Exam Information
Apply for the exam by completing the Exam Enrollment Application available on the GInI member portal.
Pay the associated Exam Enrollment Fee.
Await the exam application completeness review and approval by GInI. This may require up to five business days.
Subsequently you will receive the examination details from the GInI Exam Center, including the online link to take your exam.
Complete the online exam.
GInI’s standard method for administering its exams is through computer-based testing (CBT). Paper based testing (PBT) is available under certain limited circumstances, and by special request.
There are no scheduled breaks during the exam, though you are free to take breaks as needed.
Once you begin the exam you will be unable to pause the exam timer. The exam timer will continue counting down even if your computer shuts down. Therefore ensure that you can remain undisturbed while taking the exam. If your network connection is lost, you can resume the exam where you left off once it is reconnected, but be aware that the timer will not pause during this time.
You are able to navigate back and forth between the questions in order to go back to previously answered questions and review your answers.
For each question, there is only one correct response out of the four responses given.
Once you pass the exam, you can expect to receive notification with your digital certificate within one (1) week.
The testing environment selected by the examinee for taking the GInI certification exam must conform to the following prescriptions:
The examination should take place inside of a private, secure, quiet, well-lit room.
Lighting in the room must be of "daylight" quality and if possible projected from overhead. If overhead lighting is not possible, then the light source must not project from behind the examinee.
The examinee may not leave this room during the examination time.
There are to be no other people in this room during the examination time.
The examinee is to have no communications with other parties during the examination time. There is to therefore be no verbal communications taking place during this time.
The examinee is to sit at a clean desk or table (not on a bed or sofa).
There is to be nothing on the desktop or tabletop except for the computer being used and possibly an external camera (for monitoring purposes). In particular, there are to be no books, notebooks, papers, and/or other materials present on the desktop or tabletop, unless otherwise specifically permitted by written guidelines for the exam being taken.
There is to be no writing visible on either the desk / table or the surrounding walls.
Examinees are not allowed to use any of the following unless otherwise instructed by their proctor / instructor:
MS Word or similar software
MS Excel or similar software
MS PowerPoint or similar software
Calculator (online/computer or handheld)
Textbooks (online/computer or hardcopy)
Notes (online/computer or hardcopy)
Other websites.
A web-cam must be focused on the examinee at all times, and therefore must be correctly situated to do so.
If an external camera is used, then to the extent possible it should be placed on the lid of the laptop or elsewhere where it will have a constant, uninterrupted view of the examinee.
There is to be nothing covering the lens of the camera at any time during the examination time.
There are to be no other computers running in the room during the examination time.
There is to be no music playing in the room during the examination time, whether on the computer or other system.
Headphones or ear buds are not permitted during the examination time.
Any violation of the instructions given for taking an online proctored exam will result in the dismissal of the exam and can proceed to legal actions, if necessary.
Certified Innovation Associate (CInA)®
- The purpose of the CInA exam is for you to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the CInA body of knowledge.
- The CInA exam has 90 multiple-choice questions. These questions are placed in random order throughout the exam.
- The passing score for the CInA exam is 60%.
- The allotted time to complete the computer-based exam is 90 minutes. Some candidates may require less than the allotted 90 minutes to complete the exam.
Certification Blueprint:
| Innovation Associate Reference Book® | Percentage of Questions |
| Fundamentals of Innovation | 3% |
| Innovation’s Design Outputs | 8% |
| The Effective Innovator | 8% |
| Creativity & Creativity Methods | 1% |
| Ideation & Brainstorming | 4% |
| The GInI Breakthrough Innovation Method | 4% |
| The Three Phases of Innovation Project Work | 2% |
| Running Innovation Projects in the Business | 10% |
| The Role of Research in Innovation Projects | 10% |
| Design Thinking & Human Centered Design | 12% |
| Founders & New Business Ventures | 38% |
| TOTAL | 100% |
Certified Innovation Professional (CInP)®
The purpose of the CInP exam is to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the CInP body of knowledge.
The CInP exam has 90 multiple-choice questions. These questions are placed in random order throughout the exam.
The passing score for the CInP exam is 60%.
The allotted time to complete the computer-based exam is 90 minutes. Some candidates may require less than the allotted 90 minutes to complete the exam.
Certification Blueprint:
| GInI Applied Innovation Master Book® | Percentage of Questions |
| Foundations – Core Innovation Knowledge & Concepts | 25% |
| Tactical Innovation & The Innovation Professional | 35% |
| Innovation Management & The Innovation Manager | 35% |
| Applied Design Thinking | 5% |
| TOTAL | 100% |
Certified Design Thinking Professional (CDTP)®
The purpose of the CDTP exam is to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the CDTP body of knowledge.
The CDTP exam has 90 multiple-choice questions. These questions are placed in random order throughout the exam.
The passing score for the CDTP exam is 65%.
The allotted time to complete the computer-based exam is 90 minutes.
Some candidates may require less than the allotted 90 minutes to complete the exam.
Certification Blueprint:
| GInI Applied Innovation Master Book® | Percentage of Questions |
| Introduction to Design Thinking (includingHuman-Centric Design) | 10% |
| The Design Thinking Process | 35% |
| Design Methods – Observe / Question /Experiment / Study | 30% |
| Prototyping for Design Thinking | 25% |
| TOTAL | 100% |
Certified Innovation Strategist (CInS)®
The purpose of the CInS exam is to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the CInS body of knowledge.
The CInS exam has 120 multiple-choice questions. These questions are placed in random order throughout the exam.
The passing score for the CInS exam is 65%.
The allotted time to complete the computer-based exam is 120 minutes.
Some candidates may require less than the allotted 120 minutes to complete the exam.
Certification Blueprint:
| GInI Applied Innovation Master Book® | Percentage of Questions |
| Foundations Breakthrough Innovation | 27% |
| Strategic Innovation | 23% |
| Discovery-Driven Innovation | 16% |
| Advanced Innovation Outputs | 24% |
| Promotion of Winning Business Ideas | 10% |
| TOTAL | 100% |
Certified Chief Innovation Officer (CCInO)®
The purpose of the CCInO exam is to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the CCInO body of knowledge.
The CCInO exam has 130 multiple-choice questions. These questions are placed in random order throughout the exam.
The passing score for the CCInO exam is 65%.
The allotted time to complete the computer-based exam is 130 minutes.
Some candidates may require less than the allotted 130 minutes to complete the exam.
Certification Blueprint:
| GInI Applied Innovation Master Book® | Percentage of Questions |
| Foundations of Strategic Innovation | 8% |
| Growth & Innovation Strategy | 16% |
| Enterprise Innovation Architecture | 62% |
| Management Innovation and Workplace Innovation | 5% |
| Innovation Teams and Spaces | 5% |
| Driving Focused Innovation Work Products | 4% |
| TOTAL | 100% |
Authorized Innovation Assessor (AInA)®
The purpose of the AInA exam is to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the AInA body of knowledge.
The AInA exam has 150 multiple-choice questions. These questions are placed in random order throughout the exam.
The passing score for the AInA exam is 75%.
The allotted time to complete the computer-based exam is 150 minutes.
Some candidates may require less than the allotted 150 minutes to complete the exam.
Certification Blueprint:
| GInI Applied Innovation Master Book® | Percentage of Questions |
| CInOrg and AInA Foundations | 21% |
| Innovation Maturity Assessment | 16% |
| The Innovation Maturity Assessment Tool | 49% |
| The Post Assessment Process | 9% |
| CInOrg Reassessment and Other Assessments | 5% |
| TOTAL | 100% |
(GInI) certification exams are proctored using a Computer-Based Testing (CBT) platform. Cheating on an examination contradicts both academic integrity standards and GInI’s ethical standards.
Any applicant found to have cheated on a certification exam will have their certification revoked without refund of the Exam Enrollment Fee, and will further be barred from eligibility for any future GInI certifications. Reprieves to this policy must be granted on a case-by-case basis by the GInI Certification Department.
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