Certification Frequently Asked Questions

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

1. Meet the education and work experience requirements for the specific certification for which you are applying.
2. Acknowledge that you are subject to a random application verification audit.
3. Agree to provide the supporting documents proving your qualifications if you are audited.
4. 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. During your 12-month exam window you can test and, if necessary, retest for a fee as many times as needed to pass your certification exam. View the application deadlines below.

Exam Window	Application Submission Deadline
2025 Window 3:  1 November 2025 – 31 October 2026	15 September 2025
2025 Window 1: 1 March 2025 – 28 February 2026	15 January 2025
2025 Window 2: 1 July 2025 – 30 June 2026	15 May 2025
2025 Window 3: 1 November 2025– 31 October 2026	15 September 2025

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.

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.
 

If you have a suffix or more than one first and/or last name on the valid government-issued photo ID that you plan to present for testing, all names must match those on the confirmation notice. A valid, government-issued photo ID can be a driver's license, passport, state-issued ID card, etc.

If this is your situation, please email certifications@isa.org to request a name correction. After the request is received, it can take up to three business days for the change to occur in Meazure Learning’s system.

You will use the information in the exam invitation from candidatesupport@meazurelearning.com to schedule and take your exam with Meazure Learning at a testing center or online.
 
You have a 12-month exam window in which you can test and, if necessary, retest for a fee as many times as needed to pass your certification exam. Your start date is based on your assigned exam window or the date you complete your review course. See FAQ #4 “Where is my certification exam invitation?” for exam window information.
 
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)

NOTE: You may incur fees if you change the time and method of testing. Please be certain when selecting the time and method (online or test center) of taking your exam.
 
You may cancel and/or reschedule an exam through the Meazure Learning online exam scheduling system. You must have access to your Meazure Learning confirmation email (sent after you originally scheduled your exam) to access their system.
 
Further related details can be found on the exam procedures page:

• Rescheduling an Exam (see #4)
• Canceling an Exam (see #5)

At the completion of the exam, the screen will display whether you passed or failed. ISA does not provide a score; you are only notified whether you passed the exam or not. You will also be notified of your exam results immediately via email from Meazure Learning (candidatesupport@meazurelearning.com).
 
If you fail an exam, you will receive a result report that lists the domains and indicates the percentage of questions answered correctly within each domain. Note that the percentages are not used to calculate the final exam score.
 
If you have not received your exam results within 24 hours, please contact Meazure Learning by emailing candidatesupport@meazurelearning.com or calling +1 919-572-6880.
 
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 did not pass your exam, missed your scheduled exam, or arrived more than 15 minutes late, you may request a retest as many times as needed within your 12-month exam window. Know 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 any CCST or CAP certification program 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)

If you are eligible for an extension, you can get more time to take your exam. To request an extension, email certifications@isa.org. If you are eligible, you will be emailed a payment link so you can pay an extension fee. The exam extension fee is 80 USD for ISA members and 100 USD for non-members and will extend your exam deadline for three (3) months from the day your exam window ends or when your payment is processed.

During your exam window extension, you can retest for a fee as many times as needed. Be aware that there is a maximum of two (2) exam extensions per exam. Also know that if you are unable to pass the exam by the last extension, you will need to reapply for the certification to sit for the exam again.

If you are eligible and need or wish to retest outside of your exam window, you must pay both the retest fee and the extension fee.

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

• 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

 

 

Be advised that we update our databases and systems with the previous month’s exam data in the first part of the following month. Your information will be updated within the first ten business days of the following month. You may view your credential status on the “My Credentials” tab in your ISA account or by accessing ISA's Credential Directory, if you have set the appropriate permissions.

To set the appropriate permissions, you must take two steps:

• Step #1: Log into your ISA account. Go to the “My Info” tab, scroll down to the Communication Preferences, and update the “Include me in Credential Directory” option. 
• Step #2: Log into your ISA Connect account.  In the upper right-hand corner, click the picture icon.  A drop-down menu will appear; there, you select “Profile.”  To the right, click “My Account.”  A drop-down menu will appear; there, you will select “Privacy Settings” and set the preference “I would like to be included in directories and community rosters” to “Yes.” 

Please allow up to 48 hours for the changes to appear in ISA Connect or the ISA Credential Directory. If your information still does not appear within this time frame, please email certifications@isa.org for assistance. If you have issues logging into your account, please contact one of our customer service representatives at info@ISA.org or +1 919-549-8411 for assistance. 

 

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.