- Which CPC This Sheet Covers
- The One-Page Snapshot
- The Nine Domains and Their Weights
- Exam Format and Test-Day Logistics
- Fees: Four Paths and a Retake
- Eligibility Rules to Memorize
- Fall 2026 Dates and the Deadline Conflict
- Passing Score vs. Pass Rate
- Must-Know Content by Domain
- Renewal Numbers
- Pacing the Weeks Around the Weights
- FAQ
- The exam is 175 multiple-choice questions in four hours, covering nine weighted domains, with Ethics the largest at 13%.
- Four 2026 fee tiers apply: $900, $675, $875, or $575 depending on CAC status and AIC membership.
- Eligibility requires four additional experience years beyond Level I, including at least two years managing construction execution.
- No numeric passing score was verified, and the 77% and 100% pass rates describe single cohorts only.
Which CPC This Sheet Covers
This cheat sheet is about the Certified Professional Constructor (CPC), the Level II credential administered by the American Institute of Constructors Constructor Certification Commission (AIC). It is the senior step above the Certified Associate in Construction (CAC) at Level I. It is not a medical coding credential, and nothing here applies to any other certification that happens to share the same three letters. If you are still orienting yourself, the explainers on what CPC certification is and what CPC stands for cover the naming question in more depth.
Use this page as a quick-reference review. For the full plan, pair it with the CPC study guide, and when you want to test recall rather than just reread, work through the CPC practice tests.
The One-Page Snapshot
| Item | What to Remember |
|---|---|
| Credential | Certified Professional Constructor, Level II |
| Certifying body | AIC Constructor Certification Commission |
| Questions | 175 multiple-choice |
| Time | Four hours |
| Domains | Nine, weighted from 9% to 13% |
| Delivery | Online proctored, spring and fall administrations |
| Retake fee | $500 |
| Renewal cycle | Two-year review, 32 CPD credits |
| Official prep resource | Preparing for the Level II (CPC) Examination, 2024 study guide |
The scored versus unscored question split is not publicly specified in the sources reviewed, so do not assume all 175 items count toward your result, and do not assume any particular number of them are unscored.
The Nine Domains and Their Weights
The weights below come from the Commission's formal examination specifications (Commission Document No. 29, Level II Application & Analysis content area, last revised September 10, 2022). These are the official exam domains, not an editorial study allocation. For a deeper walkthrough of each, see the complete guide to all nine CPC content areas.
| Domain | Name | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Project Scope Development | 11% |
| 2 | Employment Practices | 9% |
| 3 | Working Relationships | 12% |
| 4 | Construction Start-up and Support | 10% |
| 5 | Construction Resource Management | 12% |
| 6 | Construction Cost Control | 12% |
| 7 | Project Closeout | 10% |
| 8 | Construction Risk Management | 11% |
| 9 | Ethics | 13% |
The study guide's contract-interpretation exercises do not create a tenth domain. Treat contract reading as a skill that surfaces inside the existing nine, especially Project Scope Development, Cost Control, Risk Management, and Closeout.
Exam Format and Test-Day Logistics
Current delivery is online proctored, with spring and fall administrations published on AIC's certification pages. The latest verified named testing partner is PointLeader, drawn from AIC's Fall 2025 notice. The reviewed 2026 notice does not separately confirm the vendor, so confirm the booking provider directly instead of relying on older PSI, PTC, or Assessment Systems references you may find in legacy material.
What the handbook says (and its limits)
The linked Candidate Handbook (Commission Document No. 82) describes a closed-book exam, identification requirements, accommodations, and restricted calculators. Its version date could not be verified, and the 2024 study guide still carries some legacy paper-testing instructions. Where those conflict with a current delivery notice, the current notice wins.
- Permitted calculators: basic and trigonometric functions.
- Not permitted: programmable, alphabetic, printing, or phone calculators.
- Remote sessions: confirm exactly how the calculator rule is implemented with the provider before test day.
- Format: no adaptive or separate performance-based component was verified; plan for straight multiple-choice.
If you are wondering how demanding the sitting feels, the CPC difficulty guide breaks down what makes the questions tricky.
Fees: Four Paths and a Retake
The published 2026 examination fees depend on whether you already hold the CAC and whether you belong to AIC:
| Candidate Type | Exam Fee (USD) |
|---|---|
| Non-CAC, nonmember | $900 |
| Non-CAC, AIC member | $675 |
| CAC holder, nonmember | $875 |
| CAC holder, AIC member | $575 |
The published retake fee is $500, and AIC permits repeated attempts. An older, separate $200 preparation-fee claim does not appear in the published 2026 schedule, so it is not added to these totals. Membership dues, annual certification maintenance, and any study materials you buy are separate line items. The CPC certification cost breakdown lays out the full picture.
Eligibility Rules to Memorize
Eligibility is the part of this credential where candidates most often trip, because the written sources use slightly different wording. Here is the core, and the CPC requirements guide goes deeper.
Commission Policy 1.2: the baseline
Candidates need either a CAC in good standing or an approved Level I exemption, plus additional qualifying experience.
- Four additional years of acceptable construction-related experience beyond Level I eligibility.
- At least two of those years managing construction execution.
- The exemption route requires documenting Level I education/experience eligibility plus the four additional years; the handbook summarizes this as eight qualifying years in total, including two management years.
Counting work years
- One qualifying work year equals 2,000 hours.
- Extra hours in a single year do not create a second work year.
- Some categories of work receive only partial credit.
- Employment and supervisor documentation is required, and professional ethics obligations apply.
Fall 2026 Dates and the Deadline Conflict
The dedicated Fall 2026 notice publishes three separate stages:
| Stage | Published Window |
|---|---|
| Applications | August 15 to September 15 |
| Registration | September 1 to October 1 |
| Testing | November 5 to 14 |
The general certification information page, however, lists registration through October 15. Those two sources disagree, and application, registration, and testing are different stages, so do not treat the later date as safe. Do not assume registration is still open on any given day; confirm the cutoff directly with AIC. The CPC exam dates guide tracks the scheduling details.
Passing Score vs. Pass Rate
Two numbers get conflated constantly, so keep them apart.
- Passing score: No numeric cut score was verified. Do not substitute a prep vendor's "70%" claim for the Commission's scoring policy (Policy 1.8, Scoring of Certification Examinations). See the CPC passing score guide for how to read this responsibly.
- Pass rate: AIC reported 77% for a special summer 2025 CPC administration and 100% for fall 2025. Those are single-cohort results with no published cohort sizes. They are not an annual, first-time, or overall 2026 rate.
Key Takeaway
Never quote a pass rate as if it predicts your odds. Cohort figures without cohort sizes tell you very little. The CPC pass rate analysis explains how to interpret what AIC has actually published.
Must-Know Content by Domain
These are the concrete topics to be able to reason through in each domain. The exam tests application and analysis, so expect scenarios rather than definitions.
Ethics (13%): the largest domain
Expect situational questions about competing duties to the client, the public, employer, and profession.
- Conflicts of interest and when to disclose them.
- Confidentiality versus public safety obligations.
- Honest reporting of cost, schedule, and quality problems.
- What to do when an employer directs conduct that violates professional standards.
Working Relationships (12%)
Communication and coordination among owners, designers, subcontractors, and your own team.
- Managing disputes before they become claims.
- Clear documentation of directions and decisions.
- Coordinating trade interfaces on a shared site.
Construction Resource Management (12%)
Allocating labor, equipment, and materials against the schedule.
- Resource leveling when two activities compete for the same crew.
- Procurement lead times and their effect on the critical path.
- Productivity impacts of overtime and crowded work areas.
Construction Cost Control (12%)
Tracking and forecasting cost against the budget.
- Cost forecasting at completion from current performance.
- Change order pricing and its schedule consequences.
- Variance analysis and corrective action.
Project Scope Development (11%)
Translating owner needs and documents into a defined, buildable scope.
- Reading drawings, specifications, and contract documents together.
- Spotting gaps, conflicts, and ambiguities in the documents.
- Defining inclusions and exclusions clearly.
Construction Risk Management (11%)
Identifying, allocating, and responding to project risk, with safety as a core element.
- Risk identification and who is best positioned to bear it.
- Insurance, bonding, and contract risk-transfer concepts.
- Site safety planning and incident response.
Construction Start-up and Support (10%)
Mobilizing the project and keeping field operations supported.
- Pre-construction meetings and submittal workflows.
- Site logistics and early coordination.
Project Closeout (10%)
Turning a built project into a delivered, documented one.
- Punch lists and substantial versus final completion.
- Warranties, as-builts, and turnover documentation.
- Final payment and release conditions.
Employment Practices (9%): smallest, but not skippable
Staffing, supervision, and workplace practices on a construction team.
- Hiring, training, and evaluating field and office personnel.
- Fair and lawful workplace practices.
For the scenarios that blend several of these, the CPC practice tests are the quickest way to find which domain you are actually weakest in.
Renewal Numbers
- Cycle: two-year review.
- Credits: 32 CPD credits within 24 months.
- Mix: at least 20 educational credits and no more than 12 membership/service credits.
- Process: affidavit, with possible audit.
- Annual maintenance: $50 for AIC members or $350 for nonmembers, separate from membership dues.
Because the nonmember maintenance gap is large, it factors into any decision about whether membership pays for itself. The CPC ROI analysis and salary guide cover the value question. On pay specifically, the only figure found was a small, self-reported sample (12 respondents, dated May 31, 2023), which is not a verified 2026 pay premium, so be skeptical of any confident salary claim.
Pacing the Weeks Around the Weights
This is the one place for scheduling advice. Rather than studying nine domains evenly, tie your weeks to the weights and to how scenario-heavy each area is.
Ethics first
- It is the largest domain at 13%, and ethics reasoning improves with repeated scenario exposure.
The three 12% domains
- Working Relationships, Resource Management, and Cost Control together are a large share of the exam.
Scope and Risk
- Both at 11%, and both lean on careful contract-document reading.
Start-up, Closeout, Employment
- Lower weights, but quick wins when the vocabulary is fresh.
Mixed timed sets
- Practice pacing across 175 questions in four hours, roughly 80 seconds per question.
The full study plan expands this into daily tasks.
FAQ
The exam has 175 multiple-choice questions and a four-hour time limit. The split between scored and unscored questions is not publicly specified in the sources reviewed.
Published fees are $900 for non-CAC nonmembers, $675 for non-CAC AIC members, $875 for CAC-holding nonmembers, and $575 for CAC-holding AIC members. The retake fee is $500.
A numeric cut score was not verified. Rely on the Commission's scoring policy rather than a prep vendor's claimed percentage, and see the passing score guide.
A degree is not universally mandatory. Eligibility turns on holding the CAC (or an approved Level I exemption) plus four additional years of construction-related experience, including at least two managing construction execution. Get the Commission's determination if you plan to rely on education.
The registration cutoff. The dedicated Fall 2026 notice lists registration September 1 to October 1, while another AIC page lists October 15. Confirm directly with AIC, and check the exam dates guide for the stages.