Certification Frequently Asked Questions

There is no application form to fill out for CAP or CCST certification. Complete the following steps:

1. Commit to the ISA Code of Conduct.
2. Meet the education and work experience requirements for the specific certification for which you are applying.
3. Acknowledge that you are subject to a random application verification audit.
4. Agree to provide the supporting documents proving your qualifications if you are audited.
5. Pay the exam fee.

Upon paying the exam fee, the application process is complete, and you have acknowledged that you meet the requirements listed above in numbers 1–3.

Your next steps are outlined as follows:

• Watch out for an email from certifications@isa.org regarding an audit if you are randomly selected.
• Watch out for an email coming from our testing provider, Meazure Learning (candidatesupport@meazurelearning.com) fifteen days before your assigned exam window.
• Schedule and take your exam.

Further details can be found at the links below:

• How to Apply—CAP certification
• How to Apply—CCST certification

CCST Exam Fees

Exam	Member Price	Non-Member Price
Certified Automation Professional® (CAP®)	373 USD	467 USD
Certified Control System Technician® (CCST®) Level 1	331 USD	415 USD
Certified Control System Technician (CCST) Specialist—Level 2	315 USD	397 USD
Certified Control System Technician (CCST) Master—Level 3	331 USD	415 USD

 

If you have paid for or your company has arranged for you to take a CCST review course, the application fee is included in the course price. View list of available CCST review courses here.

ISA accepts payment via check, certified check, money order, PayPal payment, wire transfer in US Dollars, or credit card. Purchase orders are not accepted. All application fees are non-refundable.

 

All ISA certification exams are closed book and have multiple-choice questions.  The CCST Specialist – Level 2 certification exam is three hours long, and all other certification exams are four hours long. Please see the information below for the number of questions in each exam.

Exam	Questions
Certified Automation Professional® (CAP®)	175
Certified Control System Technician® (CCST®) Level 1	150
Certified Control System Technician (CCST) Specialist—Level 2	125
Certified Control System Technician (CCST) Master—Level 3	150

 
 

You will receive your exam invitation (Notice to Schedule Exam) email 15 days before your assigned exam window begins. View the application deadlines below.

Exam Window	Application Submission Deadline
2023 Window 3:  1 November 2023 – 31 October 2024	15 September 2023
2024 Window 1: 1 March 2024 – 28 February 2025	15 January 2024
2024 Window 2: 1 July 2024 – 30 June 2025	15 May 2024
2024 Window 3: 1 November 2024 – 31 October 2025	15 September 2024

 

If you have attended any CCST review course, you will not be placed into an exam window. You will receive your exam invitation near the end of your review course and have a 12-month exam window in which to take the exam.

If you have not received your exam invitation within the allotted time frame, please check your spam or junk folder for an email from candidatesupport@meazurelearning.com. If you still need help locating your exam invitation, please email certifications@isa.org for assistance. In certain instances, you may need to provide an alternate email address, as some server firewalls may block the receipt of the exam invitation email.
 

You will use the information in the exam invitation from candidatesupport@meazurelearning.com to schedule and take your exam with Meazure Learning (formerly Scantron) at a testing center or online.
 
You have a 12-month exam window in which you can test and, if necessary, retest to pass your certification exam. Your start date is based on the date you complete your certification course.
 
Please contact Meazure Learning’s customer support for all exam assistance (e.g., scheduling, missing confirmation, taking the exam, missing results, etc.) by emailing candidatesupport@meazurelearning.com or calling +1 919-572-6880.
 
Further related details can be found on the exam procedures page:

• Verifying Computer Set-Up for Online Exams (see #1)
• Items to Bring for In-Person Exams (see #2)
• Exam Scheduling (see #3)

 

You will see your exam results on the screen at the completion of the exam. You will also receive your exam results immediately via email from Meazure Learning (candidatesupport@meazurelearning.com). If you have not received your exam results within 24 hours, please contact Meazure Learning (formerly Scantron) by emailing candidatesupport@meazurelearning.com or calling +1 919-572-6880.
 
ISA does not provide a passing score; you are only notified whether you passed the exam or not. If you do not pass, you will receive a breakdown of your score by domain to help you prepare for the retest.
 
Further related details can be found on the exam procedures page:

• Not Passing an Exam (see #7)
• Exam Design and Results (see #9)

If you pass the exam, you will receive a digital badge from isa_badges@isa.org within one business day after passing the exam. If you have not received your digital badge within this time frame, please check your spam or junk folder for an email from isa_badges@isa.org. If you still need help locating your digital badge, please email certifications@isa.org for assistance. In certain instances, you may need to provide an alternate email address, as some server firewalls may block the receipt of the digital badge email.
 

If you arrived more than 15 minutes late, missed your scheduled exam, or did not pass your exam, you may request a retest as many times as needed within your 12-month exam window. Please note that each time you retest, you must pay a fee to ISA. Please email all retest requests to certifications@isa.org.
 
The retest fee for both of the CCST and CAP certification programs is 164 USD for ISA members and 205 USD for non-members.
 
Further related details can be found on the exam procedures page:

• Scheduling a Retest or Missed Exam (see #6)
• No-Shows and Late Arrivals (see #8)

 
 

ISA’s recertification process requires no forms or supporting documents. By paying your recertification fee, you self-certify that you:

• Agree to commit to the ISA Code of Conduct
• Have accumulated the minimum number of Development Points (PDPs) over the last three (3) years, as related to your certification
• Acknowledge that you are subject to a random verification audit
• Agree to provide the supporting documentation that proves that you have met the required number of PDPs.

Please log into your ISA account, then access the “My Credentials” tab to view your credential status and/or pay your recertification fee. If you have issues logging into your ISA account or completing your payment process, please contact one of our customer service representatives at info@isa.org or +1 919-549-8411 for assistance. For additional information, visit the Recertification page.

Recertification Fees		Member Price	Non-Member Price
Certified Automation Professional® (CAP ®)	By PDPs (no exam)	270 USD	340 USD
	By Exam	336 USD	420 USD
Certified Control System Technician® (CCST) (all levels)	By PDPs (no exam)	210 USD	265 USD
	By Exam	300 USD	375 USD

 

 

You will receive your digital badge via email after passing an exam or renewing a certification or certificate. If you did not receive it, please look in your spam and junk folders for an email from isa_badges@isa.org. If you still need help locating your digital badge, please email certifications@isa.org for assistance.

To access, manage, and/or share your secure digital badge, use your email address and password to enter your BadgeCert portfolio.

If it is your first time accessing your portfolio or you have forgotten your password, click “Request new password?” on their login page to create your password. More information about using your digital badge can be found here.

Please email certifications@isa.org for assistance if you have not received your digital badge within:

• One business day after passing your exam
• Five business days after paying your renewal fee

 

If you cannot find an answer to your questions on this page, please reach out to the certification team by emailing certifications@isa.org. Our business hours are Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Eastern. Please allow one business day for us to respond to inquiries. Note, response times may be slightly delayed during periods of high-volume inquiries. In case of ISA-observed holidays, please be assured that a team member will reach out to assist you within one business day after normal business operations resume.