The Certified Machine Learning Developer (CMLD) is an intermediate, vendor-neutral certification for the practitioners who build machine learning end to end. It validates that you can frame a problem and choose the right metric, prepare data and engineer features without leakage, select and tune models with an eye on the bias-variance trade-off, evaluate honestly, deploy and monitor for drift, and practice responsibly with fairness, privacy and oversight. The exam is computer adaptive and performance-based, and the credential is kept current through continuing education.
| Level | Intermediate. A professional credential: it assumes some data or software experience and tests building ML soundly, not just definitions. |
|---|---|
| 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 platform. |
| 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: Data Analysis (IO-WRL-001), Technology Research and Development (DD-WRL-008). O*NET occupations: Data Scientists (15-2051.00), Software Developers (15-1252.00). Self-declared by CertLabz, not reviewed by NIST or CISA. See the full mapping. |
A signed, verifiable:
The CMLD 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 tasks and models to their fit, fix a data-leakage or evaluation trap, order a sound evaluation workflow, and choose the responsible action. It is computer adaptive, is proctored and timed, needs no mandatory course, and tests building ML soundly rather than reciting algorithms.
Framing the objective and metric, preparing data and engineering features without leakage.
Linear models, trees, ensembles and neural networks, and the bias-variance trade-off.
Cross-validation, tuning, the right metrics, thresholds and honest, leakage-free evaluation.
Serving, drift monitoring and rollout, plus fairness, privacy and human oversight.
Machine learning is one of the most sought-after skill sets in technology, and practitioners who can build it soundly end to end are in strong demand. 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 CMLD | AWS ML Engineer Associate | Google ML Engineer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Certification exam | Certification exam | Certification exam |
| Computer adaptive | Yes | No | No |
| Hands-on PBQs | Yes | No | No |
| Scope | ML, vendor neutral | ML on AWS | ML on Google Cloud |
| Vendor neutral | Yes | No | No |
| Proctored | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Questions | 80 | 65 | 50 to 60 |
| Time | 120 min | 130 min | 120 min |
| Passing score | 72% | 72% | Not published |
| Separate course purchase required | No | No | No |
| Exam voucher | $149 | $150 | $200 |
Compiled September 2026 from the AWS Machine Learning Engineer Associate and Google Professional Machine Learning Engineer pages. Those are single-platform exams; the CMLD is vendor neutral. 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 100 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 models to fit, fix an evaluation trap, order a workflow, or choose the responsible action. They are scored all or nothing, so partial guesses do not pass.
Yes. Algorithms, libraries and platforms are described generically. Where a question involves a technique, it is described by what it does, not by one product's API.
You need to understand how methods work, when to use them and how to evaluate them honestly. Deep mathematical derivation is not required; applied judgement is.
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 CMLD 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.
CMLD is a continuing-education certification. 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.
Select any option to see what counts.
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.