CPSS study guide
CPSS · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Certified Professional in Supply Chain Security (CPSS) is an independent professional credential for people who protect goods, data and reputations as products move from factory to final mile. Candidates typically work as supply chain security managers, loss-prevention leads, customs and trade compliance specialists, logistics risk analysts, warehouse and transport security officers, or consultants serving shippers, carriers, freight forwarders and third-party logistics providers. The CPSS study guide has 9 sections and about 5,512 words.
01Supply Chain Security Foundations
The Foundations domain tests whether you can describe a supply chain as a system of nodes and links, name the flows that move across it, and explain why security is managed as a repeatable management system rather than a set of guards and cameras. Expect questions that separate security from resilience and ask which control belongs at which layer.
485 words, about 2 min02Governance and Risk Management
Governance and Risk Management tests how security is directed and financed at the top of the organisation, and whether risk is managed as a documented, owned, repeatable process. Questions usually probe the split between accountability and responsibility, the meaning of risk appetite, and how a risk register becomes a decision.
450 words, about 2 min03Threats, Vulnerabilities and Risk Assessment
This domain is the analytical heart of the CPSS. The exam tests whether you can name a threat precisely, find the vulnerability that lets it succeed, size the consequence, and defend a prioritisation - rather than produce a checklist.
446 words, about 2 min04Physical Security and Facility Protection
Physical Security and Facility Protection covers the facility layer of defence: perimeter, building envelope, interior zones, high-value storage and the dock. The exam asks you to select controls that match the threat and to know the operational disciplines that make hardware work.
428 words, about 2 min05Cargo, In-Transit and Transport Security
This domain covers custody between facilities: road, rail, ocean, air and intermodal. Each handoff is a risk point, and the exam expects mode-specific controls plus the documentation that proves custody.
413 words, about 2 min06Information and Cyber Security in the Supply Chain
This domain tests whether you understand data as the connective tissue of logistics - and that a cyber event becomes a physical one when a load is diverted, a port stops, or a warehouse management system is encrypted. NIST Cybersecurity Framework : identify, protect, detect, respond, recover - usable for gap analysis and board reporting.
416 words, about 2 min07Insider Threat
Insider Threat examines people already inside the perimeter - employees, contractors, temporary labour, drivers, guards and third-party staff - who use legitimate access for illegitimate ends. The exam tests program design that is proportionate and legally defensible, not surveillance enthusiasm.
408 words, about 2 min08Personnel and Third-Party/Supplier Security
Personnel and Third-Party Security covers the people you hire and the organisations you depend on. The exam tests proportionate due diligence, contractual flow-down, and the discipline of ongoing rather than one-off checks.
427 words, about 2 min09Regulatory Compliance
Regulatory Compliance tests your ability to map obligations to controls and produce evidence on demand. The exam does not expect memorisation of every statute; it expects knowledge of the categories, the responsible owner, and the difference between compliance and security.
2,039 words, about 10 min