After attaining the four points,
individuals will be eligible to take the Certification Exam.
The certification learning path can be taken on the GRI Academy or through GRI’s Certified
Training Partners. The training partners offer the GRI Standards Certified Training Course which
provides the individual with two out of four points covering the following GRI reporting
fundamentals: Introduction to sustainability reporting and the GRI Standards, and Reporting withthe GRI Standards.
Some Certified Training Partners also provide instructor-led training on the remaining twocourses of the Certification Program i.e. Reporting on Human Rights with the GRI Standards
and Integrating the SDGs into sustainability reporting. Please get in touch with your local
Certified Training Partner for more information.
Passing the exam will grant individuals the status of ‘GRI Certified Sustainability Professional’,
which will stay valid for two years from the date of certificate issue. Before the validity of theCertification has expired, individuals can maintain their certified status by taking the minimum
required learning hours through Continuing Education Units (CEUs). Courses that offer CEU
credits can be accessed through the GRI Academy. Check this FAQ document for more
information.

Registration and system requirements
As part of the registration process for the exam, the candidate will be required to provide thedetails of one type of government-issued photo ID such as passport, driver’s license or national
ID card. To access the exam, the candidate will need a computer with a stable internet
connection, a webcam or in-built camera and a microphone. We recommend:• using a local area network cable to ensure a stable connection,• ensuring your browser is up to date, and• restarting your computer after the installation of the proctoring software.

Exam Questions
The exam candidate will have to answer 40 questions in one hour. They are a combination of
single choice, multiple choice, and inline choice questions. When multiple choices are correct, anegative answer is penalized with 0.5 points. The maximum score per question is 1 point. You
can find examples below:

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Single choice

Multiple choice

Inline choice

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Availability
Once purchased, candidates can either start immediately, or take the exam at any otherconvenient time within one year; the exam therefore remains available on the GRI Academy
account for one year. Once the candidate starts the exam, it is not possible to cancel.

BreaksCandidates are not allowed to take breaks once the exam has started. It is not possible topause the exam timer and it is not permitted to leave the computer (out of sight of thecomputer's camera/webcam) once the exam has started. If the exam is disrupted by any othermeans, (for example by someone interrupting you while you are taking the exam), you will not
be able to recover any lost time.
Please note that you only have 1 attempt to take the exam. In case you click on ‘Leave Test’before submitting your answers, they will not be recorded, and your exam attempt will beinadmissible, subject to retake policy (please see the retake clause for more information).

Exam Scoring
The passing score for the exam is 75%. The duration of the exam is 60 minutes. The exam
score will be shown immediately after the exam submission, and in the “My Activities” tab. Thisis accessed via the User Menu in the top left corner of your GRI Academy User Dashboard.
Please note, the score will only be considered valid if the accompanying proctoring video ismarked clean (i.e. without rule violations).
The candidate will receive the final results within 10 working days after submitting the exam.
However, the timeline may vary in case there are any suspicious activities signaled by theproctoring partner, for which GRI will contact the candidate via email.

Exam Materials
No resources are allowed to be consulted during the exam.

Certificates and recognition
After passing the exam, the candidate will receive a certificate of achievement from GRI. Thiscertificate will award the candidates the status of ‘GRI Certified Sustainability Professional’. The
certificate is valid for two years from the date of issue.

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Before the validity of the Certification Exam has expired, individuals can maintain their certified
status by taking the minimum learning hours through Continuing Education Units (CEUs).
Courses that offer CEU credits can be accessed through the GRI Academy.
The names of the GRI Certified Sustainability Professionals will be displayed in the exam
directory on the GRI website.

PricingThe full price of the exam is €250. GRI provides a 25% discount to GRI Community Members,and participants of a training conducted by one of GRI’s Certified Training Partners. To request
your discount please email us at griacademy@globalreporting.org and provide your full nameand organization details.

Purchasing the Exam
After completing the 4 courses of the Professional Certification Program, the Exam will become
available to be purchased from your user dashboard in the GRI Academy. To purchase theExam, open the ‘GRI Professional Certification Exam (based on the GRI UniversalStandards 2021)’ tile and click on the ‘Add to Cart’ button. You can then continue the payment
process via the PayPal or Stripe gateways. Both gateways support payment by credit card andneither require you to be a member or have a subscription. Once the payment is finalized, youwill be redirected to the Exam page in GRI Academy.
Please note:
CANDIDATES THAT START THE EXAM WITHOUT THE PROCTORING WILL HAVE THEIRRESULTS MARKED AS INADMISSIBLE, STANDARD RETAKE TERMS APPLY, please see theretake clause below.

RetakeIndividuals who do not pass the exam or whose exam attempt is marked inadmissible
can retake it but will have to purchase the exam again. Participants are eligible for a 50%
discount in the case of a retake which can be claimed by emailing the team at
griacademy@globalreporting.org. This discount does not apply to GRI Trainers, or individuals
who have had their proctoring video rejected on account of a rule violation.
There is a cooling off period of 7 days between attempts, and a maximum of three attempts areallowed within a six-month period.

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Refund
Within 14 days candidates that have not yet accessed their purchased exam can receive a fullrefund. If the exam has been accessed, or if more than 14 days have passed since thepurchase of the exam, candidates are no longer entitled to receive a refund.

Faulty internet connection

If your exam is disrupted due to a failed internet connection, it will remain active. This meansthat the answered questions will remain answered, and the timer continues. When the internet
connection is restored, the candidate can continue with the exam. If the internet connection isnot restored, and the timer runs out, the exam is submitted automatically. The unansweredquestions are then marked as incorrect. Should the issue persist and prevents you fromfinishing the exam, please contact the GRI Academy team at griacademy@globalreporting.org
and report the incident. We will then provide you with instructions on how to proceed.

Proctoring
GRI is using an online proctoring solution, meaning that the candidate will be recorded by thecomputer’s webcam and microphone throughout the exam. The candidate will also be required
to download a proctoring software prior to taking the exam. The proctoring software uses a lockdown browser which will prevent the candidate from accessing other applications during theexam.
The Exam must only be taken after the proctoring software has been downloaded,
started, and configured! Candidates who take the Exam without the Proctoring software
running will have their Exam marked as inadmissible and will have to retake the Exam,subject to the Retake terms (see the retake clause for more information).
The recording of the exam will be reviewed to ensure that no prohibited activity occurred during
the exam.
Prohibited behavior includes, but is not limited to:• Consulting your own resources/documents.
• Using smartphones or other electronic devices that could be used for accessing
information.
• Using other programs or applications on your computer.
• Leaving your seat.
• Regularly looking away from your screen.
• Talking aloud.
• Covering the computer's camera/webcam.
• Receiving help/support from other people during the exam.
• Other people entering the room.
• Using earphones or a headset.
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The decision whether the integrity of the exam has been compromised rests solely with GRI andcannot be contested. In such case, the candidate would not pass the exam as GRI will deemthe exam attempt as inadmissible. Standard retake terms and conditions apply.

Personal Data & Privacy Policy
Please refer to GRI’s Privacy Policy The platform developer’s privacy policy can be found here
and the proctoring partner’s terms and conditions here.

Stay in touch
Barbara Strozzilaan 101
1083 HN Amsterdam
The Netherlands

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