Certification and Credentials FAQs

The Certified in Planning and Inventory Management (CPIM) certification demonstrates comprehension of an organization’s operations through a deep understanding of materials management, master scheduling, forecasting and production planning, as well as how these topics apply to the extended supply chain.

If you are responsible or hope to be responsible for any of the following tasks, the CPIM is right for you:

• Enterprise resources planning, either as an information technology professional or system user
• Using other manufacturing systems and technologies
• Planning, at any level of the planning hierarchy
• Contributing to a sales and operations planning team
• Master production scheduling
• Material requirements planning
• Managing capacity requirement planning
• Manufacturing inventory management and control
• Planning procurement and external sources of supply
• Scheduling, releasing and tracking production orders and schedules
• Measuring production performance
• Manufacturing finance

The Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) program demonstrates knowledge of the essential technology, concepts and strategies of supply chain management and enterprise resources planning.

If you are responsible or hope to be responsible for any of the following tasks, the CSCP is right for you:

• Supply chain strategy or design
• Supply chain technology selection, setup, maintenance or use
• Demand planning and management
• Customer relationship management
• Supplier relationship management
• Supply chain wide inventory management
• Managing reverse logistics
• Managing supply chain risk
• Supply chain change management
• Supply chain improvement and best practices
• Supply chain financial management

The Certified in Logistics, Transportation, and Distribution (CLTD) designation provides an in-depth knowledge of how to streamline logistics, transportation and distribution, including order, distribution and warehouse management.

If you are responsible or hope to be responsible for any of the following tasks, the CLTD is right for you:

• Overseeing planning and execution of forward and reverse logistics
• Designing logistics networks
• Order management
• Customer service management
• Warehouse or distribution inventory management
• Warehouse strategy or layout
• Warehouse space management
• Logistics/distribution/warehouse technology and information processing
• Executing requirements for the planning, scheduling and budgeting of transportation systems
• Performing economic classification and choosing shipment methods for both incoming and outgoing materials and products
• Carrier selection and negotiations
• Transportation mode analysis
• Global logistics responsibilities
• Logistics or transportation risk

The Certified in Transformation for Supply Chain (CTSC) certification demonstrates in-depth knowledge of supply chain strategy and planning, order and warehouse management, transportation fundamentals and global logistics, including risk management and sustainability logistics.

If you are responsible or hope to be responsible for any of the following tasks, the CTSC is right for you:

• Identifying risks and opportunities, and select the appropriate frameworks, models and approaches to effect transformation
• Applying systems thinking to develop, analyze and validate concept alternatives for transformation
• Managing skills, roles, responsibilities and infrastructure needed for successful supply chain transformation
• Identifying tools and technologies to enable effective supply chain transformation
• Identifying and implement strategies for reinforcing and replicating improvements
• Using your new knowledge and skills to complete key implementation program deliverables.
• Improving overall operations performance

Course access never expires.

The certificate program courses cover 20 hours of education. Total time to earn varies based on the individual. Users may go at their own pace.

Yes, you will earn 20 certification maintenance points upon completion.

No, certificates do not need to be maintained and will never expire.

Members have ongoing access to their badges and nonmembers can use the badge for one year. All learners have lifetime access to their certificates.

APICS certification and endorsement exams are offered on-demand year-round worldwide through Pearson VUE. Testing availability is on first-come, first-served basis and changes in real-time as exams are scheduled and rescheduled. Therefore, to see test center availability, an exam authorization must be on your account.

Testing is available at PearsonVUE testing centers all over the world and online. If you’d like to take the exam at a testing center, you can search for a local location. If you’re interested in pursuing an online exam, simply register and select the option to take your exam online via the OnVUE system.

Visit the page for each certification for a breakdown of exam costs.

• CPIM
• CSCP
• CLTD
• CTSC

Each exam consists of 150 questions (130 operational and 20 pretest). Pretest questions are randomly distributed among the scored questions and are used for statistical purposes only. Pretest items are similar to the scored items on the exam, and candidates will not know which items will be scored and which will not. Candidates should answer all exam questions.

Candidates are allowed 3.5 hours of test time.

All APICS certification preparation starts with the Learning Systems. ASCM offers several study options to help you find the right study method for your schedule and learning style. Choose between self-study, instructor-led and instructor-supported, or see if your company offers group training. You can purchase Learning Systems materials independently or with your exam.

The score range for all exams is 200-350. A score of 300 or higher is required to pass the exam.

To reschedule or cancel your exam appointment, make modifications directly in My Account under the Certification section or call Pearson VUE directly. There is a nonrefundable USD $45 rescheduling or cancelation fee. You must reschedule or cancel test center appointments at least 48 hours before your scheduled exam appointment. You may reschedule or cancel your OnVUE (online) exam appointment up to your scheduled exam appointment time. An additional $10 fee will apply if rescheduling by phone. Local taxes may apply.

Regretfully, once the ATT is expired it can no longer be used. Therefore, and as a courtesy to you, you are welcomed to purchase a new exam at the retake price rather than being charged the full first-time exam price.

If you do not pass your exam, you may retake it for a reduced fee. There is a 14-day required waiting period before you may retake the exam. The retake fee is $400 USD for members with certification upgrade and $500 USD for members and nonmembers.

Short tutorials are available online at Pearson VUE for candidates to review prior to taking the exam. Candidates should review the Pearson VUE Scheduling Process before taking the exam.

If candidates miss a scheduled exam appointment for any of the reasons listed below, contact Pearson VUE within 10 business days of the exam date. Candidates must request to have an incident report opened to document the emergency. The call center representative will provide an incident number as well as a fax number to send in the required documentation. Candidates must submit written documentation, in English, to have their request reviewed. APICS cannot accept any documentation, all documentation must be submitted to Pearson VUE.

Only the following are acceptable reasons for missing a scheduled exam:

• a serious illness (either candidate or an immediate family member*). General or minor sickness does not qualify. Medical documentation is required for verification purposes.
• the death of an immediate family member *
• a disabling traffic accident
• a court appearance or jury duty
• unexpected military duty

*Immediate family members include the following individuals:

• spouse
• children
• siblings
• parents
• grandparents

Examples of acceptable documentation include:

• a letter from a physician on letterhead, including title, address and phone number
• a death notice, obituary
• documentation from a court or the military

Please contact Pearson VUE directly if you miss or will miss a scheduled appointment due to an emergency. Candidates who have an approved emergency will receive an updated ATT or will be rescheduled. No refunds of the exam fees will be issued.

• Visit
• Select Reschedule Exam button. You will be taken to the Pearson VUE website
• Click on Exam name in the Upcoming Appointments section
• Click Reschedule or Cancel link on the right side of the exam appointment details
• If rescheduling, choose that you would like to test online at my home or office
• Choose new take and time

You may download an electronic certificate directly from your account within 24 hours following your successful exam. ASCM will notify you when your certificate is available after passing certain exams. This notification will include instructions on how to download a free electronic certificate from your online account. ASCM no longer provides printed certificates however, all electronic certificates are formatted for easy at-home printing and for your local print shop. Electronic copies are available in both 8.5” x 11” and A4 formats. 

All credential program (CPIM, CSCP, CLTD, CTSC, SCOR-P) certificates are available for electronic delivery, including Fellows and Lifetime.

The names on the certificates appear exactly as they are listed in the ASCM database. If the misspelling is due to an error in our database, please contact Customer Support at support@ascm.org to request a name correction.

ASCM no longer sends printed certificates. You may download a PDF e-certificate through the Certifications (Exam History) section of My Account. A certificate will not be available if your exam has expired or if your certification is no longer active. All electronic certificates have been created to be printer-friendly.  

Email support@ascm.org to update your name. Proof is required for all name changes. Once your name is updated, you may download an updated certificate through the Certifications section of My Account.

No, only designees in current status are eligible to obtain a certificate. To reinstate your certification, please visit our maintenance page.

To preserve the integrity and value of APICS certification programs, all designees must adhere to certification maintenance requirements. The APICS certification maintenance program allows designees to acquire ongoing knowledge in their field and demonstrate a commitment to lifelong learning through professional development activities. Visit apics.org/maintenance for specific maintenance requirements.

Access the online application here. It is also accessible through the Certifications section of My Account.

No, you are only required to provide the total number of points you are claiming per section on the application form. However, if your application is randomly selected for audit upon submission, you will be asked to complete a separate audit application in which to provide more detailed information and upload supporting documentation of your maintenance activities.

No, maintenance applications must be submitted separately. If you have more than one APICS certification, each certification must be maintained separately.

Points awarded from some activities may be submitted on multiple applications depending on when they were earned. If you have any questions, please review the APICS Certification Maintenance Handbook or contact ASCM Customer Support at support@ascm.org.

Any topic or subject that pertains to the ASCM body of knowledge is eligible for certification maintenance. However, a list of peripheral maintenance topics relevant to our body of knowledge can be found here. You can also find a list of activities that don’t qualify on the maintenance homepage.

Yes, if you only have the required points to maintain your certification at the base-level, you will lose the fellows-level certification and need to reapply.

No, you are not required to send any documentation unless you are audited. However, we strongly encourage you to maintain documentation throughout your certification cycle.

Yes, candidates receive an automated notification on screen after submitting the maintenance application, followed by an email that they are being audited with instructions on how to proceed.

No, however, candidates may earn maintenance points toward their maintenance by passing an exam.

Certification maintenance cycles run in five-year intervals, starting with the date of certification and ending on the last day of the month that certification was initially received. Candidates can apply at any point during this cycle.

As a courtesy, notifications are sent via email to all certified individuals one year, 90 days, 60 days, 30 days, and 7 days in advance of their maintenance due date. However, it is every candidate’s responsibility to document their expiration date and submit their maintenance application.

No, the purpose of the maintenance program is to demonstrate ongoing knowledge through continuous education.

No, the APICS certification maintenance program is designed for both members and nonmembers. However, by becoming a member, you will be able to claim six points per year for each year your membership is in good standing. Also, ASCM members get access to the Certification Maintenance Dashboard to help with tracking points.

As long as the class relates to the ASCM body of knowledge, it is eligible for points regardless of the language in which it is presented. However, if chosen for audit, all documentation submitted must be provided in English or English translation.

ASCM members receive a great deal of information during a membership year, ensuring that they are exposed to relevant material on a consistent basis. ASCM material and content address the APICS body of knowledge and is thus more likely to support the goals of the APICS certification maintenance program.

Research conducted for a publication is considered original if it has been accepted by a peer-review editorial review board.

Publishing websites cannot be claimed for maintenance because, unlike books and articles, their contents are not reviewed by panels, publishers or editors.

Lifetime certification is available to individuals who are at least 62 years of age and have their certifications in good standing. Individuals with suspended or expired certifications must bring their certifications current before applying for lifetime. To request lifetime certification, submit your request to the ASCM certification department in writing along with a copy of a government-issued identification (driver's license, passport or birth certificate), which confirms your age. Requests should be sent to support@ascm.org.

Certification and certification maintenance applications are only available online.

All points claimed on the maintenance application must come from activities completed after the certification was earned. Therefore, no points can be claimed for study material used to obtain the certification.

Copies of official documentation verifying the activities listed will be required. The types of official documentation include:

• Registration confirmation
• Certificate of completion
• Transcripts
• Thank-you letter for attending
• Conference/seminar name badge listing meeting information

Credential verification is a free service ASCM provides to employers and other stakeholders to verify an individual’s APICS credentials. This enhancement to APICS certification programs complies with industry best practices and helps protect the value of APICS credentials for all designees. 

Users may verify an individual’s credentials here. The credential verification is in compliance with privacy laws both in and outside of the United States. You may view the ASCM privacy policy here.

To learn more about the current status of your certification, please visit the Certifications section of My Account or email .