Clinical Research Contract Professional (CRCP) Certification

MAGI offers Clinical Research Contract Professional (CRCP) certification. People obtain certification to demonstrate their professional accomplishments to employers, negotiation partners, and themselves.

The certification exam takes one hour. There are 20 short-answer questions. Questions often relate to common topics of negotiation between sponsors and sites. You should be familiar with negotiations and contracts in general, the legal concepts and terms in industry-sponsored CTAs, the business implications of CTA provisions, sponsor and site perspectives on common negotiation issues, and how to create and negotiate study budgets.

People often ask how to prepare for the exam. Two years of experience with a variety of negotiation partners may be sufficient to pass the exam. A careful reading of MAGI’s Model CTA is helpful. Attending MAGI’s Clinical Trial Agreements & Budgets Conference is good preparation. Sample questions, study guides, or other study materials are not available. However, imagine an exam for professional chefs. One question might be, "Describe the process of making an omelette." Another might be, "List five spices used in Chinese cuisine." Another might be, "What are the pros and cons of gas vs. electric stoves?"

Many people who take the exam are not attorneys, although some knowledge of the legal terms in a CTA is required. For example, you should know the principal elements of indemnification, but not the difference between contract law and tort law, or how the courts decide issues of jurisdiction. The exam does not cover international, or state or federal entity contracts. Our objective is to certify competent professionals, not award Olympic gold medals.

The cost of taking the exam is $369. We usually report exam results within two weeks after the exam. If you do not pass the exam, you can take it once more at no charge. Certification is valid for five years. To renew your certification, pass the exam again. Or, attend a MAGI conference to extend your certification for three years past the date of the conference. To avoid confusion later, request the extension at the time of the conference.

We currently administer the exam two times per year, at MAGI’s Clinical Trial Agreements, Budgets and Regulatory conferences. You can register for the exam on the conference website, or bring a check made out to First Clinical Research LLC to the meeting. (MAGI is not a legal entity.) We can also give the exam over the telephone for an additional $50 charge.