Certified Sales Associate (CSA)

Start Your Sales Career Off Strong

CSA Minimum Requirements

To be eligible to apply for the CSA designation, you must have:

CPSA Institute Sales Certificate or 35 hours of accredited pre-requisite education in sales aligned with the Sales Professional Competency Framework. You can see which accredited courses are aligned to the CSA designation here.
Minimum 6 months of verified sales experience in client-facing roles.

If you have 3 years of verified sales experience, you are exempt from the pre-requisite education requirement, however, we do suggest you take our Sales Associate assessment to see if you need to improve any competency areas before attempting the designation exam.

How to Apply

You must Be a member in good standing of the Canadian Professional Sales Association ($199)
Meet experience and education requirements
Upload the required documents through our National Accreditation Portal (only available to members)
- An up-to-date CV or link to updated LinkedIn profile
- A signed Letter of Recommendation from an immediate supervisor or academic adviser (faculty member). Use our template reference letter!
- Evidence of completing 35 hours of accredited pre-requisite education
Pay one-time Application and Exam Fees ($445)
Pass the Certified Sales Associate exam. Please note if you require special accommodations for the exam, you must alert CPSA to this before you schedule your exam.
Agree to abide by the CPSA Institute Code of Ethics

Ready to apply?

Apply Now

1. Once you have made payment, you can proceed to the portal to upload your application.
2. The CPSA Institute will email you when a review of your application has been conducted. This takes a maximum of 30 days from the receipt of a complete application.
3. The CPSA Institute will send you a second email with instructions on how to schedule your online exam. All candidates must have access to a computer with a microphone, a camera and internet to do the online exam.
4. Upon successful completion of the exam, you will be awarded with a digital CSA credential.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, the CEO of a start-up, a technical engineer supporting sales, or just starting your sales career, if you think you’ve got what it takes for success in sales, the Certified Sales Associate (CSA) designation will help you get where you want to go, faster.

CSAs possess a solid foundation in key skills needed to succeed, like prospecting, building effective client relationships, negotiation, closing, and leveraging sales technologies. CSAs demonstrate what it takes to excel in their current role and position themselves to move ahead.