Exam FAQ

Before Taking an Exam

I am preparing to take a CIW exam, and I want some details about the exam itself and the skills I will be tested on. Where can I find details about a particular CIW exam?

Details about specific exams are available on the individual certification pages. These pages offer information about each exam such as certification credit, prerequisites, number of questions, time allotted, scoring percentages, skills measured, preparation tools and resources, and exam retirement information.

Where can I get training and study materials for a CIW exam?

Official instructor-led CIW training materials are available from CIW Authorized Training Partners (ATPs). See our CIW Training Locator to find a location near you to sign up for CIW instructor-led training. CIW Self-Study Kits are available in the CIW Store. We recommend using CIW curriculum to prepare for the exam, but it is not required.

Is my training provider an authorized CIW trainer?

Our many CIW Authorized Training Partners (ATPs) offer superior training in CIW skills and exam preparation. You can verify whether a specific training provider is an authorized CIW trainer by checking to see if it is listed in the CIW ATP/AAP Training Locator. If the training provider is not listed, then it is not an official CIW ATP.

What are the prices for CIW exams?

CIW exams are $175 each, however, international candidates may be charged in their local currency, according to currency exchange rates at time of purchase. For more information about taking CIW exam, see our Taking An Exam page under Certifications. This page has information about registration, test-taking, accommodations for the disabled, test results and more.

Do I need to pass the CIW Web Foundations Associate exam before I attempt higher-level CIW exams?

No, CIW Web Foundations Associate is no longer required as a prerequisite for any other CIW certifications. Some CIW certification awards require that you pass multiple exams. You are not required to take exams in any particular order. However, because more complex topics build on the CIW Web Foundations Associate topics, we generally recommend that candidates complete their study and take exams in escalating order. For more information about certification requirements, visit the CIW Certifications section.

Exam Results and Candidate Records

What is the CIW Certification Agreement?

Effective October 2021, the CIW Certification Agreement is presented at the start of every high-stakes CIW certification exam. Candidates must accept this agreement before proceeding to the first exam question. The CIW Certification Agreement is a binding legal document governing the rights and responsibilities of all CIW certification candidates. It protects exam content copyright and non-disclosure requirements, candidate conduct, the use of CIW logos and copyrighted CIW trademarks, abuse of certification status, and other legal protections. Candidates who have earned CIW certifications prior to October 2021 have already completed previous versions the CIW Certification Agreement. It is documented in their profile in the CIW Candidate Information Center. All versions of the Agreement are remain valid, regardless of date of acceptance. If you wish to keep a copy of the current CIW Certification Agreement for your personal records, you may download a PDF version of it here.

I just took my first CIW certification exam, but all I have is my score report. What should I do next?

Your exam result will be automatically transmitted to the CIW Candidate Information Center within 24 hours. An automated e-mail message will be sent to you when your exam result has been imported. If you have not previously done so, you can log in to the CIW Candidate Information Center and review your certification record.

For more details on how to access your certification, see the Receiving your Certificate page.

I failed my first attempt at a CIW exam, so I am studying to take it again. Can I see the questions and answers that I missed on the CIW exam I took?

No, CIW does not release exam items in any form, either questions or answers. This procedure is standard for high-stakes IT certification exams, and helps maintain the value of the credential.

All CIW exam items are copyrighted material. To maintain the security and value of our program, we reserve the right to decertify and/or bar from exams any individual who in any way attempts to republish, distribute, disclose or use our copyrighted certification exam items in an unauthorized manner. You agree to these non-disclosure conditions and other rules by accepting the CIW Certification Agreement, which was presented at the start of your exam.

I think my CIW exam may have been scored incorrectly. What recourse do I have to investigate this?

If you feel that a physical or technical problem interfered with your performance on an exam, please contact the management staff of your testing center promptly for remediation. If your local testing center is not helpful, contact the testing service provider’s regional customer service via its Web site or contact phone numbers for further assistance. If you took your exam remotely, contact the testing service’s Candidate Service team directly.

Note that all CIW exams are computer based, and are scored immediately upon conclusion of the exam. To date, there have been no instances of scoring errors in the automated systems used to deliver CIW exams. CIW exams can be challenged for validity of item content. If you believe you have a legitimate reason to challenge the results of your recent CIW certification exam, you must complete the CIW Exam Item Challenge Form. The directions on the form detail the submission process. Upon receiving your CIW Exam Item Challenge Form, the CIW certification team will review your challenge, consulting content development staff and subject matter experts as necessary. Once the review has been completed, you will be notified of the results by e-mail. Please allow up to 10 business days for a response to your challenge.

I think the person who administered my exam did not follow the rules correctly (or, I had technical issues during my exam). Can this be investigated?

Yes. If you believe the Proctor responsible for supervising your exam did not behave according to CIW program rules, please contact us using the form on https://ciwcertified.com/contact/. Please provide as much detail about your exam experience as possible. Since CIW has multiple testing services, the approach we take may vary, depending on which system you took your exam in. We can investigate with our customer schools, to determine if there was a local issue. Or, if you took your exam through Certiverse’s remote proctoring service, we can review the recording of your exam attempt. If we agree there was an issue, disciplinary action may be taken regarding the school CTC Proctor.. If CIW confirms that Proctor actions or technical issues beyond anyone’s control interfered with your ability to complete a fair attempt at a CIW exam, we will make arrangements for you to retry the exam at no extra cost.

Someone I know was using a website that seemed to have exam questions and answers on it. Is this cheating?

Possibly. Numerous Web sites offer so-called practice exams and other test preparation tools. These sites, known as braindumps, are collections of exam items that have been stolen from high- stakes certification exams. Several international organizations publish, distribute and sell these items illegally, under thousands of different organization names and Internet domains. Using these collections is a violation of the CIW Certification Agreement and is grounds for decertification. If you are considering a practice test tool and are not sure of the legitimacy of a particular site, you can check it using CertGuard’s free search tool at www.certguard.com/search.asp. We strongly recommend using official CIW courseware, to prepare for exams. Our courseware includes a variety of quizzes, assessments and practice exams specifically designed to prepare you for the corresponding certification exam.

How do I review my CIW certification history and contact information?

You can review your contact information and certification history at the CIW Candidate Information Center. You can use that site to generate your electronic certificate, review/confirm your mailing address, publish your transcripts, and download logos. You will need information from your Official CIW Exam Score Report the first time you log in to the CIW Candidate Information Center. In this site, you can download your certificate, and generate a transcript of your credentials. For more details on how to access your certification, see the Receiving your Certificate page.

I took my CIW exam yesterday, but I am still not able to log in to the CIW Candidate Information Center. Why?

It normally takes one to three days for the exam results to be transmitted from a testing center to the CIW Candidate Information Center. Please be patient while this data is transmitted. If more than two weeks have passed since you took your CIW exam, and your results are still not available, please notify us using the Program Information Request form. Be sure to include complete information from your Official CIW Exam Score Report, including your name as it is spelled on the score report, registration ID, testing ID, site ID, etc. This information will help us locate your record and determine the status of your exam result and certification.

I took CIW exams several years ago. I recently tried to log in to the CIW Candidate Information Center, but am unable to get in. How can I reset my username/password?

Contact us using the Program Information Request form. Be sure to provide complete information (address, exam score information, registration ID, current and former e-mail addresses) so that we can locate your certification record. Once we have located your record, we will send instructions on how to access your certification profile. Follow the instructions in that message to recover your account in the CIW Candidate Information Center.

Why does my record in the CIW Candidate Information Center say that I am enrolled in several programs? I did not register for these programs.

You can ignore messages about enrollment history. This message is a technical requirement of the database that powers the CIW Candidate Information Center. Some CIW certifications are awarded when multiple exams have been passed. Passing one exam may enroll you in the composite program, as well as the individual program. It does not mean you are scheduled for any additional courses or exams.

My name is spelled incorrectly in the CIW Candidate Information Center, and I am unable to change this. How can this be fixed?

Contact us using the Program Information Request form so we can investigate. Include your CIW ID and the complete information from your Official CIW Exam Score Report, including your name as it is spelled on the score report and the way it should be correctly spelled. We will update your name in the CIW Candidate Information Center.

Certificates and Logos

I logged in to the CIW Candidate Information Center, verified that my address is correct, and verified that I have met all requirements for certification. But I still have not received my certificate in the mail. Why?

As of September 2014, CIW no longer physically mails paper based certificates. You can now generate your certificate immediately in the CIW Candidate Information Center. See the Receiving your Certificate page for more information.

My employer needs immediate proof that I have earned my CIW certification. How can I prove that I am CIW certified now?

You can download a PDF file of your certificate, and deliver that to your employer. You can also generate a transcript of your credentials and/or passed exams. Once you have created your transcript, you can generate a link that you can give out. The link will show the exams and certifications earned to date. See the Receiving your Certificate page for more information.

I have earned CIW certification. Where can I get a CIW logo to put on my business cards?

CIW logos can be downloaded from the CIW Candidate Information Center. Expand the “Credentials” section and click on “Download logos.” Locate the tile for the credential you want, and click the “Download” link.

General Info about CIW Exams

CIW touts its curricula as “vendor-neutral.” How does this apply to CIW certification exams?

CIW exams are also vendor-neutral and therefore do not include questions about vendor-specific applications, such as word-processing, Web design or graphics programs. The CIW certification program tests vendor-neutral Internet job-role skills, rather than computer application knowledge. Some CIW exams may ask questions that compare programs and services from multiple vendors, for purposes of examining knowledge of underlying theory.

Are CIW exam objectives updated when CIW courseware is updated?

CIW exam objectives are not necessarily changed when CIW courseware is updated. CIW exam objectives persist throughout the life of the exam.

Like most high-stakes certification exams, CIW revises objectives (and exam versions) periodically. By contrast, CIW courseware is updated more frequently to include errata corrections and changes to industry standards, technology or application software. However, current CIW courseware always covers the current CIW exam objectives.

I am taking a CIW course in school. I noticed that the course version does not correspond to the exam versions. How can I be sure that the courseware I’m using is preparing me for the right exam?

CIW courseware versions use different numbering schemes than CIW exam versions. A courseware version number represents an independent content revision cycle only for that course. Exam version numbers represent a set of technology skills objectives. For more information about courseware, exams and programs, visit the CIW Certifications section.

What happens when a CIW exam is retired, and can I still receive credit for having passed a retired exam?

A CIW exam may be retired for various reasons, including the release of a new exam series, changes to related certification programs, or determination by the IT industry that a job role has evolved or become obsolete.

Once retired, the exam is no longer available at testing services, although in some cases candidates can still apply a previously passed exam result toward a multi-exam certification. For more information about retired CIW exams, see the Exam Retirement page. CIW provides at least six months’ notice for retirement of any exam, so that interested candidates have time to prepare and take the exam while it is still available. Retirement notices are posted on our Web site. You can find information about retirement status for a particular exam by visiting that exam’s Certification Series page.

I want to take a CIW exam in a language other than English. Does CIW offer translated versions of its exams in other languages?

Translation of CIW exams into other languages is available to selected international partners. Your local training provider can advise you about availability of exams in your local language. The CIW Internet Business Associate exam 1D0-61A is also available in Spanish to select CIW Academy customers. Contact your Account Manager directly for more details about this.

What does the CIW acronym stand for?

The CIW brand has come to represent quality standards in IT and Web-based certification, education and skills validation. The program’s original name has evolved and is therefore de-emphasized in favor of the simple CIW brand. The acronym “CIW” was adopted to represent a family of professional certifications and associated curriculum originally known as the Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW). Since then the CIW program grew to include job-role certifications that exceed the boundaries of the Internet and the role of the Webmaster. CIW certifications now validate skills and expertise in more advanced and diverse IT disciplines, such as server administration, security, application development, programming languages and enterprise solutions, as well as computer and Web skills practical for every job. As such, the program title was modified for the 21st century to “Certified Internet Web Professional.”

Before Taking an Exam

Exam Results and Candidate Records

Certificates and Logos

CIW Program Specifics

Before Taking an Exam

Exam Results and Candidate Records

Certificates and Logos

General Info about CIW Exams

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