Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

We have a page dedicated to all things Test Candidate. From exam taking tips, to redeeming a voucher, find all the details here.

CATCs are required to collect and maintain a signed Parental Consent form prior to allowing Candidates under the age of 18 to sit for any Certiport certification exam.

Please use the Login Assistant. If you need additional help, contact customer service.

Please review the procedures and conditions outlined on our Accommodations page. 

Yes! In addition to using Learning Products like ecourses and ebooks, and taking Practice Tests, please see the exam taking tips on the Using your Test Candidate profile page.

If the workstation on which a Test Candidate is taking an exam stops responding or produces an error condition in which the continuation of the exam would not be possible (e.g., power outage, blue screen, etc.), it is still possible to resume the exam. The Test Candidate should notify the Exam Administrator (Proctor) and have them restart the computer, address any technical issues, and then launch the Compass software again. After logging back in, the Test Candidate will immediately be prompted that they have an exam in progress and can click “Resume Exam” to continue (resuming an exam still requires verification and unlocking by the Exam Administrator/Proctor). In progress exams will be resumable for 7 days from the date the exam was originally started. If possible, the Test Candidate should resume the exam on the very same workstation in which the exam was started so they can pick up where they left off, including their time remaining. Resuming the exam on a different workstation could put the Test Candidate back at the beginning of the exam with full time.

With Exams from Home, if the exam is resumed immediately during the scheduled session the Test Candidate can pick up where they left off. If resumed outside the scheduled session, any previous answers will not be saved, and the Test Candidate will have to resume from the beginning of the exam. Any in progress exams must be completed in the same system or modality in which they were started (i.e., you cannot start an exam in Compass for Windows and then resume it in Exams from Home or vice versa). The exam must also be resumed at the same Certiport Authorized Testing Center in which it was started. If there are any issues with resuming or completing an in progress exam, the Exam Administrator (Proctor) should contact Support while the Test Candidate has time to resume the exam, and not after the 7 day window has passed. Failure to complete the exam within the 7 day window will result in the exam uploading to the Test Candidate’s transcript as “Incomplete” and the exam payment method used will be forfeit.

Portal was an internal term that Certiport used to refer only to the authenticated (logged in) area of our website. As we endeavor to completely refresh Portal (work began in the last quarter of 2023), we started using this term openly in our communications.

Adobe Certified Professional, Autodesk Certified User, and Microsoft Office Specialist are three of the programs at Certiport that contain exams that are delivered with our exclusive, performance-based Live-in-the-Application (LITA) technology. During an exam, the Compass software launches the corresponding locally installed Adobe, Autodesk, or Microsoft Office software so that portions of every certification exam can take place in the actual program environment. This results in a richer and more comprehensive exam experience that more closely resembles what a Test Candidate would encounter in the real world.

First, it allows our exam designers to create exams that directly measure a Test Candidate's knowledge, and their ability to apply that knowledge. Second, querying an examinee’s ability directly, performance-based exams deliver a high degree of what testing experts refer to as, "construct validity." This gives the examiner an insight to the abilities of the examinee on a given instrument. Third, the ability to interact with a "live," fully functional application offers examinees a testing experience in which the examinee’s on-the-job interaction and mastery of the software is fully transferable to a similar situation in a different environment.

 

Yes. If you have an eligible Microsoft Office Specialist or Adobe Certified Professional exam result and would like to enter it into the competitions please perform the following:

  1. Log in at www.certiport.com
  2. Change your role in the dropdown at the top of the screen to "Test Candidate"
  3. Click either the "Microsoft" or "Adobe" register exam graphic in the right-hand column
    • If you do not see the graphics try a different browser or view the page in incognito mode
  4. If you have an eligible exam it will display on the registration page
  5. Checkmark one or more exams in the list and click the "Register Selected Exams" button
  6. If successful, the checkbox next to the exam will disappear and be replaced by the word "Registered" along with the date of entry

For complete information on rules and eligibility please visit our Microsoft or Adobe competition websites.

No. There are several reasons why our certification exams must be taken on a laptop or desktop:

  1. You need a full keyboard and mouse to navigate through the exams.
  2. With Compass for Windows and Compass for Mac, the software is only compatible with Windows and the Mac OS.
  3. With our Live-in-the-Application exams (MOS, Adobe, and ACU), you also need the Office, Adobe Creative Cloud, or Autodesk software installed. Any SaaS versions of those software titles are also not compatible with our Compass for Windows or Compass for Mac exam delivery software.
  4. Video resolutions need to be a minimum of 1024 x 768 (standard) and 1280 x 800 (widescreen) or you may not be able to see the entire question, application, or applicable exhibits (if present).
  5. There could also be communication issues that would not be able to be resolved by conventional means on a mobile device.

This can vary depending on how the Certiport Authorized Testing Center purchased their inventory, which is customizable. Reach out to your testing center and ask if the exam you took includes the cost of a printed and mailed certificate. If not, remember that every certification passed comes with an online PDF copy that you can print yourself, along with our digital Badging program.

If your exam did not include a printed and mailed certificate, you may buy one through your transcript:

  1. Log in at www.certiport.com
  2. Change your role in the dropdown at the top of the screen to "Test Candidate"
  3. Click on the "My Transcript" tab
  4. Locate your passed exam and click the "Order Official Certificate" button
  5. Checkout and pay through our website

Fulfillment time to receive your certificate in the mail is 2-4 weeks for inside the U.S., and 3-5 weeks internationally.

No. Once the expiration date is reached, new vouchers, inventory, or licenses must be purchased. Please review our Voucher Policies page, or contact your Territory Representative for more information.

There are several options, depending on the product and customer:

  • For Test Candidates inside North America: If you are looking to purchase a voucher, you may find out more in our Buy section.
  • For Test Candidates outside North America: If you are looking to purchase a voucher, contact the Solution Provider in your area.
  • For CATCs (Certiport Authorized Testing Centers) inside North America: After an initial order you may purchase additional products through the Certiport website under the Organization Administrator role by clicking on the "Purchase" tab. You may also contact your Territory Representative and place the order directly.
  • For CATCs (Certiport Authorized Testing Centers) outside North America: Contact the Solution Provider in your area.

There is no method for printing out an official paper version of an online voucher code, but there are ways you could look up voucher codes in order to screenprint them, or to copy and paste into another program such as Word or Excel. See below:

  • For CATCs: Log in as an Organization Administrator or Organization Admin, mouse over the My Certiport tab, click on the dropdown for vouchers, and a table will appear with all vouchers purchased by the CATC. This list will show vouchers whether they are assigned to a Test Candidate or not, and whether they have been redeemed or not. You may also click on the detail button to see who they were assigned to.
  • For Test Candidates: Log in as a Test Candidate and your vouchers will show at the top of the page just under the support contact information. Please note that only vouchers that have been assigned will show up here.

Our project-based testing that began with the Microsoft Office Specialist 2013 suite provides industry-leading assessments of skills and knowledge by giving students and professionals real-world exercises to appraise their understanding of Microsoft Office.

Project-based exams eliminate the pool of questions in favor of a single project for 2013, or multiple smaller projects for 2016. MOS Office 2019 and Microsoft Office 365 Apps exams continue the tradition of MOS 2016 with smaller projects, but with new features to account for changes to the software and demands in the market. The Test Candidate then employs all their skills to create a Word document, Excel spreadsheet, PowerPoint Presentation, (or elements thereof), etc., from scratch or a predetermined baseline. Provided with a set of guidelines, this serves to mimic more of what a user would actually encounter when using the program in the real world.

See our Objective Domains page for detailed info on any of our exams.

Credly is the digital badging platform used by Certiport. It helps students move forward professionally by quickly establishing credibility for opportunities in higher education and the job market. Each badge contains verifiable data that tells employers and admission committees what you did, who says you did it, and why it matters. Digital badging is available for most of our certification programs.

The best practice would be to pre-assign the voucher to the Test Candidate, or to have the voucher code printed or written down prior to sitting for an exam.

Note: In Compass for Windows, a Certiport Organization Administrator can log in to the software and click on the "Inventory" setting. Under the Vouchers section, you can click the orange "detail" button and see a list of vouchers including the names of Test Candidates (if they have been assigned). Voucher info can also be found by logging in at www.certiport.com as an Organization Administrator, hovering over the "MyCertiport" tab and then clicking the dropdown for "Vouchers".

Log in, change your role to Test Candidate, and click on the "My Transcript" tab. Here you can view your Score Reports, or print online copies of any certificates earned by clicking on the "PDF" links (only certificates that are fulfilled by Certiport can be printed). For additional information on transcripts and certificates, read the Using your test candidate profile page.

Refer to our Exam Policies page.

Refer to our Voucher policies page.

Note: For individual retake policies per exam program, view the Retake policy page.

Yes! Please refer to our ACE college credit page to find out more about this program, and which certifications currently qualify for credit.

Inside the U.S: Use the CATC Locator tool.

Outside the U.S: Contact the Certiport Solution Provider in your area.

Refer to our Exam Lengths page.

Refer to our Exam Tutorials page. Tutorials are available for all of our exams.

Refer to our Product Releases page. This page also details the available localizations for any given exam or practice test.

For Learning Products (ebooks and ecourses), please see our Learning Products page.

The measurable skills covered within each exam are called Objective Domains. Please view our Objective Domains page.

We have detailed information devoted to this topic in the About us section of our website.

The FAQs located within our developing a certification examination pages contain a wide variety of topics including scoring.

The most common inquiries we receive about specific exam items are detailed in the certification examination development FAQs.

The FAQs located within our developing a certification examination pages contain a wide variety of topics including simulations.
Important
Support links
Exam information