Professional Development Assessment (PDA)

You're eligible to apply

You’re not eligible to apply

This route is not available to you if any of the following apply:

• Your membership grade is not Certified
• You already have a PDA application in progress
• You have already completed the PDA route

If you’ve already started a PDA, you can continue your existing application instead of starting a new one.

Before you apply

Before you start your application, make sure you understand what the PDA process involves and what you’ll need to prepare.

You will:

• Complete a knowledge assessment  
• Submit a portfolio of evidence based on your recent work  
• Write a professional discussion paper  
• Attend an online professional discussion interview  

Make sure you have time to complete each stage and can provide evidence from your recent experience.

What does PDA involve?

There are three stages in the process. The first two are hosted in Blueprint.

1. Knowledge assessment
   You’ll complete a multiple-choice assessment at Chartered level to test your knowledge of IOSH’s competency framework. The assessment takes around two hours.
2. Portfolio of evidence and professional discussion paper
   For the portfolio, you have to compile evidence (based on work completed within the last two years) to show how you have addressed any competency gaps. These will include the four behavioural competencies not already covered in the knowledge assessment. In the professional discussion paper (3,000 to 5,000 words) you write a reflective statement on your progression. You must also give some professional insights and provide a vision of your future and your contribution to health and safety practice.
3. Professional discussion interview
   Attend an online interview (on Microsoft Teams) structured around the previous three steps. Before the interview, we will review your CPD and your ethics e-learning.

How you're assessed

You will be assessed by experienced IOSH professionals, all of whom are Chartered Members or Chartered Fellows. The process is overseen by IOSH’s Professional Development and Standards team to ensure fairness and consistency.

What happens if you don't pass?

• Knowledge assessment: one resit after six months
• Portfolio: multiple submission opportunities
• Interview: no resit, although mitigating circumstances may be considered

Timeframe

You have 18 months from registration to complete the PDA route. If you do not complete it within this time, you will need to register again.

Support available

Throughout your journey, you can access:

• Feedback at each stage
• Learning resources in Blueprint
• IOSH mentoring
• PDA workshops with guidance and opportunities to ask questions
• Reasonable adjustments (if required)

Need further help? Contact our Professional Development and Standards team.

What else you need to complete Chartered status

To achieve Chartered membership, you must also:

• Complete the IOSH Ethical Practice in OSH assessment
• Maintain your CPD requirements

More information

Watch our PDA video for full details of our route to Chartered membership and catch up with our webinar. You can also read guidance on the next steps for the PDA route in the ‘help’ section on your Blueprint dashboard and check out the candidate guides below.