PECB CDPO study plan

Map the core terminology of data protection (personal data, processing, controller, processor, data subject, pseudonymisation, anonymisation) and write your own one-line definition for each

Compare the structure and key obligations of at least two major legal frameworks (for example a comprehensive privacy law and a regional regulation) and tabulate where they diverge on lawful basis, consent, and data subject rights

Identify the lawful bases for processing and construct one realistic processing scenario for each basis, noting why the others would fail

List the categories of special or sensitive data and the heightened conditions that apply to them

Build a personal glossary spreadsheet with term, definition, source framework, and a concrete example

Explain the data subject rights set (access, rectification, erasure, restriction, portability, objection, automated decision-making) and the response timelines typically attached to each

Trace cross-border transfer mechanisms and articulate when each is available and what safeguards it requires

Summarise the principles of processing (lawfulness, fairness, transparency, purpose limitation, minimisation, accuracy, storage limitation, integrity and confidentiality, accountability) and give a violation example for each

Draft a one-page decision tree that takes a processing activity and outputs the applicable lawful basis and transfer route

Self-test on Domain 1 with 40 original questions and log every miss with the reason

Distinguish the accountability obligations of controller versus processor and list the contractual clauses that must appear in a processing agreement

Define the DPO role, the independence and reporting-line conditions, and the tasks that may not be delegated to conflicting duties

Map a RACI matrix for a data protection programme covering executive sponsor, DPO, security, HR, marketing, procurement, and IT

Describe how to record processing activities and draft the field structure of a record of processing activities register

Explain how to handle a data subject request end to end, including identity verification, deadline tracking, and third-party data

Design a privacy training and awareness plan with audience segmentation, cadence, and completion metrics

Draft the escalation path for a personal data breach from detection to notification decision, naming who decides and within what timeframe

Articulate how to demonstrate accountability to a regulator or auditor using policies, logs, training records, and DPIA outcomes

Write a 10-item interview checklist a DPO could use to assess whether a business unit is actually following policy

Review your RACI and training plan against a simulated breach scenario and patch the gaps you find

Apply a recognised risk methodology step by step to a processing activity, producing likelihood, impact, and a residual risk rating

Define the triggers that make a data protection impact assessment mandatory and the screening questions that establish the trigger

Structure a DPIA with description of processing, necessity and proportionality assessment, risk identification, mitigation, and sign-off

Distinguish risk to the organisation from risk to data subjects and explain why the latter drives DPIA conclusions

Select and justify controls for a high-risk scenario, mapping each control to the risk it reduces

Build a risk treatment plan that assigns owner, deadline, and acceptance criteria to each DPIA finding

Draft the core policy set of a data protection programme: overarching policy, retention and deletion standard, and incident response standard

Sequence a programme implementation roadmap across the first 12 months, ordering foundational, operational, and assurance activities

Define three key performance indicators and two key risk indicators that a DPO could report quarterly

Identify the privacy-by-design and by-default requirements to embed in a project intake gate

Design a monitoring and audit cycle with scope, frequency, sampling approach, and reporting line

Write a management review agenda that uses monitoring results to drive corrective action and resource decisions

Describe how to run a tabletop breach exercise and what evidence it should produce

Construct a vendor oversight process covering due diligence, contractual safeguards, and periodic reassessment

Analyse a non-conformity and draft a corrective action record with root cause, action, owner, and verification date

Consolidate all four domains into a single one-page concept map linking frameworks, roles, risk, and programme

Re-take 100 original practice questions across all domains under timed conditions and score each domain separately

Re-study only the two weakest domains using your own error log, then re-test those domains

Rehearse explaining a DPIA and a breach decision to a non-specialist executive in under five minutes each

Finalise a personal exam-day strategy covering question triage, time per item, and how to handle scenario questions