National Petroleum Management Agency (NPMA)

Certified Petroleum Apprentice (CPA) Level 1

Credential: Certified Petroleum Apprentice (CPA) Level 1  GI Bill resource
Credentialing Agency: National Petroleum Management Agency (NPMA)

Renewal Period: 3 years

The National Petroleum Management Agency (NPMA), Certified Petroleum Apprentice Level 1 (CPA-I) is an entry level certification for professional fuel handlers. The National Petroleum Management Association (NPMA) offers various levels of fuel handler certifications. The CPA-I certifies an individual's technical knowledge, safety and product quality skill to work in the Petroleum Industry. Applicants are required to have six months of experience in a related position and challenge a written exam. To move from one level of certification to the next and to ultimately reach the Certified Petroleum Professional (CPP) status, the applicant must complete Continuing Education Units (CEU) and meet requirements set by the agency. Individuals can gain CEUs by submitting training course information, work experience and education for the NPMA educational committee's review.

More information can be found on the certifying agency's website.

Certified Petroleum Apprentice (CPA) Level 1

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

 

Eligibility Requirements (View Details)

  • Credential Prerequisite
  • Experience: 6 months
  • Education
  • Training: Must be fully qualified in current job (verified by superisor)
  • Membership
  • Other
  • Fee

Note: This credential may have multiple options for becoming eligible. Listed are the minimum requirements based on the minimum degree required. To view other options, see the Eligibility tab.

Exam Requirements (View Details)

  • Exam
  • Written Exam
  • Oral Exam
  • Practical Exam
  • Performance Assessment

RECERTIFICATION SUMMARY

Renewal Period: 3 years

  • Continuing Education
  • Exam
  • Continuing Education OR Exam
  • Fee
  • Other

AGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION

National Petroleum Management Agency (NPMA)

10908 Courthouse Road
Ste 102-301
Fredericksburg, VA  22408

Phone: 540-507-4371

Contact Page

Experience REQUIREMENTS

Candidates must have at least 6 months of related fuel handling experience.

Candidates must be fully qualified in the role they are currently serving - as verified by their current employer

Written Exam

In order to become NPMA Certified, an individual must first pass the NPMA Petroleum 101 Certification Exam.

Candidates must pass the examination with at least a 75%


The proctored exam consists of 100 multiple choice and true/false questions covering the following petroleum subject areas:

  • Safety
    • Overview
    • Fire Extinguishers
    • Fire Hazard Properties
    • Fuel Handling General
    • Static Electricity
    • Grounding and Bonding
    • Fuel Spill Prevention
    • Confined Spaces
    • Fuel Toxicity
    • Protective Equipment
    • Hazardous Communication
    • Safety conclusion
  • Environment
    • Environmental Overview
    • Spill Prevention
    • Emergency Response Plans
    • Facility Response Plans
    • Pipeline and Storm Water Plans
    • Fuel on Roadways and Railroads
    • Spill Response and Reporting
    • Fuel Storage Tanks
    • Spill Protection and Detection
    • Secondary Containment
    • Above Ground Tanks
    • Mobile Refuelers
    • Facility Storm Water
  • Various Fuels
    • Various Fuels Overview
    • Specification Standards
    • Commercial Fuels
    • Russia, China, and South Africa Fuels
    • Military Fuels
    • Alternate Fuel Sources
    • Biodiesel Blends
    • E85
    • Fuel Additives
  • Fuel Properties
    • Fuel Properties Overview
    • Energy Content
    • Composition
    • Volatility and Distillation
    • Flash Point and Density
    • Vapor Pressure Fluidity and Freezing Point
    • Viscosity Combustion and Specific Energy
    • Corrosion Stability and Contaminants
    • Existent Gum and Particulates
    • Filtration Time and Miscellaneous Properties
  • Quality
    • Quality Overview
    • Safety Precautions
    • Sample Types
    • Sample Precautions
    • Field Sampling and Test Equipment
    • Recoverable and Waste Products
    • Quality Assurance
    • Water Removal
    • Quality Surveillance
  • Pipeline Systems
    • Types of Pipeline Systems
    • Characteristics of Petroleum Fuels
    • Moving the Product
    • Pipeline and Pumping-Station Data
    • Head Capacities of Pumping Units
    • Multi-Product Pipelines
    • Scheduling Product Flow
  • Hardware
    • Hardware Overview
    • Butterfly and Gate Valves
    • Ball and Plug Valves
    • Check Valves
    • Automatic Valves
    • Pumps
    • Meters and Nozzles
    • Strainers

Exam Preparation Resources

There are a number of resources available to help you prepare for the Certified Petroleum Apprentice (CPA) Level 1 examination:

RECERTIFICATION

Certified Petroleum Apprentice (CPA) Level 1

Renewal Period: 3 years

The Certified Petroleum Apprentice (CPA) Level 1 credential has the following recertification information:

  • CPA Level I certification must be renewed every three years. Renewal requirements include the recipient to have a re-evaluation completed by the Educational Committee which includes verification of experience, education and training history. Educational Committee will determine if the individual qualifies for recertification. 

In Demand

This certification is considered in demand

COOL Bucks

See your installation Education Service Officer for credential exam information and coordinating instructions.

COOL Summary

Click to go to the COOL Summary page for this MOC.

COOL Summary

Click to go to the COOL Summary page for this MOC.

Some

Credential is related to some tasks associated with the duties of the military occupation (at least one critical task but less than 80%)

Most

Credential is directly related to most of the major duties associated with the military occupation (at least 80%)

Other

Credential is related to this military occupation, but is more advanced or specialized and therefore will likely require additional education, training, or experience

Promotion Points

This certification has been approved for promotion points.

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Star

Star credentials are MOS enhancing, as designated by the Proponent. MOS enhancing credentials are directly related to an MOS or ASI, are taught either partially or completely as part of a Program of Instruction (POI), and improves the MOS technical proficiency.

Skill Level

The Skill Level reflects the level, based on MOS training and/or experience, the Soldier should be the most prepared to successfully earn the credential. See the Table Legend for details about each level.

Proponent Funded

Indicates the credential may have funding through the MOS proponent. Some proponents offer credentialing opportunities in conjunction with military training and/or as part of MOS development beyond the training base.

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Navy Bucks

Credential voucher or reimbursement for credential exam, re-certification, or maintenance fee has been approved for payment through the Navy's Credential Program Office. To get a voucher request form, click 'Complete Voucher and Apply' at the top of any page.

CG Bucks

Coming Soon - Coast Guard policy regarding service member eligibility requirements to participate in the Voluntary Credentialing Program is under review with a projected release date of first quarter FY20.

Early Career

1-3 years experience; Enlisted E1 through E4

Mid Career

4-10 years experience; Enlisted E5 through E6

Late Career

10+ years experience; Enlisted E7 and Above

Early Career

1-3 years experience; Enlisted “A” School through E5

Mid Career

4-10 years experience; Enlisted E6 through E7

Late Career

10+ years experience; Enlisted E8 and Above

LaDR

This credential is recommended on the rating Learning and Development Roadmap (LaDR) for Sailors currently in the pay grade indicated on the icon, BUT MAY BE TAKEN BY SAILORS IN OTHER PAY GRADES.

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GI Bill®

Reimbursement for exam fees has been approved for payment through the GI Bill. Click for external link to GI Bill licensing and certification information.

Note: GI Bill approval data is updated quarterly. For the latest information, visit the WEAMS Licenses/Certifications Search page. Make sure to select "Both" in the LAC Category Type drop-down before searching.

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ANSI

This credential has been accredited by ANSI. Click for external link to the ANSI web site.

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ICAC

This credential has been accredited by ICAC. Click for external link to the ICAC web site.

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ABSNC

This credential has been accredited by ABSNC. Click for external link to the ABSNC web site.

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NCCA

This credentialing program has been accredited by NCCA. Click for external link to the NCCA web site.

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IAS

This credential has been accredited by IAS. Click for external link to the IAS web site.

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Low

May be difficult to attain: minimum education requirement is a Bachelor's degree, and/or minimum experience is 10 or more years.

Note: In some cases “years of experience” refers to time actively on duty or while holding a certain occupation or prior certification and not always in consecutive calendar years. Additional years required for certain preliminary stages may not be included in this classification. For requirements measured in hours, 1080 hours was considered a year. For days, 365 days was considered a year. Please review all prerequisites and requirements for eligibility, and additional information for details.

Medium

Moderate ease of attainment: minimum education requirement = Associate's and/or prerequisite and/or minimum experience = more than 2 years and less than 10 years of experience.

Note: In some cases “years of experience” refers to time actively on duty or while holding a certain occupation or prior certification and not always in consecutive calendar years. Additional years required for certain preliminary stages may not be included in this classification. For requirements measured in hours, 1080 hours was considered a year. For days, 365 days was considered a year. Please review all prerequisites and requirements for eligibility, and additional information for details.

High

Highly attainable: mimum education requirement = HS or less and/or minimum experience = 2 years or less experience and no additional requirements.

Note: In some cases “years of experience” refers to time actively on duty or while holding a certain occupation or prior certification and not always in consecutive calendar years. Additional years required for certain preliminary stages may not be included in this classification. For requirements measured in hours, 1080 hours was considered a year. For days, 365 days was considered a year. Please review all prerequisites and requirements for eligibility, and additional information for details.

MOS is Military Occupational Specialty
ASI is Additional Skill Identifier
WOMOS is Warrant Officer Military Occupational Specialty

Army e-learning

State-of-the art Computer Based Training available for free to the Army Workforce. Click for more information.

Click here for more information.

NKO e-learning

Credential preparation courses are provided at no cost through Navy e-Learning. Click for external link to the Navy Knowledge Online (NKO) web site, then select the “Navy e-Learning” link within the “Learning” tab to proceed to Navy e-Learning.

Bright Outlook – new job opportunities are very likely in the future for this job
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Updated: October 16, 2019
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