The Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC) is the foundational credential from the International Association of Accessibility Professionals. It tests conceptual knowledge of disability, accessibility, universal design and accessibility law rather than coding skill. It suits designers, project managers, QA testers, procurement staff, legal teams and anyone who owns accessibility outcomes without personally building the fixes.
IAAP created the CPACC so employers and clients have a shared way to confirm that someone understands accessibility beyond a single technology or country. It validates broad, cross disciplinary knowledge in three areas: disabilities, accessibility with universal design, and the standards, laws and management strategies around them.
Because the credential is nontechnical, it often serves as the first step on the IAAP path. Professionals who later add the technical Web Accessibility Specialist (WAS) credential can hold both, which IAAP recognizes as the Certified Professional in Web Accessibility (CPWA). No separate exam is needed for the CPWA.
IAAP’s handbook describes a minimum of one year of accessibility related experience. Candidates without that experience can explain how the credential connects to their goals or current role. Treat this as a stated expectation to read carefully in the current IAAP handbook rather than as a barrier to registering. There is no degree requirement and no coding prerequisite.
The exam has 100 multiple choice questions, each with four possible answers and one correct choice. It is proctored and closed book. Many questions are short scenarios that ask you to identify the model, principle or law that best explains a situation, so memorized definitions only go part of the way.
Candidates report a two hour time limit. Scoring is scaled, and published passing score figures differ between sources, ranging from percentages in the mid 60s to the low 70s. That inconsistency is a good reason to check the current IAAP candidate handbook instead of relying on a single number. Results usually arrive several weeks after the exam session closes, because IAAP scores candidates by session rather than individually.
IAAP publishes the CPACC Body of Knowledge, and the exam is written from it.
Disabilities, Challenges and Assistive Technologies (40%). This covers theoretical models of disability such as the medical, social and biopsychosocial models, along with sensory, motor, cognitive and speech disabilities. It also covers assistive technologies like screen readers, switch access and eye gaze systems.
Accessibility and Universal Design (40%). Expect the POUR principles from WCAG (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust), the seven principles of Universal Design, and the difference between an individual accommodation and a system level design solution.
Accessibility Standards, Laws and Management Strategies (20%). This is the most international domain. It draws on frameworks such as the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the European Accessibility Act, EN 301 549 and national laws. Candidates who know only one country’s rules tend to lose points here.
Registration runs through your IAAP account, where you submit an application and then pay for an exam session. Exam sessions have application windows and deadlines, so check the IAAP certification pages for current dates before planning your study schedule. Handbook guidance indicates that exam payments are valid for one year and are not refundable, and that rescheduling or transferring can carry extra fees.
Pricing depends on IAAP membership and your region. Recent third party sources report member fees near $385 and nonmember fees between roughly $465 and $485, with a reduced rate for eligible emerging economies. These figures change, so confirm the exact amount on IAAP’s site before you pay.
The credential is valid for three years. To renew, certificants earn Continuing Accessibility Education Credits (CAECs) through approved activities such as training, conferences and teaching. Secondary sources cite 45 CAECs per cycle, though you should verify the current requirement and any renewal fee in the IAAP handbook.
The CPACC carries weight in roles where accessibility decisions are made rather than coded. UX and product designers use it to justify design choices to stakeholders. Procurement and compliance teams use the knowledge to evaluate vendor accessibility claims and reports. Program managers use it to run accessibility programs against laws across several countries. For testers and developers, it supplies the disability knowledge that makes WCAG success criteria meaningful, and it prepares them for the WAS exam.
The Body of Knowledge should be your primary study source, since the exam is built from it. Once you have worked through it, our free CPACC practice tests let you check recall across all three domains, with explanations for each answer so you can see which concept you confused. Because IAAP releases only a limited set of sample questions, extra scenario practice is useful, but no practice set can replace studying the official material.
Last updated on Oct, 16 2026
