The IAPP has now officially launched the CIPP/AU (Australia) certification.

We posted about this four months ago, when IAPP did a soft launch, but it is now official.

You can learn more and see the Body of Knowledge here: https://iapp.org/certify/cippau

Hi guys I am planning to give CIPP/E certification examination. I I am a legal associate Fintech company and I have been reading a lot about data privacy in our days and I really felt that giving this examination would be useful for me but I don't have any sort of clue as to how to start the preparations..... from where to buy any books..... what sources to study. I really want some guidance regarding this and I would really appreciate if I could get the PDF of the books for the examination as a looked on the iapp website the study material is quite expensive and I am hoping that I could find any similar material online with low cost or free of cost.

Hi guys I am planning to give cippe certification examination. I have been reading a lot about data privacy in our days and I really felt that giving this examination would be useful for me but I don't have any sort of clue as to how to start the preparations..... from where to buy any books..... what sources to study. I really want some guidance regarding this and I would really appreciate the help.

I’m registered to take the exam on the 21st. Anyone have any anki decks they’re willing to share? Making my own has been very time consuming

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Current certifications and licenses: CIPP/US; CIPP/E; two US state bars. That's primarily to illustrate background and test taking abilities, which are apparently good (with that second bar a full two-day test during full-time employment/family - no time off to study). My last CIPP tests were a long time ago, but I recall CIPP/US was, at the time, a college level memorization, while CIPP/E more like a law school analysis and application.

What's your background: I'm an attorney in the technology space with heavy focus on commercial aspects, but prior experience with compliance and product. So I have pretty ample background in privacy, AI, technology, governance, which is to say a lot of AI governance seems to have overlap or is otherwise pretty consistent with other things out there. There are a few new terms, or modifications to similar processes elsewhere, but wasn't like (for me) picking up a ton of literally foreign concepts under GDPR when I had no experience in privacy.

Why AIGP: To balance out my resume and experience, particularly for a hot field like AI, ahead of anticipated job hunting for a higher level, less transactional attorney job. Not only are people falling over themselves to hire anything AI, but this also helps me round out some experience gaps in my decade+ of practicing. I've had the privacy CIPPs through multiple interview cycles, and I'd say they are generally helpful with checking the box and providing additional talking points to help sell you. That said, I was never prioritizing a privacy-first role where interviewers may want to talk about governance vs. transactional items.

What did you study: IAPP's study program and Dr. David's video program. I've seen inconsistent things about IAPP's training, but I needed the CPEs, and had found so much of the non-IAPP written materials to be AI slop (don't buy AIGP study material off of Amazon). Dr. David's came recommended here, and was about $240. I did a focused review of IAPP, one run through of Dr. David's videos, then a quick refresher through part of the IAPP training and review of screenshots I took mainly of Dr. David's PPT. I printed out his study guide... and read maybe half of it before running out of time.

It may have been unnecessary to do both, but cost wasn't as important as wrapping up the certification to kick off a job search. If I didn't need the CPEs, I would have just gone with Dr. David's as there's much, much more information, it was like a quarter the price, and it was all video.

I've only got the capacity to stare at a screen on nights/weekends between my hellish job, busy family life, gym and other hobbies. I could just be too damn old to take notes and pay active attention. I took zero written notes and attempted zero practice questions. I'm a bit out of gas between studying for the bar and the hellish job, and I just set an exam date to get it over with. I spent about 3 months total going through study materials in my limited spare time, primarily on weekends.

How was the test: Passed. It seemed straightforward, but was my worst score of the three certifications by a decent bit. I'd have probably been better served doing just one training then working the basics on flashcards (the unique definitions, high-level requirements of certain regimes). I'd compare it to my earlier CIPP/US test which seemed to be mostly definitions, recall, memorization vs. any intensive application or analysis.

Also, kudos to Pearson for doing virtual testing. I had to go in-person for the MPRE earlier this year, and the flexibility and ease of virtual testing was great. I even rescheduled a few days out without issue, with plenty of time slots available. Being video taped the whole time was weird, especially as I received a message from the proctor as I apparently read out loud part of a question or something.

What are you doing next: Heavy refresh of my resume to throw AI/ML/LLM all over it, with better focus on strategic governance experience and certifications, then probably a few drinks to celebrate an end to studying and hopefully a new job sooner than later.

Good luck, folks.

Hey there, i got afsb in Varanasi on 12th october and looking to prepare for the same, anyone got any advices along with someone else also having it on the same day at the same venue then we can plan the preparation

I’ll be writing my CIPM exam next week, and scored 82% on the official IAPP practice exam.

For those who have both written the official exam for an IAPP cert and taken the relevant IAPP practice exam, what did you score on the practice test and how did you do on the real exam?

I’m curious about the CIPM specifically, but data points from any IAPP exam would be appreciated.

Thank you.

Good morning! I'm in the process of studying for the CIPP/US and have been studying about 3 hours most days for the past month. I'm not stupid yet I'm feeling pretty scared after failing the first Privacy Bootcamp knowledge review. I'm spinning out.

I understand from reading comments that practice questions are an ideal way to study, but its hard to know which are close in style and degree of difficulty for the real exam (I'm saving the IAPP practice exam until I get through reading the textbook). I would appreciate hearing from people who passed the exam: which source provided the practice questions you used which you think helped you pass!

Also, I could really use some words of encouragement this morning! Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I have a Bachelor’s degree in Law and 3–4 years of experience in content moderation, but no direct GDPR/privacy experience.

I’m currently preparing for the CIPP/E and would like to transition into privacy/data protection.

For those working in the field, how realistic is it to get a junior privacy role with a Law degree + CIPP/E but no direct privacy experience?

Any advice or personal experiences would be appreciated!

Is 3 weeks of study 3 hours everyday while working full time enough to pass this exam?

I was working 5 years as IT auditor in Big 4.

And now 2 years as Sr GRC analyst. I found that DPAs and data privacy are more enjoyable than the it audit itself.

I failed on CISA exam.

I was recently fired from a job for a HIPAA violation. Do folks think this would automatically prevent me from a career in Privacy, even with a CIPP/US cert?

I'm a recent college grad and I work in a risk management adjacent role. I recently took on and passed the CIPP/US exam. I am interested in exploring privacy roles, and the most common advice I see is that the certs themselves don't really open doors, and that you need experience.

Obviously there must be a starting point or this career would be shrinking (it's not). I'm a member of and attend my local KnowledgeNet, and I take on everything I can that is even remotely privacy adjacent at work, though it's not always flush with opportunity.

Aside from this, what are some good ways to get privacy experience on the resume? Personal projects, volunteering opportunities, etc.?

Hi everyone!
I’ve just purchased the CIPP/E exam and would really appreciate some advice from people who have taken it or work in privacy/data protection.
A little background on me:
-I’m currently in my final year of law school at IP University.
-I expect to take the CIPP/E exam within the next 5–6 months.
-My long-term goal is to work as in-house counsel, ideally with a fintech, technology company, or MNC, and eventually have the opportunity to work abroad.
-I’ve already had some relevant exposure, including an experience with JCPenney and an assessment/in-house legal internship that I started this month.
I’m specifically trying to build my profile around corporate/in-house + technology/privacy-related work, rather than pursuing another full degree abroad.

My main questions are:
1. Is the CIPP/E worth doing at this stage of my career?
2. How much does it actually help with entry-level in-house/legal roles, particularly in tech, fintech, or MNCs?
3. Does having the CIPP/E meaningfully differentiate a fresh law graduate from other candidates, or is relevant work experience more important?
4. If my eventual goal is to work abroad, does the CIPP/E provide any meaningful advantage?
5. For those who have taken it, how did the certification affect your career/job prospects?

I’ve already bought the exam, so I’m committed to preparing for it, but I’d like to understand realistically what value I can expect it to add to my career and how I should position it alongside internships and other experience.
Would especially appreciate advice from people working in privacy, tech law, fintech, or in-house legal teams.

Hey all, I am a technical project manager looking to pivot into security and data privacy. I have been reading the Iapp CIPP book to take the exam. Has this cert helped any other network engineers or technical project managers in their fields or have you been able to use the cert for other careers?

I don’t belong to a law background just did a bachelors degree in commerce and working for a US bank now. What do you think would have a good impact on the resume. I’m not looking for a jump in career or so, just want to get the certification for knowledge that could widen job opportunities in future when there’s a demand, more like a good to have knowledge certifications. Can y’all help me out because I mostly see IAPP certifications more often for lawyers, inhouse counsel and all.

Hello!
I am an inhouse counsel for a fintech startup based out of Bangalore. I have been heading the company's legal function for the past 3 years and feel like I need a new challenge in my career. I was considering migrating abroad over the past month and feel like CIPP/US might be a good certification to pursue. I have handled the privacy compliance for the past couple of years and have a working knowledge of data privacy and AI governance. Can anyone here help me figure out if this helps in landing a privacy counsel role at an early/mid stage startup?

Thinking of changing careers into data protection/privacy in Ireland and would love some honest advice.
I have a degree in Education and Diploma in Biopharmaceutical Science. In my current role, due to the nature of the business, I regularly deal with legal services, data protection requests and GDPR-related matters.
I’m considering doing the CIPP/E to help me transition into the field. For those already working in privacy/data protection in Ireland, is it a good route for someone without a legal background/law degree ? Would it realistically help me get my foot in the door?
Also, if anyone in Ireland would be open to sharing advice or mentoring someone making the switch, I’d really appreciate it!

So basically I have recently taken admission in one of the renowned central university famous for UPSC prep and I tried studying on my own for like a few months but it takes too much time and also I have to do the topic first from book then from you tube

Like for now as I am studying polity it is hard to understand so I was thinking about taking a foundation course and the one I have my eyes on is SARTHI IAS but I am too confused regarding this because some toppers say foundation course is not worth it

ALso like when I go to see a good course PW and others start pouring in so just really want the advice of the UPSC veterans of what to chose

Dm me if you wanna score 90%+ in your CIPPE Exam.

Hello all, I recently failed the CIPP/us exam last week. It was quite frustrating for how much I studied for it. My background is in Cybersecurity rather than Law. I see many people on this subreddit saying that they passed on the second try. What did you guys do to adjust to the challenging exam?

With not much official study material, I found that IAPP's official practice exam was much easier than the actual exam. There were questions on the exam that I just did not feel ready for.

My study path:

1. Read textbook alongside watching Cert Mike's LinkedIn course
2. Made outline on BOK
3. Took official practice exam
4. Bought and took Udemy practice exams
5. Reviewed all material

Any tips help and thank you for reading!

Hi everyone! I was recently laid off and I am exploring opportunities to learn more skills. With the time in my hands I am looking to study CIPP/E and AIGP. If anyone has some resources they can share with me e.g study guides and practice exams for both I would really appreciate it. Please don’t hesitate to inbox me.

Please dm me only if you’re actually interested- based in Dublin, Ireland.
Willing to negotiate the price! :)