About P&IQ

A qualification for the P&I industry produced by the International Group of P&I Clubs

P&IQ exams take place twice a year, in May and October and exams open in March 2024 for the May exams.

What is P&IQ?

First launched in 2010, the International Group’s P&I Qualification (P&IQ) programme has been hugely successful, with over 2000 examinations taken and many candidates achieving the full qualification. Providing high quality, targeted education, it has over the years become acknowledged in its own right within the P&I industry and in the wider insurance market as a unique and challenging standalone professional qualification.

Who can take the P&IQ?

P&IQ exams are open to everyone: from club employees to service providers like correspondents and lawyers, as well as crew and shore staff working for shipowners. There are no academic, role or experience based entry criteria.

Why do the P&IQ?

The P&IQ is a rigorous three-step programme of education, created by the International Group of P&I Clubs, through which those working in or wishing to work in the industry can gain unique and invaluable knowledge of P&I, including the structure of the shipping industry, the history and operation of the Clubs and the different types of liabilities insured. The knowledge gained will be both academic and practical, allowing candidates to be acknowledged by their peers, managers, future employers, business partners, clients and customers.

What topics does the P&IQ cover?

The P&IQ programme consists of seven modules covering the following topics:

The Shipping Business
P&I Insurance History, Operation and Practice
Underwriting, Loss Prevention and Claims Handling
People Risks
Cargo Risks
Collision, FFO & Pollution
Towage, Salvage, General Average & Wreck Removal

What qualifications will I receive?

Candidates can gain three levels of qualification tailored to suit all levels of knowledge and experience as follows:

The P&IQ Certificate is an introductory qualification ideal for candidates new to the industry or for those seeking to enhance existing knowledge or looking for a general background qualification. The P&IQ Certificate is achieved by successfully completing online examinations in Modules 1, 2 and 3 and must be completed before a candidate can move on to take the P&IQ Advanced Certificate.
The P&IQ Advanced Certificate is of a more specialist nature and builds on the knowledge gained in studying for the P&IQ Certificate. The P&IQ Advanced Certificate is achieved by successfully completing online examinations in Modules 4, 5, 6 and 7 and must be completed before a candidate can move on to take the P&IQ Diploma.
The P&IQ Diploma is the highest level of qualification and takes the form of an additional rigorous Module 8 written examination which will test the ability to apply all the knowledge gained in the previous two levels of qualification to practical scenarios faced by those involved in the P&I Industry. A candidate must have achieved the P&IQ Certificate and Advanced Certificate before they can move on to study for the P&IQ Diploma.

How is the programme delivered?

P&IQ is delivered online providing professional learning materials for self-study, eliminating the need to and costs associated with attending training sessions or seminars.

All exams are delivered directly to candidates via state of the art remotely invigilated exams. This allows candidates anywhere in the world to undertake exams from the convenience of their own office on a software platform, which provides dynamic, auto marking questions without compromising the quality and rigour of the qualification.

How can I access the programme?

To access the programme candidates should first register on www.pandiq.com

Once registered, study materials can be purchased for Modules 1-7 by making payment via the P&IQ website. Each text is available for self-study to download as a pdf document and as a standard textbook.

The fee to study for Modules 1-7 includes access to the text as a pdf document plus the cost of one online examination which corresponds to that text. The fee for Module 8 includes the cost of one online examination.

Hard copy textbooks are charged separately and may only be purchased once the registration fee has been paid.