CPSM®, CPSD® and APSM® Exam Overview

There are three CPSM® Exams. Below is a break-down of the exam by sections, with the number of questions and time allowed. See the Exam Specifications for further details.

Supply Management Core

Section Name                                                                               # of Questions

Sourcing                                                                                         50

Category Management                                                               10

Negotiation                                                                                   14

Legal & Contractual                                                                     21

Supplier Relationship Mgmt                                                      43

Cost & Price Mgmt                                                                      10

Financial Analysis                                                                           9

180 Questions

165 Scored | 15 Unscored

3 Hours

Supply Management Integration

Section Name                                                                               # of Questions

Supply Chain Strategy                                                                 25

Sales and Operations Planning – Demand Planning            10

Sales and Operations Planning – Forecasting                       25

Sales and Operations Planning – Product and Service       15

Quality Management                                                                  14

Logistics & Material Mgmt                                                        53

Project Management                                                                    8

165 Questions

150 Scored | 15 Unscored

2 Hours, 45 Minutes

Leadership and Transformation in Supply Management

Section Name                                                                               # of Questions

Leadership and Business Acumen – Strategy Development       18

Leadership and Business Acumen – Stakeholder Engagement  25

Leadership and Business Acumen – People Development and Coaching 39

Systems Capability & Technology                                                      11

Risk & Compliance                                                                                 33

Corporate Social Responsibility                                                          24

165 Questions

150 Scored | 15 Unscored

2 Hours, 45 Minutes

There are two CPSD^® Exams, the Supply Management Core Exam and the Essentials in Supplier Diversity Exam. Below is a break-down of each exam by sections, with the number of questions and time allowed. Please see the Exam Specifications for further details.

Supply Management Core Exam

Section Name                                                                               # of Questions

Sourcing                                                                                         50

Category Management                                                               10

Negotiation                                                                                   14

Legal & Contractual                                                                     21

Supplier Relationship Mgmt                                                      43

Cost & Price Mgmt                                                                      10

Financial Analysis                                                                           9

180 Questions

180 Scored | 15 Unscored

3 Hours

Essentials in Supplier Diversity Exam

Section Name                                                                               # of Questions

Developing Business Case/Obtaining Executive Support  16

Developing a Supplier Diversity Program                             27

Project Management for Supplier Diversity Professionals  3

Influencing and Partnering with Internal Stakeholders     16

Establishing Diverse Supplier Certification Process             2

Establishing Diverse Supplier Qualification Process           12

Developing Diverse Suppliers                                                   8

Managing Relationships with Diverse Suppliers                  13

Financing and Budgeting                                                         10

Establishing Metrics and Reporting                                       15

Performing Advocacy and Market Outreach                        16

Sustainability, Social Responsibility and Ethics                    12

for the Supplier Diversity Profession

150 questions

All Scored

2 Hours 45 Minutes

There is one APSM^® Exam. Below is a break-down of the exam with the number of questions and time allowed. See the Exam Specifications for further details.

Supply Management Core

Section Name                                                                               # of Questions

Sourcing                                                                                         50

Category Management                                                               10

Negotiation                                                                                   14

Legal & Contractual                                                                     21

Supplier Relationship Mgmt                                                      43

Cost & Price Mgmt                                                                      10

Financial Analysis                                                                           9

180 Questions

165 Scored | 15 Unscored

3 Hours

ISM maintains multiple versions, or forms, of the exam. While the content of the exam remains constant, the actual questions used in the exam will change. Different forms of the exam use different questions, the level of difficulty will vary slightly from test to test. To compensate for these variations, a statistical procedure known as equating is used to account for differences in test difficulty. The passing score is not calculated based upon percentages.

Scaling on the CPSM and CPSD exams converts all scores to a scale from 100-600, with the passing score set at 400 for each of the three CPSM exams and 480 for the CPSD Essentials in Supplier Diversity exam. Scores received from ISM are reported as scaled scores in increments of 10. If your scaled score on any of the three CPSM exams is from 100-390, you’ve failed that exam. If your scaled score is 400 or above for any of the three CPSM exams, you’ve passed that exam. If your scaled score on the CPSD Essentials in Supplier Diversity exam is from 100-470, you’ve failed that exam. If your scaled score on that exam is 480 or above, you’ve passed.

If you fail an exam, you should use the score report that you receive from the test center to re-focus your study effort on any task area(s) where you did not answer approximately 75% of the questions correctly. Then revisit the study material you used to prepare for the exams and purchase additional sources if more in-depth studying is needed.

To re-test, you will again need to register with ISM and pay the appropriate member or non-member fee.

ISM has a 30-day retake policy for the CPSM® Exams. If you are unsuccessful on an exam you must wait 30 days before you are eligible to re-take that specific exam.

Yes, you will again need to register with ISM and pay the appropriate member or non-member fee. There is no discount on re-tests.

ISM has a 30-day retake policy for the CPSM® Exams. If you are unsuccessful on an exam you must wait 30 days before you are eligible to re-take that specific exam.

Specific exam questions and answers are not made public. A score report for each exam is provided upon completion. The score report provides detail about the task areas where questions were missed. Task areas that you answered less than 75% of the questions correct is an area that requires more study.

CPSM® Exam scores are valid for 4 years from the date they are taken. If an exam score is more than 4 years old, the exam must be taken and passed again before applying for the CPSM®.

Your exam registration is valid for six months from the day ISM processes your registration. Payment is required in advance. You must test by the expiration date to avoid forfeiting your exam fees.

Individual candidate testing is done at Pearson VUE Testing Centers and can be scheduled at your convenience.

Register Online

The APSM^® exam score is valid for 5 years. During those 5 years, you are eligible to convert to a CPSM® certification, with the passing of the Leadership and Transformation in Supply Management and Supply Management Integration exams. The APSM^® certification is not eligible for recertification, and therefore, there is no grace period.

For your exam, you must bring one valid photo I.D. with signature that exactly matches the name on your exam registration.

Your I.D. MUST be one of the following:

• Driver's License*

• Passport*

• Military I.D.*

• Official State, Government, or National I.D.

• Employee I.D.

• Student I.D.

• Photo credit card

No other forms of I.D. will be accepted.

*Driver's License, Passport and Military IDs that have a digital signature encoded will only be accepted as valid ID if accompanied by another valid ID with signature.

Note: On the day of your exam, if you are unable to produce a valid I.D. matching the name in ISM's database, you will not be allowed to test and all registration fees will be forfeited.

Note: Pearson VUE uses biometrics in all test centers. Biometrics are automated methods of recognizing a person based on a physical characteristic and are primarily used to combat identity fraud. One such method involves the examinee placing a palm on a scanner, which results in an electronic palm print.

• Plan to arrive 30 minutes before your appointment. If you are late, you will be considered a "no show" and your exam fees will be forfeited.

• You will be required to leave all personal belongings in a locker. This includes bags, cell phones, watches, wallets, notes, books or other materials not authorized for this exam.

• An erasable note board and pen will be provided for the exam. They will be collected at the end of the test.

• Calculators will be also be provided.

• Wear comfortable, layered clothing. Test center temperatures vary.

To reschedule or cancel your test appointment, you must contact Pearson VUE at least 24-hours prior to the scheduled local testing time. For example, an 8:30am appointment on Monday must be rescheduled by 8:30am on Sunday (all times are local). If you do not reschedule or cancel your appointment in time, all funds are forfeited.

Fees may apply if any changes or cancellations are made within 48 hours of the scheduled appointment time.

Please DO NOT call your local Pearson VUE test center to make appointments or cancel or reschedule appointments.

In order to ensure the proper environment for proctored exams, you must have a quiet, private location, a reliable computer with a webcam, access to one of the approved internet browsers, and a strong internet connection. It is your responsibility to verify your computer meets the technical requirements to take the online proctored exam. Please review the technical requirements on the Pearson Vue Online Exam page under Additional Information. It is also your responsibility to run a system test BEFORE registering for an online proctored exam. Visit the Pearson Vue online exam page to run a system test.

Whether you decide to take your exams at a testing center or online, the purchase process on the ISM website is the same. After purchasing your exam, your purchase confirmation email will contain details about how to schedule your exam through Pearson Vue. After you’ve selected the exam you want to take, choose the “home or office” option. Follow the remaining prompts to complete the scheduling process. Once you have successfully scheduled your exam appointment, you will be sent a confirmation email that will provide you with your appointment details and important things to know for your exam.

Like the exams taken at a Pearson VUE testing center, online proctored exams are also live proctored. The only difference is that with online proctored exams, you are monitored by a remote proctor, along with enhanced security features and artificial intelligence technology.

The proctors speak English. In order to take an online proctored exam, you must be able to communicate verbally in English with the proctor. If you are unable, or not comfortable doing so, please schedule your exam at a local Pearson VUE testing center.

Online exams are currently not available in the People's Republic of China, Japan, Slovenia, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan or Syria.