The Certified AI Assurance Professional (CAIAP) is an intermediate, vendor-neutral certification for the people who govern, assess and assure AI systems. It validates that you understand AI governance and accountability, can assess AI risk and select controls, can judge whether an AI system is fair, transparent and safe, can apply the major regulations and standards, can govern the data and privacy behind AI, and can review and audit AI across its lifecycle. The exam is computer adaptive and performance-based, and the credential is kept current through continuing education.
| Level | Intermediate. A governance and assurance credential: it assumes some experience in governance, risk, audit or technology, and no coding. |
|---|---|
| Delivery model | Computer adaptive, three stages. Your score on each stage selects the difficulty of the next, so no two candidates sit the same paper. |
| Format | 80 questions. A performance-based exam that includes performance-based questions and multiple-choice questions. Concepts transfer across every framework and jurisdiction. |
| Time | 120 minutes for the whole exam, timed. Autosaves every answer. |
| Scoring | You need a score of 700 out of 900 to pass. Results are reported on a scale of 100 to 900, and 700 corresponds to answering 72% of the exam correctly. Harder questions carry more weight, so a score means the same thing on any route. Multiple-response items and PBQs are all or nothing. |
| Retakes | No waiting period after a failed first attempt. Every attempt is paid for at the exam price. See the CertLabz Certification Retake Policy. |
| Voucher validity | 12 months from purchase, for one sitting. |
| Certification validity | 3 years. Renew with 50 CEUs per cycle and the $35 annual CE fee, or pass the current exam. Renewal details. |
| Language | English. |
| Credential | PDF certificate with QR code, public verification page, LinkedIn-ready credential ID. Issuer: CertLabz Certification Board. |
| Free resources | The exam objectives PDF and the ten sample questions PDF. |
| Workforce mapping | NICE Framework work roles: Security Control Assessment (OG-WRL-012), Technology Program Auditing (OG-WRL-016), Cybersecurity Policy and Planning (OG-WRL-002). O*NET occupations: Compliance Officers (13-1041.00), Computer Systems Analysts (15-1211.00). Self-declared by CertLabz, not reviewed by NIST or CISA. See the full mapping. |
A signed, verifiable:
The CAIAP is a performance-based exam: it includes performance-based questions alongside multiple-choice questions. Instead of only picking A, B, C or D, you match risks to controls, order an assurance review, classify a system under a regulation, and choose the responsible safeguard. It is computer adaptive, is proctored and timed, needs no mandatory course, and tests governing AI rather than reciting definitions.
Governance models, accountability, AI risk assessment, controls and third-party risk.
Fairness, bias, transparency, explainability and human oversight.
The EU AI Act, the NIST AI RMF, ISO/IEC 42001 and privacy law, described generically.
Data governance, documentation, monitoring, incidents and audit trails.
AI governance and assurance is one of the fastest-growing corners of risk and compliance, and organizations need people who can hold AI to account. Every route is shown here at once, so nothing is hidden behind a control you have to find.
United States pay reported by Glassdoor, checked September 2026. Pay varies by location, employer and experience. No certification guarantees a salary or a job.
| CertLabz CAIAP | IAPP AIGP | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Certification exam | Certification exam |
| Computer adaptive | Yes | No |
| Hands-on PBQs | Yes | No |
| Scope | AI governance, risk and assurance | AI governance |
| Vendor neutral | Yes | Yes |
| Proctored | Yes | Yes |
| Questions | 80 | 100 |
| Time | 120 min | 165 min |
| Pass mark | 700 of 900 | Not published |
| Course required | No | No |
| Exam voucher | $149 | $649 to $799 |
Compiled September 2026 from the IAPP AIGP exam page. The AIGP is a respected governance credential; the CAIAP adds a computer adaptive format and hands-on performance-based questions at a far lower price. Product names and trademarks belong to their owners; CertLabz is not affiliated with any of them. Confirm current details with each provider.
Six reasons this credential is worth your time, and worth an employer's attention.
One price for the exam, set by its level. Bundles add the study guide and hands-on practice at a saving.
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Every form is drawn from a bank of more than 90 items to these exact weights, whichever adaptive route you take. Filter by the area you want to study.
The exam runs in three stages. Your score on each stage selects the difficulty of the next, so a strong candidate is stretched and a struggling one is measured fairly rather than swamped. No two candidates sit the same paper. Harder questions carry more weight, so a scaled score means the same thing whichever route you took.
Each exam can have up to 5 to 12 performance-based questions, drawn fresh on every attempt, alongside the multiple-choice questions. A PBQ is a task rather than a list: you match risks to controls, order an assurance review, classify a system under a regulation, or choose a responsible safeguard. They are scored all or nothing, so partial guesses do not pass.
No coding is required. The CAIAP is about governing and assuring AI: governance, risk, responsible AI, regulation, data and auditing. A general understanding of how AI systems work is enough.
Yes. Frameworks, tools and regulations are described generically. Where a question involves a specific framework such as the EU AI Act or the NIST AI RMF, it is described by what it requires, not tied to one product.
700 out of 900. Results are reported on a scale of 100 to 900, and 700 corresponds to answering 72% of the exam correctly.
There is no waiting period between a failed first attempt and a second attempt. Buy another voucher and sit the exam again when you are ready, and it will draw a fresh adaptive form from the bank. See the CertLabz Certification Retake Policy.
Yes, after three years. Keep it current by logging 50 CEUs during the cycle and paying the $35 annual CE fee before expiry, or by passing the current exam again.
The exam objectives PDF and the ten sample questions PDF. The CAIAP Official Study Guide is a $50 ebook, included in two of the bundles. Hands-on practice comes with the All Access plan, included in the Complete bundle.
A laptop or desktop with a webcam and microphone, Chrome, Edge or Firefox, a stable connection, and a quiet private room for two hours. Phones and tablets are not supported.
CAIAP is a continuing-education certification, like the CE credentials from CompTIA and ISC2. It is valid for three years from the day you pass. To keep it, log 50 continuing-education units during the cycle and pay the $35 annual CE fee before your expiry date. Or pass the current version of the exam again. Earning a higher-level CertLabz certification renews it too, the way CompTIA certifications stack.
CEUs are logged from your CertLabz dashboard with supporting evidence. A certification that lapses can be reinstated only by passing the current exam.
Buy a voucher, study the objectives, sit the exam when you are ready. Your credential is issued the moment you pass.