POAP (CASRAI)

Post-Award Management Certification — Professional

LevelProfessionalPOAPOAP (CASRAI)

Lessons

14 modules

Domains

Exam blueprint

Exam items

Per attempt

70%

Pass mark

Fixed, uncurved

Retake wait

Days

What you earn

The credential itself

Pass the examination and CASRAI issues this certificate and the post-nominal POAP (CASRAI), signed by the Programme Director and verifiable by anyone, permanently, from the code on its face.

CASRAI Certification

Certificate of Professional Competence

This is to certify that

Dr. Amelia R. Hartley

has completed the prescribed programme of study and passed the examination in

Post-Award Management — Professional

and is admitted to the designationPOAP (CASRAI)

Verify atcasrai.org/verify/CASRAI-POA-2026-ZZQR5V

Specimen. Issued as a signed PDF and as a machine-readable Open Badge; the holder and code shown are illustrative.

How it appears on your CV

Certifications

POAP (CASRAI) — Post-Award Management, Professional

CASRAI·Issued Mar 2026·Credential ID CASRAI-POA-2026-ZZQR5V

casrai.org/verify/CASRAI-POA-2026-ZZQR5V

Every certificate is issued under the signature of Dr. Diana Nieves Castro, MD, Programme Director of CASRAI Certification, who sets the syllabus, blueprint and pass mark for this credential.

It certifies that its holder passed the CASRAI examination for this course on the date shown, scored against the blueprint and pass mark published on this page — and anyone can confirm it from the verification code, without an account and without contacting us.

About this credential

What it covers

Body of knowledge

Exam blueprint

The exam is assembled to these weights on every attempt. They are published before purchase because a blueprint you cannot see is not a blueprint.

Domains and weights8 domains · 41 scored items
Domain	Weight	Items
Award acceptance, set-up and account establishment1	10%≈ 4 items	≈ 4
Expenditure monitoring and allowability determination2	16%≈ 7 items	≈ 7
Budget changes, prior approvals and extensions3	12%≈ 5 items	≈ 5
Personnel costs, effort interfaces and payroll confirmation4	8%≈ 3 items	≈ 3
Subrecipient monitoring and risk management5	14%≈ 6 items	≈ 6
Cost transfers, corrections and deficit management6	8%≈ 3 items	≈ 3
Reporting — financial, technical and compliance7	14%≈ 6 items	≈ 6
Property, records, audit response and closeout8	18%≈ 7 items	≈ 7
Total	100%	41

Item counts are approximate. Each attempt draws a fresh form to the weights above, so the exact number of items per domain varies between attempts.

Syllabus

14 modules, 14 lessons

Every lesson and every learning outcome is listed. The lesson bodies open on enrolment; nothing else about the course is withheld.

14 modules · 14 lessons

Lesson material opens once you are enrolled. The full syllabus and every learning outcome are shown here so you can judge the coverage before you pay.

Module 1
O1
1 lesson
1. Locked.Award acceptance, set-up and the handoverLocked
  On completion you will be able to
  - O1.1 [An] Read an award document and extract every operative term, including those that differ from what was proposed.
  - O1.2 [A] Establish the order of precedence for an award across its layered sources and record which governs where they conflict.
  - O1.3 [E] Evaluate a pre-award handover package for adequacy and identify what must be obtained before set-up can be completed.
  - O1.4 [A] Establish an account structure that supports the award's monitoring, cost-share tracking, subaward and reporting requirements.
  - O1.5 [An] Identify where an awarded budget cannot be administered as structured, and determine what must change.
  - O1.6 [A] Produce a terms summary that the people spending against the award can actually use.
  - O1.7 [E] Evaluate whether at-risk costs already incurred were authorised and are chargeable.
Module 2
O2
1 lesson
1. Locked.Allowability determinationLocked
  On completion you will be able to
  - O2.1 [E] Determine whether a cost may be charged, state which criterion is in doubt, and justify the determination in terms an auditor could follow.
  - O2.2 [An] Determine allocability where a cost benefits several projects, and defend an allocation basis.
  - O2.3 [An] Identify a cost normally treated as indirect being charged directly, and evaluate whether the direct charge is justified here.
  - O2.4 [E] Evaluate whether a proposed treatment creates a consistency problem across the institution, and escalate rather than resolve it.
  - O2.5 [A] Apply an F&A rate to a transaction and identify where the rate or base has been applied wrongly.
  - O2.6 [A] Document a determination contemporaneously and defensibly.
  - O2.7 [E] Communicate a refusal in terms of the rule rather than of personal authority.
Module 3
O3
1 lesson
1. Locked.Monitoring a portfolioLocked
  On completion you will be able to
  - O3.1 [An] Review a transaction listing at portfolio scale and identify the items requiring query.
  - O3.2 [An] Identify patterns across a portfolio that indicate a systemic problem rather than isolated errors.
  - O3.3 [A] Review charges near period boundaries for period-of-performance compliance.
  - O3.4 [A] Review procurement on awards for competition, documented sole-source justification, and exclusion/debarment status.
  - O3.5 [A] Identify and treat programme income.
  - O3.6 [E] Prioritise a monitoring workload across a portfolio of unequal risk.
Module 4
O4
1 lesson
1. Locked.Prior approvals and the approval architectureLocked
  On completion you will be able to
  - O4.1 [An] Determine whether an action requires sponsor prior approval, institutional approval only, or neither — and cite the specific authority.
  - O4.2 [An] Locate the operative prior-approval requirement across four layered sources and resolve conflicts between them.
  - O4.3 [E] Judge whether a described change constitutes a change in scope.
  - O4.4 [A] Draft a prior approval request that a sponsor would grant.
  - O4.5 [E] Evaluate whether a claimed expanded authority applies to this award.
Module 5
O5
1 lesson
1. Locked.Extensions, rebudgeting, personnel changes and transfersLocked
  On completion you will be able to
  - O5.1 [A] Determine eligibility for a no-cost extension and distinguish recipient-taken from approval-required extensions.
  - O5.2 [E] Evaluate whether a proposed extension justification would be accepted.
  - O5.3 [A] Process rebudgeting within the applicable thresholds and category restrictions.
  - O5.4 [A] Manage a change in or departure of key personnel.
  - O5.5 [An] Sequence the actions required when an award transfers to another institution.
  - O5.6 [A] Manage carry-forward, supplements and de-obligations.
Module 6
O6
1 lesson
1. Locked.Personnel, effort and the payroll interfaceLocked
  On completion you will be able to
  - O6.1 [An] Identify divergence between a salary charge and the record of work performed, and determine the correct response.
  - O6.2 [A] Verify correct application of a salary cap and confirm the over-cap portion is charged elsewhere.
  - O6.3 [A] Identify effort reduction below a prior-approval threshold and initiate the request.
  - O6.4 [An] Identify over-commitment across an individual's award portfolio.
  - O6.5 [E] Evaluate whether a described set of personnel records would satisfy the documentation standard.
  - O6.6 [A] Route a question about effort system design, base salary definition or fringe rate composition to the correct function rather than answering it.
Module 7
O7
1 lesson
1. Locked.Subaward issuance and risk assessmentLocked
  On completion you will be able to
  - O7.1 [An] Confirm or re-make a subrecipient/contractor determination where the relationship has changed in substance.
  - O7.2 [A] Issue a subaward containing every required element.
  - O7.3 [An] Conduct a documented risk assessment of a subrecipient.
  - O7.4 [E] Set monitoring intensity proportionate to assessed risk and defend the link between the two.
  - O7.5 [An] Determine which prime-award terms must flow down, which may, and which cannot.
  - O7.6 [E] Evaluate the additional exposure created by a foreign subrecipient and route each element to the responsible function.
Module 8
O8
1 lesson
1. Locked.Subrecipient monitoring in practiceLocked
  On completion you will be able to
  - O8.1 [An] Review a subrecipient invoice substantively and identify what requires supporting detail.
  - O8.2 [A] Verify a subrecipient's audit status and follow up findings affecting the prime award.
  - O8.3 [E] Determine the response to subrecipient non-performance, up to suspension or termination.
  - O8.4 [An] Sequence subaward closeout so that prime closeout can occur on time.
  - O8.5 [E] Evaluate, as an incoming subrecipient, whether a prime's demands exceed what the prime award requires.
  - O8.6 [An] Distinguish monitoring the subrecipient's compliance from monitoring their science.
Module 9
O9
1 lesson
1. Locked.Cost transfers, corrections and deficitsLocked
  On completion you will be able to
  - O9.1 [E] Determine whether a proposed cost transfer is defensible and state the ground on which it would fail.
  - O9.2 [An] Distinguish a correction from a reallocation and apply appropriate scrutiny to each.
  - O9.3 [An] Identify transfer patterns indicating an internal control problem.
  - O9.4 [E] Evaluate a justification against the standard that it must explain how the error occurred.
  - O9.5 [A] Manage a deficit to a non-sponsored source and identify who bears it.
  - O9.6 [A] Determine which late-arriving charges may be charged after the period ends.
Module 10
O10
1 lesson
1. Locked.Reporting: financial, technical and complianceLocked
  On completion you will be able to
  - O10.1 [A] Build a complete reporting calendar for an award with internal deadlines.
  - O10.2 [A] Prepare or review a financial report reconciled to the ledger and to the award terms.
  - O10.3 [An] Determine the required basis of reporting and identify where the institution's default basis differs from it.
  - O10.4 [An] Identify inconsistencies between financial, technical and subaward reporting.
  - O10.5 [E] Evaluate whether the evidence retained would support a submitted report under audit.
  - O10.6 [A] Apply the correct deadline for each report type and sponsor.
  - O10.7 [A] Prepare reporting under a non-US system's structure.
Module 11
O11
1 lesson
1. Locked.Property, records and retentionLocked
  On completion you will be able to
  - O11.1 [A] Apply equipment identification, inventory, use and management, and physical verification requirements.
  - O11.2 [An] Determine title and disposition for equipment acquired on an award, and identify where sponsor approval precedes disposal or transfer.
  - O11.3 [A] Apply record retention requirements, determining what must be kept, from when, and for how long.
  - O11.4 [An] Identify which records are affected by an extension of the retention period and ensure they are preserved.
Module 12
O12
1 lesson
1. Locked.Audit responseLocked
  On completion you will be able to
  - O12.1 [An] Determine the scope and type of an audit and identify what the institution is being asked for.
  - O12.2 [A] Produce requested records and answer questions accurately without volunteering interpretation.
  - O12.3 [An] Distinguish a request for information from an assertion of a finding.
  - O12.4 [E] Draft a management response to a finding: agreement or disagreement with reasons, corrective action, responsible official, timeline.
  - O12.5 [An] Distinguish questioned costs from disallowed costs and identify the routes to contest or repay.
  - O12.6 [A] Support a Single Audit from the award side.
Module 13
O13
1 lesson
1. Locked.CloseoutLocked
  On completion you will be able to
  - O13.1 [A] Execute closeout across every required element.
  - O13.2 [An] Plan closeout backwards from the deadline and identify the critical path.
  - O13.3 [E] Evaluate a residual balance or deficit and determine its treatment.
  - O13.4 [An] Diagnose, from a described late or failed closeout, which earlier stage caused it.
  - O13.5 [A] Manage the obligations that survive closeout.
  - O13.6 [A] Manage suspension and termination, including allowability after a termination notice.
Module 14
O14
1 lesson
1. Locked.The award that closes badly, and source currencyLocked
  On completion you will be able to
  - O14.1 [An] Trace a closeout failure back through the lifecycle to its originating decision.
  - O14.2 [E] Propose controls that would have prevented it without creating disproportionate burden.
  - O14.3 [A] Determine which version of a governing source applied at a given date.
  - O14.4 [E] Evaluate a secondary source against the primary text.

Assessment

How the exam works

The exam is closed-book and multiple choice. Each attempt draws a fresh form to the domain weights above, so no two attempts are the same paper and no answer key circulates. The pass mark is 70% and is fixed — there is no curve, no quota and no adjustment by cohort.

Scoring is immediate. You are shown your overall result and, for every item, the option you chose, the correct option and the reasoning behind it — whether you passed or not. A failed attempt may be retaken after 90 days. The wait exists so a retake is a second attempt at the material rather than a second attempt at remembering the paper.

Forms are assembled to the blueprint above or not at all: where a domain cannot yet be sampled to that standard, the exam declines to start rather than issue an unbalanced paper. Your material and progress are never affected, and there is no time limit on when you sit.

Passing candidates are issued a certificate with a verification code. Anyone can check that code on our public verification page without an account and without contacting us.

Certifying authority

Signed by Dr. Diana Nieves Castro, MD

CASRAI’s certification programme is academically and medically directed by Dr. Diana Nieves Castro, MD, Programme Director, who sets the syllabus and blueprint for this credential and signs every certificate issued under it.

CASRAI has maintained the terminology and reporting standards of research administration for over a decade. It assumed leadership of the CRediT contributor-roles taxonomy in 2014 and carried it through to adoption as ANSI/NISO Z39.104-2022, now in use by publishers, funders and institutions worldwide. This examination is drawn from that body of work.

What the credential certifies: that its holder passed the CASRAI examination for this course on the date shown, scored against the blueprint and pass mark published above — verifiable by anyone, permanently, from the code on its face.