Count the time a learner spends actually learning, and nothing else. Taught sessions, activities and any assessment go in. Breaks, registration and travel stay out. For a live course we start from the timetable and strip out everything that is not learning. For eLearning we time an ordinary learner working through it properly, because adding up the video lengths gives the wrong answer. Where a body uses points, one point is nearly always one hour.
Why the number matters
We treat the hours on a certificate as a promise. A professional logs them against their body's target, and some bodies audit those logs. If the hours turn out to be inflated, the learner has a problem, and so does the provider whose name is printed on the certificate. Serious buyers look at the hours early, too, because inflated hours are the quickest sign that a course has been padded.
Nobody publishes an official formula for CPD hours in the UK. That is exactly why we ask providers to show their working.
Live courses: start with the timetable
Start with the published start and finish times, then take out everything that is not learning. A typical one-day course comes out like this:
| Item | Time |
|---|---|
| 09:00 to 17:00 | 8 hours |
| Registration and welcome | minus 0.5 |
| Lunch | minus 1 |
| Two coffee breaks | minus 0.5 |
| CPD hours | 6 |
Group exercises, case studies and time for questions all count, because people are working. The ten-minute pitch for your next course at the end of the day does not.
Webinars and short sessions
Take a 60-minute webinar that opens with ten minutes of housekeeping. That is about 50 minutes of learning. Rounding to the nearest quarter hour, or half hour, is something we are happy with, so long as you do it honestly and do it the same way each time. Set some pre-reading or a short task afterwards? You can add that time, as long as the work is really needed and you can show it was set.
eLearning: time it, do not add it up
eLearning is where hours go wrong most easily. Video running time is not learning time. People pause, re-read, have a go at the activities and get questions wrong. What we suggest is simple: ask a few people who match your audience to work through the module properly, time them, and use a typical figure rather than the fastest one.
| Part of the module | Typical time |
|---|---|
| Video and reading | 50 minutes |
| Activities and case studies | 25 minutes |
| Knowledge check | 15 minutes |
| CPD hours | 1.5 |
Keep any completion times your platform records. If anyone ever questions the figure, that data is the best evidence you have.
Blended courses
Blended courses need a little more care, because the parts are counted differently. Add the live sessions from the timetable, the online modules from your timing tests, and any set tasks you can show were required. Optional extras stay out, and it helps to jot down how you reached the total.
Five mistakes that inflate hours
- Counting the whole day, breaks included.
- Adding up video lengths and calling it the eLearning time, or doubling it without testing.
- Counting optional extra reading that most learners will never open.
- Rounding every session up, so a 50-minute session becomes an hour and a half day becomes four hours.
- Keeping the old figure after the course has been cut down.
How we check hours before a CPD body does
When we prepare a course for CPD Certification, we do the sums ourselves and then compare them with yours. Live courses get checked against the timetable. eLearning we work through as a learner would, and we may ask for completion data from your platform. If the two figures are far apart, we explain why and correct the certificate before anything goes to the CPD body. The whole process is on our how it works page.
Common questions
Do coffee breaks count as CPD hours?
No. Only learning time counts, so breaks, lunch, registration and travel all come out.
How many CPD hours is a one-day course?
Usually about six. Take an eight-hour day, remove registration, lunch and the breaks, and that is roughly what is left. Work from your own timetable rather than assuming a standard figure, though.
How do you calculate CPD hours for eLearning?
Time a few typical learners going through the module properly, activities and knowledge check included, and use a typical figure. Adding up the video lengths will undercount the real time.
Is a CPD point the same as an hour?
In nearly every scheme, yes. Where a body uses points or credits, one point normally stands for one hour of learning.
Can pre-reading count towards CPD hours?
Yes, if the reading is required, you can show it was set, and the time you give it is realistic. Optional background reading should stay out of the total.
Should I round CPD hours up or down?
Round to the nearest quarter or half hour and do it the same way every time. Rounding everything up is the quickest way to end up with hours nobody believes.
Do recorded webinars carry the same hours as live ones?
The time is usually the same, but someone watching a recording has done reflective learning rather than live participation, and the certificate should say so honestly.
Want a course CPD certified?
Book a 30 minute scoping call. We will look at the course and tell you honestly whether CPD certification is the right fit, and which CPD body might suit it. No preparation needed.
Book a 30 minute scoping callSources
Apollo Accreditation is not a regulator or an awarding organisation, and CPD accreditation is not a regulated qualification.
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