CPSI study plan

CPSI · Give each week a clear focus.

8 weeks · About 6 hours per week

Week 1

Injury Prevention and Hazard Identification & Playground Standards and Guidelines

Define the five exam domains and state the weight of each from memory
List the common injury mechanisms and hazard categories on playgrounds and rank them by frequency
Identify the published playground safety standards and guidelines landscape (national standard, accessibility guidance, consumer safety guidance) and describe the scope of each
Build a personal glossary of injury-prevention and standards terms

A one-page domain map plus a 25-term glossary covering hazard categories and standards scope

Week 2

Explain how the national playground safety standard is organized and what each major section addresses
Distinguish mandatory-style requirements from advisory guidance and describe how they interact
Summarize accessibility considerations for playground surfaces, routes, and equipment
Describe how standards apply differently across age groups and setting types

A standards comparison table mapping requirement areas to the standard or guidance that addresses each

Week 3

Match each major hazard category to the equipment or surfacing condition that produces it
Describe entrapment, entanglement, and entanglement-related hazard geometries and the probes used to test them
Explain fall-height and use-zone concepts and how they connect to injury severity
Identify surfacing types and state which injury mechanisms each mitigates

A hazard-to-control matrix linking at least 12 hazards to specific equipment or surfacing countermeasures

Week 4

Describe the design and use requirements for swings, slides, and climbing structures
Explain use zones and fall zones for common equipment types and how they are laid out
Identify surfacing performance considerations including depth, material, and maintenance effects
Compare equipment-specific requirements across age groups

An equipment reference sheet covering swings, slides, climbers, and surfacing with key dimensional and layout facts

Week 5

Apply age-appropriate design principles when laying out a play area for a given age group
Describe circulation, sight lines, supervision, and separation-of-ages concepts
Explain how equipment spacing, use-zone overlap, and access routes affect layout decisions
Evaluate a described play area layout against design and equipment criteria

A written layout evaluation of a described playground scenario with at least 10 findings and recommended corrections

Week 6

Describe the components of a routine inspection program including frequency, documentation, and recordkeeping
Distinguish routine, periodic, and comprehensive inspection types and their purposes
Explain how inspection findings connect back to hazard identification and injury prevention
Describe maintenance priorities and how to triage deficiencies by risk

A sample inspection checklist and a triage rubric that ranks deficiencies by injury risk

Week 7

Apply standards-based criteria when judging whether an observed condition is a deficiency
Describe documentation practices that support maintenance follow-through and liability protection
Explain how surfacing maintenance and equipment wear affect compliance over time
Practice writing deficiency descriptions that are specific and actionable

Ten written deficiency reports with condition, standard reference area, risk rating, and corrective action

Week 8

Integrate all five domains into a single inspection-and-assessment workflow
Identify and close personal knowledge gaps using a self-assessment against domain objectives
Complete timed practice sets across all domains and review every missed item
Rehearse explaining key concepts aloud in exam-style language

A completed self-assessment scorecard with gap-closure notes plus a timed 60-question practice set with error log

Week 2: Can state the five domains, their weights, and the scope of each major standard or guidance document without notes

Week 4: Scores 80% or better on a self-made 30-question quiz covering domains 1, 2, and 4

Week 6: Produces a complete inspection checklist and correctly triages 10 sample deficiencies by risk

Week 8: Scores 80% or better on a timed 60-question mixed-domain practice set and has a written gap-closure plan for every missed concept