The Certified Digital Asset Custody Specialist (CDACS) is an advanced, vendor-neutral certification for the people responsible for holding cryptoassets safely. It validates that you understand custody models, can manage keys with HSMs, MPC and multisignature, can design wallet architecture and signing operations, can defend against the threats to custody, can meet compliance and control obligations, and can operate, recover and govern a custody service. The exam is computer adaptive and performance-based, and the credential is kept current through continuing education.
| Level | Advanced. A specialist credential: it goes deep on securely holding digital assets and assumes security, operations or cryptoasset experience. |
|---|---|
| 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 | 120 questions. A performance-based exam that includes performance-based questions and multiple-choice questions. Concepts transfer across every custody model and platform. |
| Time | 180 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 75 CEUs per cycle and the $55 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: Communications Security (COMSEC) Management (OG-WRL-001), Systems Security Management (OG-WRL-014). O*NET occupations: Blockchain Engineers (15-1299.07), Information Security Analysts (15-1212.00). Self-declared by CertLabz, not reviewed by NIST or CISA. See the full mapping. |
A signed, verifiable:
The CDACS 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 controls to threats, order a recovery or signing workflow, fix a key-management gap, and choose the right custody model. It is computer adaptive, is proctored and timed, needs no mandatory course, and tests custodying assets rather than reciting definitions.
Custody models, hot and cold storage, and key management with HSMs, MPC and multisig.
Wallet architecture, signing workflows, approvals and segregation of client assets.
Attack vectors, insider risk, separation of duties, physical and supply-chain security.
Proof of reserves, audits, insurance, incident response and disaster recovery.
As institutions hold more digital assets, custody specialists who can protect them are in high demand across security, operations and compliance. 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 CDACS | Blockchain Council CCE | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Certification exam | Certification exam |
| Computer adaptive | Yes | No |
| Hands-on PBQs | Yes | No |
| Scope | Digital asset custody, vendor neutral | Cryptocurrency fundamentals |
| Vendor neutral | Yes | Course-based |
| Proctored | Yes | Online |
| Questions | 120 | Not published |
| Time | 180 min | Not published |
| Pass mark | 700 of 900 | 60% |
| Course required | No | Bundled |
| Exam voucher | $199 | $399 |
Compiled September 2026 from the Blockchain Council Certified Cryptocurrency Expert pages. Custody has no single dominant exam, so this compares against the nearest broad crypto credential, which is course-bundled; the CDACS is a standalone, computer adaptive, vendor-neutral exam focused specifically on custody, with hands-on performance-based questions. 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.
Secure checkout by Stripe. Prices in USD. Sign in or create a free CertLabz account at checkout.
Every form is drawn from a bank of more than 130 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 controls to threats, order a recovery or signing workflow, fix a key-management gap, or choose a custody model. They are scored all or nothing, so partial guesses do not pass.
No. The CDACS is defensive: it tests how to protect keys and client assets, meet controls and recover from incidents. It does not provide operational instructions for attacking systems you do not own.
Yes. Custody models and platforms are described generically. Where a technique such as multi-party computation is involved, it is described by what it does, 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 75 CEUs during the cycle and paying the $55 annual CE fee before expiry, or by passing the current exam again.
The exam objectives PDF and the ten sample questions PDF. The CDACS 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 three hours. Phones and tablets are not supported.
CDACS 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 75 continuing-education units during the cycle and pay the $55 annual CE fee before your expiry date. Or pass the current version of the exam again.
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.