Certified Analytics Professional Certification brought to you by INFORMS
Choose Your CAP Level
CAP certification comes in three levels, each designed for a different stage of an analytics career.
All three levels are based on the same INFORMS Analytics Framework and the same rigorous exam standards. CAP-Essentials and CAP-Pro have no eligibility requirements — you agree to the Code of Ethics and pass the exam. CAP-Expert requires meeting education, experience, soft skills and ethics criteria and completing an application before you can sit for the exam.
What Each Level Signals
|
CAP-Essentials |
CAP-Pro |
CAP-Expert |
|---|---|---|
| I do the work | I own the work | I lead the work |
| Foundational competency. You execute analytics work with rigor and understand the full analytics process. | Project ownership. You lead or significantly contribute to analytics projects from problem framing through deployment. | Strategic leadership. You set direction, manage complexity, and drive analytics outcomes across an organization. |
Learn More About CAP-Essentials
Best for
Early-career analytics professionals, career changers, and those who want to formalize and validate their analytics knowledge. CAP-Essentials demonstrates that you understand the analytics process and can execute work with rigor.
Requirements
-
Agree to the INFORMS Code of Ethics
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Pass the CAP-Essentials exam
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No application, no prerequisites, no eligibility requirements
Exam fee
$195 (INFORMS members) / $275 (nonmembers)
Retake fee
$150 (members) / $200 (nonmembers)
Certification cycle
5 years. Recertify by retesting or upgrade to CAP-Pro or CAP-Expert.
Learn More About CAP-Pro
Best for
Mid-career analytics practitioners who lead or significantly contribute to analytics projects from start to finish. If you've owned or substantially contributed to analytics work and want employers to know you can manage complex projects from problem framing to deployment, CAP-Pro is the credential that says so.
Requirements
-
Agree to the INFORMS Code of Ethics
-
Pass the CAP-Pro exam
-
No application, no prerequisites, no eligibility requirements
Exam fee
$325 (INFORMS members) / $460 (nonmembers)
Retake fee
$250 (members) / $350 (nonmembers)
Certification cycle
5 years. Recertify by retesting or upgrade to CAP-Expert.
Learn More About CAP-Expert
Best for
Senior analytics leaders, directors, and principal practitioners who set strategy, align analytics to business objectives, and drive outcomes at an organizational level. CAP-Expert applicants must meet education and experience requirements and have soft skills confirmed by a current or former employer or colleague.
Requirements
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Advanced degree (master's or doctoral) with 2 years of analytics work experience; OR
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Bachelor's degree with 4 years of analytics work experience
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Soft skills confirmed by a current or former employer or colleague
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Agree to the INFORMS Code of Ethics
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Nonrefundable application fee: $55
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Pass the CAP-Expert exam
Exam fee
$440 (INFORMS members) / $640 (nonmembers)
Retake fee
$300 (members) / $400 (nonmembers)
Certification cycle
3 years. Recertify with 30 PDUs across at least 3 of 5 categories.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| CAP-Essentials | CAP-Pro | CAP-Expert | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it signals | I do the work | I own the work | I lead the work |
| Who it's for | Early-career professionals and those building or formalizing their analytics knowledge | Mid-career practitioners who lead or significantly contribute to analytics projects from start to finish | Senior analytics leaders, directors, and principal practitioners who set strategy and drive organizational outcomes |
| Requirements | Agree to the Code of Ethics and pass the exam | Agree to the Code of Ethics and pass the exam | Education and experience requirements; soft skills confirmation; Agree to the Code of Ethics and pass the exam; $55 application fee |
| Application required | No | No | Yes – $55 nonrefundable fee; approval within 7 business days |
| Exam fee (member) | $195 | $325 | $440 |
| Exam fee (nonmember) | $275 | $460 | $640 |
| Retake fee (member) | $150 | $250 | $300 |
| Retake fee (nonmember) | $200 | $350 | $400 |
| Developing country pricing | Available – learn more | Available – learn more | Available – learn more |
| Certification valid for | 5 years | 5 years | 3 years |
| Recertification | Retest every 5 years (or upgrade to next level) | Retest every 5 years (or upgrade to next level) | 30 PDUs across at least 3 of 5 categories |
| Exam questions | 100 scored + unscored pilot questions | 100 scored + unscored pilot questions | 100 scored + unscored pilot questions |
| Time allowed | 3 hours | 3 hours | 3 hours |
| Open book? | No | No | No |
| Programming required? | No | No | No |
Developing Country Exam Pricing
INFORMS offers reduced exam fees for candidates residing in qualifying developing countries. Pricing is organized by World Bank country income classification.
See the full list of qualifying countries on the INFORMS website.
CAP-Essentials Pricing
|
Country tier |
INFORMS Members |
Nonmembers |
|
Low-income countries |
$98 |
$138 |
|
Lower-middle-income countries |
$137 |
$193 |
|
Upper-middle-income countries |
$156 |
$220 |
CAP-Pro Pricing
|
Country tier |
INFORMS Members |
Nonmembers |
|
Low-income countries |
$160 |
$230 |
|
Lower-middle-income countries |
$225 |
$320 |
|
Upper-middle-income countries |
$260 |
$365 |
CAP-Expert Pricing
|
Country tier |
INFORMS Members |
Nonmembers |
|
Low-income countries |
$220 |
$320 |
|
Lower-middle-income countries |
$308 |
$448 |
|
Upper-middle-income countries |
$352 |
$512 |
About the Exam
All three CAP certification exams share the same format and are based on the INFORMS Analytics Framework – seven domains covering business problem framing, analytics problem framing, data, methodology, model development, deployment, and analytics solution lifecycle management.
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100 scored multiple-choice questions, plus unscored pilot questions
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3 hours of exam time (block 4 to 5 hours total to allow for check-in and setup)
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Available at Meazure Learning testing centers worldwide and via remote proctoring
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Not open book – no notes or references permitted. Exam provides online basic calculator, notepad, and whiteboard.
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No programming language knowledge required – all exams are software and vendor neutral
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Special accommodations available for those who require them
Ready to Get Started?
CAP-Essentials and CAP-Pro candidates can register and pay directly – no application needed. CAP-Expert candidates must apply first.
| CAP-Essentials | CAP-Pro | CAP-Expert |
|---|---|---|
|
No application needed. |
No application needed. |
$55 application fee. Approval within 7 business days. |
