Last week I gave the DSCI Certified Privacy Professional (DCPP) exam and got my result few days back. Somehow I cleared the exam. Phew!
Data Security Council of India (DSCI), is a NASSCOM initiative “To develop capabilities, capacities and norms, in collaboration with all the stakeholders including the government, required to advance towards a safer, more secure and trusted cyberspace for enhancing trade and commerce by increasing global data flows and promoting innovation; strengthening national security, protecting individuals’ rights in cyber space and addressing such global issues while safeguarding national and industry interests.”
DSCI has been doing great work in the field of Information Privacy. Their DSCI Privacy Framework has become a de facto standard for Indian companies which wish to implement a Privacy Program. Considering the rising demand for Information Privacy professionals DSCI recently launched the DCPP Certification. I hope that those of you who are currently preparing for it or wish to pursue it in future may find something to take away from this article. For the benefit of the readers who have just started their careers in or are planning to enter the Information Privacy field I’ll start with a brief introduction of the Certification.
About the DCPP Certification
The requirement to ensure privacy of information has put pressure on organizations to appoint people who are knowledgeable and skilled in dealing with various aspects of Information Privacy. This includes knowledge of Privacy laws, regulations, technologies etc. Keeping this in mind, DSCI has recently created the DCPP Certification credential. It aims to provide a comprehensive introduction of various privacy principles, laws, regulations, tool and technologies. DCPP credential ensures that the holder has sufficient knowledge and skills to lead the implementation of a Privacy Program in an organization. More information regarding the DCPP Certification can be accessed here. FAQs can be accessed here.
What does it cover?
The current DCPP PBoK (Privacy Body of Knowledge) is divided into 10 chapters which cover three broad sections, namely, Privacy Fundamentals, Privacy Principles and Regulations and Privacy Technologies and Organization Ecosystem. The content is well designed to familiarize candidates with various privacy concepts and recent developments in privacy domain across the globe.
What’s the Exam like?
DCPP is a paperless exam meaning that it is conducted online at certain centers as designated by DSCI. In India, DSCI has partnered with Pearson VUE to conduct the DCPP exam. Another good thing about the exam is the scheduling flexibility i.e. one can choose a time, date and location as per their convenience. Candidates can reschedule the exam 24 hours before the current exam date at a cost of INR 1500 plus taxes.
The price of the exam is INR 15,000, this includes the exam and PBoK. It’s a two and a half hour (150 minutes) examination during which a candidate has to answer 75 questions. The exam is divided into three parts, namely, Privacy Fundamentals (22 questions), Privacy Principles and Regulations (32 questions) and Privacy Technologies and Organization Ecosystem (21 questions). Candidates must score a minimum of 65%, in each section, in order to pass the examination. The examination consists of multiple-choice questions which have either one or two correct answer(s) and questions can either be case-let based or knowledge based. There’s no negative marking so candidates should try to answer all the questions. Interested candidates can start the registration process from here.
How to prepare for the Exam?
At present, DSCI PBoK is the only source to study for DCPP. The PBoK is around 250 pages covering 10 chapters. Though a thorough reading of the PBoK is sufficient to clear the exam, it is recommended that candidates keep themselves updated with latest developments in the field. In my exam, there were few such questions. The PBoK contains a vast list of references which candidates may refer to for better preparation.
Unfortunately, DSCI doesn’t provide a question database or sample exams. The PBoK contains 10 sample questions but they’re not sufficient to give the candidates a feel of the real exam.
Note: I am in process of creating a few sample tests so keep an eye on this post. I will update it once they’re ready.
What’s next after clearing the exam?
Once a candidate clears the exam they get certified. In order to maintain the certification, certification holders must earn and submit 40 CPE points annually In addition to CPEs, Annual Maintenance Fees of INR 2,500 plus taxes also needs to paid.
If I have left out anything or if readers have any additional queries please leave them in the comments below. Please note that questions regarding sharing and distribution of pre-owned material will not be entertained as it amounts to piracy.
——-
Disclaimer: The DCPP logo used in the Featured Image is the Copyright of DSCI.
Uday Mittal is a cybersecurity professional with rich working experience working with various industries including telecom, publishing, consulting and finance. He holds internationally recognized certifications such as CRTP, OSCE, OSCP, CISSP, CISA, CISM, CRISC among others. He speaks on cybersecurity awareness, offensive security research etc. and has authored various articles on topics related to cyber security and software development for a leading magazine on open source software.
