

CPTD Certification Preparation Course
The complete CPTD® exam prep program, personalized and adapted to prepare you best.
Accelerate your readiness for the Certified Professional in Talent Development Certification Exam and earn the credential that proves your capability. Get immediate access to customizable resources including content modules, adaptive self-assessments, facilitated live online sessions, discussion boards, and study support tools including a timed practice test and full access to the Talent Development Body of Knowledge (TDBoK™), included in the registration fee. The course is available on demand for 12 months from your registration date.
Prepare with a comprehensive learning experience that will help you focus on the areas you need to prove your ability and earn the CPTD—the certification for professionals with at least five years of experience and who understand and can affect impactful talent development solutions that drive organizational success.
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Prepare with a comprehensive learning experience that will help you focus on the areas you need to prove your ability and earn the CPTD—the certification for professionals with at least five years of experience and who understand and can affect impactful talent development solutions that drive organizational success.
A facilitator-led yet flexible and self-paced approach gives you access to the content and resources immediately upon enrolling and for 12 months after to ensure you can prepare right up to your exam date. The course uses an adaptive, assessment-based approach to allow you to customize your learning. With a robust set of microlearning resources tailored for busy professionals, an expert facilitator, and a community of candidates, you will be guided through an end-to-end study path so you leave the course feeling confident to take the exam. The CPTD exam is administered by the ATD Certification Institute (ATD CI). Eligibility requirements must be met in order to take the exam and the cost of the exam fee is not included with this preparation course.
The course goes beyond presenting the content from the Talent Development Capability Model to preparing you to prove your mastery of applying the knowledge and skills on the exam. Through the development of short-term and long-term goals and action items tied to exam preparation strategies, you’ll create an individualized study plan that identifies what you need to focus on to achieve your goal of becoming certified. You will also have access to a full-length practice test, allowing you to fully explore the types of questions you’ll encounter on exam day. Course features include:
Content Review: Use your personalized study plan to go as in-depth as needed on targeted learning assets, each designed to cover a key area within the Talent Development Capability Model, allowing you to move through the course at your own pace.
Expert-Led Discussions and Feedback: Participate in discussion boards, post questions, and connect with a community of your peers to share knowledge and experience. Leverage the knowledge of the facilitator and participants to prepare for the credentialing experience.
Exam Preparation Strategies: Get access to valuable study tips, guidance on setting goals and planning your study methods for maximum effectiveness, and approaches for optimizing your exam day experience.
Adaptive Self-Assessments: Complete confidence checks to assess your readiness on the content and customize your experience with pre- and post-assessments that allow you to focus your time and energy where it will make the most impact.
Interactive Scenario-Based Activities: Ensure your mastery of the concepts, theories, and models tested on the exam through a variety of interactive and reflective exercises.
Learning Resources. Explore a range of engaging templates and tools, videos, podcasts, infographics, checklists, and full access to the Talent Development Body of Knowledge—a comprehensive e-publication that is included in your registration fee.
Complete Practice Test: Practice the test-taking experience with a full-length timed practice test, taken in the same platform used for the CPTD Certification Exam, and build the confidence needed to be successful.
Live Online Sessions. Take a deeper dive into select capabilities when you participate in these facilitated sessions. Focus on how concepts are applied in a real-world, practical way. Read Less
- Core content from the Talent Development Body of Knowledge that aligns to the exam specifications.
- Application of the content through stories and lessons learned from expert credential holders.
- Approaches for studying and preparing for the CPTD Certification Exam.
- How to apply test-taking strategies covered in the course on the practice test to build your confidence.
Learn more about the CPTD
The Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD) is a professional certification for TD professionals with at least five years of experience. It is broad and measures a professional’s knowledge and skill application across the breadth of talent development capabilities.
Access the Talent Development Capability Model
The CPTD is grounded in the Talent Development Capability Model. Explore the knowledge and skills that will empower the growth and development of talent development professionals.
CPTD Certification Preparation Course Brochure
Download the brochure to learn everything you need to know about this course.
This preparation course is ideal if you:
- Have decided that a professional certification aligns to your career goals
- Meet the eligibility criteria for the CPTD Certification:
- Have at least five years of work experience in talent development AND 60 hours of professional development within the last five years OR
- Have at least four years of work experience in talent development AND have earned the Associate Professional in Talent Development (APTD) certification and are in good standing. For eligibility details visit td.org/certification/cptd/eligibility.
- Have earned an ATD Master Program designation and would like to focus on gaining more in-depth knowledge of other capability areas in talent development. Any ATD Master Program completed in the last five years will count toward the full professional development requirement.

"Achieving the [CPTD] was an exceptional development experience. Professionally, I increased my ability to create comprehensive and impactful learning and performance management solutions. Personally, I learned how to be resilient and persevere after falling short the first time. I also gained clarity in the next step in my career path and feel confident and well-equipped to pursue my dreams!"

“Achieving my [CPTD] credential made me a much more confident, as well as knowledgeable, learning professional. Having a solid foundation in each area of expertise has equipped me to address any challenge or project in my learning and performance career.”

“I chose the [CPTD] because I wanted to efficiently integrate training with performance improvement. Becoming a [CPTD] has helped me to think holistically about talent development and to be more creative about designing solutions to business challenges.”
You may also contact the certification institute team with any questions at [email protected]
- Customized learning that will allow you to dive into the content you most need to learn so you won’t waste time studying what you already know.
- Core content from the Talent Development Body of Knowledge ™ that aligns to the exam content outline.
- Application of the content through stories from expert credential holders.
- Approaches for studying and preparing for the CPTD Certification Exam.
- Full-length timed practice test that allows you to assess your readiness in real-time with instant feedback, including answer rationales.
- Opportunities to join live online sessions to discuss the application of select capabilities.
The CPTD focuses on a subset of capabilities from the Talent Development Capability Model and covers all three domains:
- Personal Capabilities - 20%
- Professional Capabilities - 45%
- Organizational Capabilities - 35%
View the detailed content outline here .
Things To Know
ATTENDANCE
On Demand
Full completion of the program within the one-year access period is mandatory in order to receive CEUs. Participants who complete all aspects of the program will see their completion status reflected on their transcript in the ATD Learning Portal.
CREDITS
28.0 Learning Hours
2.8 CEUs awarded
20.0 Professional Development Hours toward initial certification eligibility for the CPTD credential from the ATD Certification Institute. Course must be completed before it can be reported.
ATD LEARNING PORTAL
Enrolled in a program? Sign in to the ATD Learning Portal with your ATD account credentials to get started.
TRANSFERS/CANCELLATIONS
Click here to review our cancellation policy.