BOMI Designation Capstone Program

What You Need to Know About the New BOMI Capstone Program

Have you been wishing for an easier, faster and more efficient way to complete your RPA® or FMA® designations? BOMI's new Capstone program is here to help! The new program requires that RPA learners complete their eight course exams through BOMI’s learning portal, and achieve the RPA designation with the new BOMI Capstone exam through PearsonVUE. You can learn more and see answers to FAQs on the BOMI website here.

 
Actions Required

If you are enrolled in the RPA or FMA programs, we ask that you carefully read through the following information:

  • If you enrolled/are taking your first RPA class in 2021, you are automatically part of the RPA Capstone. Read more about the Capstone below.
  • If you have already taken one or more RPA classes, you must make a decision about whether or not to enroll in the Capstone program. You will need to contact BOMI at service@bomi.org with your decision about whether or not to enroll in the Capstone program. Please read through the below information:
    • If you DO NOT want to enroll in the Capstone program, the following will happen:
      • You will take all remaining course exams through BOMI’s website on your own computer.
      • You must take all of your remaining RPA classes and exams by December 31, 2021 (end of this year).
      • You will NOT take the cumulative Capstone exam.
      • You will need to complete a notarized RPA experience form and send that to BOMI by December 31, 2021.
      • Note: If you end up not taking all of your RPA classes and not submitting your experience form by December 31, 2021, you will automatically be enrolled in the Capstone program. See below for what will happen if you are in the Capstone program.
    • If you DO want to enroll in the Capstone program, the following will happen:
      • You will take all remaining course exams through BOMI’s website on your own computer. You will have one exam per class (as usual).
      • Then, once you complete all RPA classes and exams, you will then take a cumulative Capstone exam through Pearson Vue. The cost of this Capstone exam is $100. (The individual class exam fees are included in BOMA’s pricing and do not cost extra. But you will be responsible for paying the $100 Capstone fee.)
      • You will then complete an RPA experience form that does NOT need to be notarized.
      • Once you are in the Capstone program and you register for your first class, you have seven years in aggregate from the start date of your first class to (1) complete all eight RPA classes, (2) complete the Capstone exam, and (3) complete the experience form.

Program Changes

Here is some more information about the course exams and Capstone exam:

  • Course Exams
    • You will take eight exams on the BOMI website on your own computer for all eight required RPA classes. You can watch a video of how to access the exams here.
    • All exams, except Ethics, are 100 questions that are multiple-choice and you will have 90 minutes to complete the exam. The Ethics exam is 60 minutes with 30 multiple-choice questions.
    • You have six months (from the start date of the class) to take the exam.
    • The course exam fees are part of the class registration and you do not pay separately for the exam (unless you fail or do not take the exam within six months).
    • If you fail the exam or do not take the exam in the six-month timeframe, you must pay the $150 re-examination fee.
  • Capstone Exam
    • The capstone exam covers all of the RPA classes that you took (all in one exam).
    • The exam must be taken through Pearson Vue.The cost of this Capstone exam is $100. You will have to pay the $100 fee when you are ready to take the exam.
    • The capstone exam is 100 multiple choice questions. You will have two hours to take the exam.
    • The capstone exam questions are application-based, using scenarios that rely on the learner’s three-year experience in commercial property and facility management. In other words, this exam is an application of knowledge versus a recall of facts.
    • BOMI offers a Capstone Prep Course for $895. With this course, you can prepare for the exam. You have access to the prep course for six months once you pay/register.
    • If you fail the capstone exam, the re-examination fee is $150.
  • High-Performance (HP) Students
  • New Digital RPA/FMA/HP Course Books
    • BOMA International has launched new digital e-books for all RPA/FMA/HP programs. For those of you that like e-books, this is great news for you. E-books (now called digital books) have been enhanced and now provide a more interactive experience! This new book system does not come from changes at Houston BOMA, but directly from BOMI.
    • Digital books will now automatically be part of your course enrollment.
    • Digital books are not the same as the previous e-books. Digital books provide a more interactive experience. With the digital books, you will be able to look up keywords, take notes, create flashcards, highlight and more. You can learn more about the digital books in this short video here.
    • You will access the digital books within the BOMI learning portal. You will have access to the digital books from the time of course registration until 60 days after your RPA/FMA graduation.
    • You will not be able to print the digital book or copy and paste text from the digital book.
    • If you would like to follow along in the digital book while watching/participating in the virtual class, you can either:
      • Open the digital book in the BOMI portal in a separate browser tab.
      • Download and use the Vital Source Bookshelf app.
    • If you would still like a hard copy of the course book for your RPA class, you can purchase one for $56 ($40 for the hard copy book + $16 standard shipping). 
  • Other Information
    • Before you take each test, you will be required to sign a (1) Non-Disclosure Agreement (2) Code of Ethics and Conduct and (3) check a box that indicates no one is helping you with the exam. In the NDA and Code of Ethics, you are signing off that you will not cheat on the exam or take the exam as an open book test. If you take screenshots of the exam, BOMI is automatically notified.
    • If you fail the course exam, you will still have access to the digital book. You will have access to the digital books from the time of course registration until 60 days after your RPA/FMA graduation.
    • If you fail your exam or do not take the exam within six months of the class start date, please contact support@bomi.org. You will need to pay the $150 Re-Examination Fee. This fee includes a six-month extension to the class portal, including class recordings, practice exams, and slides and continued access to the digital book.

You can learn more and see answers to FAQs on the BOMI website here.

Please reach out to Natalia Lara at nlara@houstonboma.org with any questions.