CPD points vs CPD hours vs credits: a plain-English explainer

Three professionals in the same room can be counting three different things and all be right. Here is what the terms actually mean.

CPD hours

The simplest unit: one hour of learning activity equals one CPD hour. Most UK schemes use hours, including the NMC, RICS and the HCPC's general expectation. If your body talks about hours, log actual engaged time, rounded to the nearest quarter hour.

CPD units

ACCA uses units, and one unit equals one hour. The word changes; the arithmetic does not. Some other bodies use "units" to mean something weighted - always check the definition rather than assuming parity.

CPD points

Points are usually a weighted system. An hour of structured learning might be worth more points than an hour of reading, or a qualification might carry a fixed points value regardless of hours spent. Medical royal colleges and some international schemes work this way, as do a number of industry membership bodies.

The key thing: points are not automatically hours. A scheme requiring 50 points a year may or may not mean 50 hours. Read the tariff.

Credits

Credits usually come from accredited education rather than CPD schemes. In UK higher and further education, one credit represents roughly 10 notional learning hours, so a 20-credit module is around 200 hours of study including independent work. If a qualification is described in credits and you need to convert to CPD hours, use the notional hours and be prepared to justify it.

Outcomes-based schemes: no units at all

CIMA and an increasing number of bodies have dropped counting entirely. You evidence a cycle - reflect, plan, act, evaluate - and the question is whether the learning met an identified need, not how long it took. You should still record time, because it is useful and because other bodies may want it.

How to keep one log across systems

Record hours. Hours are the lowest common denominator, and every other system can be derived from them if you also record:

• Whether the activity was structured or self-directed
• Whether it was live and interactive
• Whether there is evidence
• Any points or credits the provider stated

From that, you can produce an hours return, a units return, or a points return without keeping three records.

The practical warning

Never assume a provider's stated "6 CPD points" maps to your body's scheme. Providers use the phrase loosely as marketing. Log the actual hours and the provider's claim separately, and apply your own body's tariff.

Keep your CPD in one place

A record only helps if it exists before you need it. Our free CPD tracker logs an activity in seconds, tallies your hours automatically, keeps your reflections with the entry, and exports a clean PDF whenever you need evidence. Free for life for individuals - and the record belongs to you, not your employer.