CHECK Team Leader requirements are changing

The CHECK scheme standard has always required CTLs to pass specific examinations provided by CREST and The Cyber Scheme (and previously the Tigerscheme). However, now that the UK Cyber Security Council (UK CSC) has created a specialism for Security Testing and launched the ‘Chartered’ and ‘Principal’ Professional Titles, the NCSC changing our approach for CHECK.

By 31 March 2025, all CHECK Team Leaders must have achieved a UK Cyber Security Council Security Testing Title at the ‘Principal’ level or higher.

Yes: to Principal level, at a minimum.

By 31 March 2025, all current CHECK Team Leaders will need to hold a Professional Registration Title from one of the Licensed Bodies approved by Council for the Security Testing specialism. The ‘NCSC-approved’ exam will no longer be sufficient: instead, NCSC will recognise one of the relevant Council Professional Registration Titles in the Security Testing specialism. All CHECK Team Leaders will need to have undertaken and passed Part A (technical) and Parts B-E (soft skills) in Security Testing, to the minimal level of Principal.

The process will be to apply for an appropriate Security Testing title through one of the Council’s approved licensed bodies. The title process will cover the technical examination (Part A) and an additional soft skills assessment (Parts B-E).

This application process will require you to submit an application form and undertake a mandatory exam (Part A, unless this is already passed and remains valid). It is then followed, depending on the license body chosen, by either a peer-review interview or a written independent attestation, most likely from your employer. You choose which license body through whom to make your application, regardless of which organisation you took your examination with.

New or recently-qualified CTLs (with less than three years’ experience) generally map to the Principal title. More experienced CTLs tend to map to Chartered title, particularly when they have more than five years’ experience.

Your professional title will need to have been awarded by 31 March 2025.

You must re-sit and pass your exam as usual before the expiry date. You must achieve professional registration at Principal or Chartered level by 31 March 2025. The Council will not cover the exam fees.

You must achieve professional registration at the Principal or Chartered level by 31 March 2025. The Council will not cover the exam fees (i.e. for the Technical Assessment, Part A of the application).

In order to process applications, names of all eligible CTLs will be provided to the Council. If, for any reason, you do not wish to share your name with the Council, you MUST notify the NCSC CHECK Scheme ([email protected]) by 21 June 2024. However, withdrawing your consent means that the Council will be unable to fund your professional registration.

Any CHECK Team Leader who has not successfully obtained their Council Title at Principal or Chartered level by 31 March 2025 will no longer be eligible to operate in the CHECK Scheme.

No. If your technical exam has been passed and remains valid, you will only need to undertake the application form for the non-technical competences and provide an independent attestation.

If you believe there are exceptional circumstances preventing you from meeting these deadlines, please contact the NCSC CHECK team at [email protected].