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ATD CPTD Exam Syllabus

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Before starting your CPTD exam preparation, it is recommended to review the complete ATD The Certified Professional in Talent Development exam syllabus and carefully go through the exam objectives listed below. Once you understand the exam structure and objectives, you should practice using our free CPTD questions. We also provide premium CPTD practice test, fully updated according to the latest exam objectives, to help you accurately assess your preparedness for the actual exam.

ATD CPTD Exam Objectives

Section Weight Objectives
Building Personal Capability 20% 1.1 Communication  1.1.A Skill in using communication strategies that 
inform and influence audiences. 
1.1.B Skill in applying verbal, written, and/or non?verbal 
communication techniques. 
1.1.C Skill in conceiving, developing, and delivering 
information in various formats and media. 

1.2 Emotional Intelligence & 
Decision?Making 
1.2.A Knowledge of theories of emotional intelligence. 
1.3 Collaboration & Leadership  1.3.A Knowledge of theories, methods, and techniques 
to build and manage professional relationships, for 
example group dynamics, teamwork, shared 
experience, and negotiation. 
1.3.B Knowledge of conflict management techniques. 
1.3.C Knowledge of theories of leadership, for example 
transformational, inclusive, and situational. 

1.4 Cultural Awareness & 
Inclusion 
1.4 Skill in integrating diversity and inclusion 
principles in talent development strategies and 
initiatives. 
1.5 Project Management  1.5.A Skill in evaluating and prioritizing implications, 
risks, feasibility, and consequences of potential 
activities. 
1.5. B Skill in establishing, monitoring, and 
communicating progress toward the achievement of 
goals, objectives, and milestones. 
1.6 Compliance & Ethical 
Behavior 
1.6 Knowledge of laws, regulations, and ethical issues 
related to the access and use of information, for 
example intellectual capital, personally identifiable 
information, and customer data. 
Developing Professional Capability 45% 2.1 Learning Sciences  2.1.A Knowledge of theories and models of adult 
learning, for example, Knowles’ Adult Learning Theory, 
Bloom’s Taxonomy, Gagne’s Nine Levels of Learning, 
Mager’s Criterion?Referenced Instruction Approach, 
social and collaborative learning, and experiential 
learning. 
2.1. B Knowledge of the foundational learning theories 
of behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism. 

2.2 Instructional Design  2.2.A Skill in selecting and aligning delivery options and 
media for training and/or learning events to the desired 
learning or behavioral outcomes. 
2.2. B Skill in developing learning and behavioral 
outcome statements. 
2.2. C Skill in designing blueprints, schematics, and/or 
other visual representations of learning and 
development solutions, for example, wireframes, 
storyboards, and mock?ups. 
2.2. D Skill in designing and/or developing learning 
assets, for example role plays, self?assessments, 
training manuals, job aids, and visual aids that align to a 
desired learning or behavioral outcome. 
2.3 Training Delivery & 
Facilitation 
2.3 Knowledge of facilitation methods and 
techniques. 
2.4 Technology Application  2.4.A Skill in identifying, selecting, and/or implementing 
learning technologies, for example using evaluative 
criteria and identifying appropriate applications in an 
instructional environment. 
2.4. B Skill in selecting, integrating, managing, and/or 
maintaining learning platforms, for example learning 
management systems, knowledge management 
systems, and performance management systems.
2.5 Knowledge Management  2.5.A Skill in curating instructional content, tools, and 
resources, for example researching, evaluating, 
selecting, and/or assembling publicly available online 
courseware. 
2.5. B Skill in designing and implementing knowledge 
management strategy. 
2.6 Career & Leadership 
Development 
2.6 Skill in sourcing, designing, building, and 
Evaluating leadership development experiences. 
2.6. B Knowledge of how to develop and implement 
qualification programs. 
2.7 Coaching  2.7.A Skill in helping individuals or teams identify goals, 
develop realistic action plans, seek development 
opportunities, and monitor progress and accountability. 
2.7. B Skill in coaching supervisors and managers on 
methods and approaches for supporting employee 
development. 
2.8 Evaluating Impact  2.8.A Knowledge of models and methods to evaluate 
the impact of learning and talent development 
solutions. 
2.8. B Skill in creating data collection tools, for example 
questionnaires, surveys, and structured interviews. 
2.8.C Skill in identifying and defining individual and/or 
organizational outcome metrics based on evaluation 
strategy and/or business objectives of a solution. 
Impacting Organizational Capability 35% 3.1 Business Insight  3.1.A Skill in creating business cases for talent 
development initiatives using economic, financial, and 
organizational data. 
3.1.B Skill in managing budgets and resources. 

3.2 Consulting & Business 
Partnering 
3.2.A Skill in synthesizing information to formulate 
recommendations or a course of action to gain 
agreement, support, and/or buy?in from stakeholders. 
3.2.B Skill in establishing and managing organizational 
and/or business partnerships and relationships. 
3.2.C Skill in partnering with other organizational units 
to provide guidance on departmental or organizational 
talent requirements. 
3.2.D Skill in identifying, minimizing, and overcoming 
organizational barriers to implementing talent 
development solutions and/or strategies. 
3.3 Organization Development 
& Culture 
3.3.A Skill in designing and implementing organizational 
development strategy. 
3.3.B Knowledge of theories and frameworks related to 
the design, interaction, and operation of social, 
organizational, and informational systems, for example, 
systems thinking, open systems theory, chaos and 
complexity theory, network theory, and action 
research. 
3.3.C Skill in identifying formal and informal 
relationships, hierarchies, and power dynamics in an 
organization. 
3.3.D Skill in creating a culture which encourages 
and/or creates opportunities for dialogue and feedback 
between individuals and groups, for example designing 
collaborative work practices and/or spaces, and role?
modeling effective feedback techniques. 
3.3.E Skill in assessing and evaluating employee 
engagement. 
3.3.F Skill in designing and implementing employee 
engagement strategy. 

3.4 Talent Strategy & 
Management 
3.4.A Skill in designing and implementing performance 
management strategy. 
3.4.B Skill in developing a talent strategy that aligns to 
organizational strategy to influence organizational 
outcomes in a positive direction. 
3.4.C Skill in designing and implementing strategic plans 
for talent development projects, programs, and/or 
functions. 
3.4.D Skill in identifying anticipated constraints or 
problems affecting talent development initiatives, for 
example resource deficiencies or lack of support. 
3.4.E Skill in establishing and executing a marketing 
strategy to promote talent development. 
3.4.F Skill in designing and implementing 
communication strategy in order to drive talent 
management objectives. 
3.4.G Skill in communicating how talent development 
strategies and solutions support the achievement of 
targeted business/organizational results. 
3.4.H Skill in communicating the value of lifelong 
learning and professional development. 

3.5 Performance Improvement  3.5.A Skill in designing and implementing performance 
support systems and tools, for example instructional 
resources, data, process models, job aids, and expert 
advice. 
3.5.B Skill in designing and developing performance 
improvement solutions to address performance gaps. 
3.5.C Skill in conducting performance analysis to 
identify goals, gaps, or opportunities. 
3.5.D Skill in conducting analysis of systems to improve 
human performance, for example determining how 
organizations learn, closing knowledge or skill gaps, and 
addressing human factors issues. 
3.5.E Knowledge of theories, models, and principles of 
human performance improvement. 

3.6 Change Management  3.6.A Knowledge of change management theories and 
models, for example Lewin, Kotter, Bridges’ transition 
model, Kubler?Ross change curve, and appreciative 
inquiry. 
3.7 Data & Analytics  3.7.A Skill in selecting and/or using data visualization 
techniques, for example flow charts, graphs, plots, 
word clouds, and heat maps. 
3.7.B Skill in identifying stakeholders' needs, goals, 
requirements, questions, and objectives to develop a 
framework and/or plan for data analysis. 
3.7.C Skill in analyzing and interpreting results of data 
analyses to identify patterns, trends, and relationships 
among variables. 
3.7.D Skill in gathering and organizing data from 
internal and/or external sources in logical and/or 
practical ways to support retrieval and manipulation. 
3.8 Future Readiness  3.8.A Knowledge of techniques to promote, support, 
and/or generate innovation and creativity, for example 
design thinking, brainstorming, and ideation. 
3.8.B Knowledge of internal and external factors that 
influence talent development, for example 
organizational/business strategies, availability of labor, 
developments in other industries, societal trends, and 
technological advances. 
Official Information https://www.td.org/certification/cptd/introduction