ACRP-CP

You get 125 multiple-choice questions in 180 minutes, taken through PSI at a test center or remotely. That averages fewer than 90 seconds per question, so flagging and moving on beats deliberating. Results are shared at the end of the session, and PSI emails your full score report within 48 hours; your ACRP account updates in the same window.

You need 3,000 hours of verifiable work experience related to human subject research, performed under a paid employer-employee arrangement that ACRP can confirm. Work done as part of a degree or education program, internships whether paid or unpaid, and any experience older than ten years are excluded. ACRP may grant one 1,500-hour waiver for an active ACRP certification or an approved clinical research education program.

Only ICH guidelines. The permitted references are the ACRP-CP Exam Content Outline, ICH E6(R3) Good Clinical Practice, E2A, E8(R1), E9(R1), E11(R1), and the Declaration of Helsinki. Country-specific frameworks such as FDA or EMA regulations are explicitly not tested, so time spent memorizing national regulatory detail is time not spent on scored content.

ACRP publishes no difficulty rating or pass rate on the ACRP-CP page, so judge readiness by coverage rather than by how a practice set feels. The exam samples the whole study team's work in 125 items anchored to ICH references, so weak familiarity with E6(R3) or the content outline structure costs more than gaps in local regulatory trivia.

ACRP does not state a passing standard on the ACRP-CP program page. The ACRP Certification Handbook is the authoritative source for scoring details, and your ACRP Certification Examination Results email explains your individual outcome. Treat any passing percentage you see quoted elsewhere as unverified until ACRP publishes it.

ACRP's published guidance is to try again and to refer to your ACRP Certification Examination Results email or the ACRP Certification Handbook for next steps. No waiting period, attempt limit, or retake fee is stated on the ACRP-CP page, so confirm those specifics with ACRP before you reschedule rather than assuming a timeline.

Testing runs February 15 to May 15 in spring and July 15 to October 15 in fall. Early bird registration is $435 for ACRP members and $485 for nonmembers (spring window October 20 to December 31; fall window May 20 to July 15). Regular registration is $460 for members and $600 for nonmembers.

Create a free ACRP account, complete the on-screen prompts, and submit the requested documentation. Most applicants receive a status update within 10 business days, but applications selected for audit undergo a formal review by ACRP subject matter experts. Apply well ahead of your target testing window so an audit does not force you into the next one.

Start with the Exam Content Outline and map each area against your own experience, then read the ICH references it cites, beginning with E6(R3). ACRP's 50-question practice exam reflects the outline and is aligned to E6(R3), which makes it a useful diagnostic. It is less than half the length of the real exam, so treat it as a checkpoint, not a rehearsal.

You have two years to keep your certification in good standing through continuing professional development, and ACRP recommends reviewing the Maintenance of Certification details early rather than late. Plan the required activity across the whole cycle instead of compressing it into the final months, when scheduling or documentation problems are hardest to absorb.