# IAPP CIPP/E: exam-day checklist

Rules come from the IAPP Privacy Candidate Handbook, version 5.3.2 (effective 1 June 2026), the IAPP Certification FAQs and the IAPP Store, all read on 2 October 2026. Suggestions are marked as ours. Check the IAPP's pages before your exam in case anything has changed.

## When you buy

- [ ] You have one year from purchase to schedule and sit the exam; expired exams are closed and the fee is forfeited (IAPP rule)
- [ ] The name in your MyIAPP profile matches the name on your ID exactly (IAPP rule)
- [ ] Choose: a Pearson VUE test center, or OnVUE online proctoring (IAPP)

## Booking

- [ ] Book at least 24 hours ahead (IAPP rule)
- [ ] Test center: reschedule or cancel at least 48 hours before the appointment (IAPP rule)
- [ ] OnVUE: reschedule or cancel up to 15 minutes after the scheduled start (IAPP rule)
- [ ] Missing the appointment counts as a no-show and uses up the attempt (IAPP rule)

## Test center

- [ ] Two qualifying forms of ID that meet Pearson VUE's requirements (IAPP rule)
- [ ] Arrive 15 minutes early (IAPP advice)
- [ ] No electronic devices and no reading material in the exam room (IAPP rule)
- [ ] You may leave for a break, but the timer keeps running (IAPP rule)

## OnVUE (online)

- [ ] A personal computer, not a work-issued device; no VPN (IAPP rule)
- [ ] The Begin button appears 30 minutes before the appointment (IAPP)
- [ ] A photo of yourself, a government-issued photo ID, and four photos of the room (IAPP rule)
- [ ] One drink allowed; no food, headphones, external monitors or speaking aloud (IAPP rule)
- [ ] Leaving the webcam's view outside the scheduled break ends the exam (IAPP rule)

## In the exam

| What | Figure |
|---|---|
| Questions | 90, multiple choice; some ask for more than one answer and say so |
| Multi-select scoring | You must pick the exact number asked for; no partial credit |
| Time | 2.5 hours (150 minutes) |
| Break | Optional 15 minutes at halfway; you cannot go back to the first half |
| Average per question | 1 minute 40 seconds |
| Each half | 45 questions in 75 minutes |
| Scale | 100 to 500; 300 passes, and 300 is not 60% |

- [ ] Answer every question; the score counts correct answers and nothing is weighted (IAPP)
- [ ] Flag and move on when a question stalls; you cannot return to the first half after the break (our suggestion)

## After

- [ ] The result shows on screen straight away; allow up to two business days for it to reach your MyIAPP profile (IAPP)
- [ ] Passed: pay the certification maintenance fee (USD 250 per two-year term) or hold IAPP membership, or the certification is not activated (IAPP rule)
- [ ] Not passed: buy a new attempt once the result shows in MyIAPP, and book no sooner than seven days after the last one (IAPP rule)
- [ ] Use the score report's percentage per domain to choose what to study, and do not average those percentages to guess a score (IAPP advice)