Accessibility certification
CPACC exam guide
Everything you need to know about the IAAP Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC): who it's for, what the exam covers, how it works and how to prepare, with links to every official resource and free practice questions in the exam's format.
An independent guide by Zeeshan Khalid: not affiliated with, endorsed or reviewed by IAAP. Facts are from IAAP's pages and the CPACC Body of Knowledge, checked on 5 November 2026.
- 100questionsMultiple choice, four options, one correct answer
- 2 htime limitMore time can be requested as an accommodation
- 600to passOn a scaled score from 200 to 800
- 3 yrsvalid forRenewed with 45 education credits
What the CPACC is
The Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC) is the foundational professional certification of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP), a division of G3ict. It shows broad, cross-disciplinary knowledge of disabilities, of accessibility and universal design, and of accessibility standards, laws and management strategies.
Who it's for
- People who manage and support accessibility, even if they don't design, build or test the technical side themselves
- Designers, developers, content writers, product and project managers, procurement, HR and legal teams who want a shared foundation
- Anyone in a field where design, policy and management affect access: the web and other ICT, the built environment, products and transport
Before you apply
IAAP asks for one year of experience in accessibility, or a new or changing role with some responsibility for it. Candidates with less than a year describe their background and goals.
The exam is available in English and German, with a Spanish pilot.
What the exam covers
Three domains, weighted by how many questions come from each.
- Domain 1
40% of the exam
Disabilities, challenges and assistive technologies
- Models of disability: medical, social, biopsychosocial, economic, functional solutions, social identity, charity
- Categories of disability and the barriers people meet, online and in the physical world
- Assistive technologies and adaptive strategies
- Disability demographics and statistics
- Disability etiquette and inclusive language
- Domain 2
40% of the exam
Accessibility and universal design
- Individual accommodations compared with universal design
- Benefits of accessibility
- Web accessibility: WCAG 2.1 principles
- Accessibility of the built environment and the principles of universal design
- Universal design for learning (UDL)
- Accessibility, usability and user experience
- Domain 3
20% of the exam
Standards, laws and management strategies
- International declarations and conventions, such as the UN CRPD and the Marrakesh Treaty
- Regional, national and procurement laws
- Applying accessibility standards to ICT
- Integrating accessibility across an organisation: maturity, champions, evaluation, hiring and purchasing
How the exam works
- Format
- 100 multiple-choice questions in 2 hours, computer-based and closed book. Every question has four options: three distractors and one correct answer. There are no true or false questions and no double negatives.
- Where and when
- At Pearson test centres (more than 700 in 132 countries), online with a remote proctor, or at a hosted exam event. There are six exam sessions a year.
- Support during the exam
- Accommodations and supported assistive technology can be requested when you apply. Dictionaries, glossaries and translation tools aren't allowed.
- Scoring and results
- The pass mark is set with a modified Angoff method. You get a scaled score from 200 to 800, where 600 is a pass, and feedback per domain: above, near or below the standard. There's no percentage score. Results arrive by email 4 to 6 weeks after the exam session closes.
Fees
| Rate | Exam | Retake |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | $510 | $315 |
| IAAP members | $410 | $255 |
| Emerging and developing economies | $170 | $100 |
In US dollars, non-refundable. The retake rate applies once, within a year of the first attempt. Checked on 5 November 2026; see the IAAP CPACC page (opens in a new tab) for current fees.
How to prepare
Read the Content Outline
It lists what the exam measures and how the domains are weighted.
CPACC Content Outline (opens in a new tab)Study the Body of Knowledge
IAAP's study guide (October 2023) expands every topic, with sources and further reading. It comes as PDF, Word, ePUB and audio.
CPACC Body of Knowledge (PDF) (opens in a new tab)Try IAAP's sample questions
Ten official questions that show the style of the exam.
CPACC sample questions (opens in a new tab)Practise by topic and find your gaps
Work through practice questions in the exam's format, with an explanation for every answer and the Body of Knowledge page to read.
CPACC practice questionsConsider a preparation course
IAAP lists approved preparation providers and offers webinar bundles on specific topics.
IAAP CPACC page (opens in a new tab)Apply and book a session
Apply in the IAAP Certification Portal, then choose an exam session, a delivery option and any accommodations.
Exam session dates (opens in a new tab)
After you pass
Keep it current
The certification is valid for three years. To renew it, earn 45 education credits in that time, on topics from the CPACC Content Outline.
Maintain your certification (opens in a new tab)Go further
Add the Web Accessibility Specialist (WAS) while your CPACC is valid to earn the Certified Professional in Web Accessibility (CPWA), IAAP's highest credential. The Accessible Document Specialist (ADS) covers documents.
CPWA (opens in a new tab)
Official IAAP resources
Every link opens IAAP's own page in a new tab.
About the certification
Study
Taking the exam
After the exam
Need a hand?
Build accessibility skills across your team.
Passing the CPACC is a start. I run accessibility training for designers, developers and content teams, built around your own product, so the skills show up in the work.
Accessibility training
- Role-based training for design, code and content
- A WCAG 2.2 audit of one of your real flows as the exercise
- Accessible patterns added to your design system
- CPACC study support for your team
IAAP CPACCAccessibility core competencies: disabilities, universal design, laws and standards