What is the GARP SCR exam?
The SCR is GARP's Sustainability and Climate Risk Certificate exam: 80 equally weighted multiple-choice questions, including one multi-part case study, completed in a maximum of four hours and graded pass/fail. It runs only in April and October windows, and it can be sat at a Pearson VUE test center or online from home through Pearson VUE's OnVUE proctoring - the delivery choice GARP publishes on the exam's logistics page.
Registration is priced by your standing with GARP rather than one flat number: for the April 2027 window, FRM, RAI, or ERP credential holders pay 525 USD early and 625 USD standard, Individual Members pay 550 and 650, and Non-Members pay 650 and 750, plus applicable taxes. Registration includes the digital curriculum, two full-length practice exams, and the Climate PAL tool on GARP Learning.
What is the SCR exam format?
Eighty questions, four hours, one yardstick per question. GARP's SCR FAQ states the exam consists of 80 equally weighted multiple-choice questions, including one case study built from multi-part questions, and that candidates have a maximum of four hours. There is no penalty structure to game and no section timing to manage - the clock is the whole exam, and every question carries the same weight.
The level is deliberately accessible. GARP states the exam is not highly quantitative - a few questions require limited multiplication and division, an understanding of ratios or measurement units, or reading graphs and tables. No work experience is required to sit, and the exam is offered in American English only. GARP estimates 100 to 150 hours of preparation and reviews the curriculum annually, releasing new study materials each December 1 for the following calendar year.
The case study is the design decision to respect. Because every question is equally weighted, the multi-part scenario is where preparation separates from reading: it asks you to apply the frameworks to a described organization, not recite them. Candidates who drill only single-fact questions meet an item type they did not train for.
What does the SCR exam cover?
Ten chapters, plus required online readings that are also examinable. Per GARP's SCR Study Materials page, the official curriculum runs: Foundations of Climate Change; Sustainability; Climate Change Risk; Sustainability and Climate Policy, Culture, and Governance; Green and Sustainable Finance: Markets and Instruments; Climate Risk Measurement and Management; Climate Models and Scenario Analysis; Net Zero; Climate and Nature Risk Assessment; and Transition Planning and Carbon Reporting.
The arc is deliberate: physical science first, then the policy and governance layer, then the practitioner core - measurement, scenario analysis, net zero, nature risk, and transition planning. GARP's Study Guide and Learning Objectives document lists the number of exam questions per chapter, which is the closest thing to an official weighting the program publishes.
| Chapter | Topic |
|---|---|
| 1 | Foundations of Climate Change: What Is Climate Change? |
| 2 | Sustainability |
| 3 | Climate Change Risk |
| 4 | Sustainability and Climate Policy, Culture, and Governance |
| 5 | Green and Sustainable Finance: Markets and Instruments |
| 6 | Climate Risk Measurement and Management |
| 7 | Climate Models and Scenario Analysis |
| 8 | Net Zero |
| 9 | Climate and Nature Risk Assessment |
| 10 | Transition Planning and Carbon Reporting |
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When does the SCR exam run, and what does it cost?
The SCR is a fixed-window exam, not a year-round one. Per GARP's logistics page retrieved 2026-10-22, the October 17-25, 2026 window is closed to new registration; the next window is April 17-21, 2027, with early registration December 1, 2026 through January 31, 2027 and standard registration February 1 through March 31, 2027; an October 16-20, 2027 window follows. Scheduling closes before the window does - October 2026 scheduling ended October 23 - so the workable deadline is earlier than the last exam date.
The fee ladder for April 2027 runs by candidate status: FRM, RAI, or ERP holders 525 USD early and 625 USD standard; Individual Members 550 and 650; Non-Members 650 and 750, plus applicable taxes. Registration includes GARP Learning with the current curriculum, two full-length practice exams, and the Climate PAL tool; the printed book costs 100 USD plus shipping for registered candidates.
One discrepancy worth knowing before you budget a retake: GARP's current fees page states a one-time reduced retake price of 300 USD for either of the next two windows, while the SCR FAQ text still shows 350 USD for the same rule. Treat the fees-page figure as operative and confirm at registration.
| Candidate status | Early (Dec 1 - Jan 31) | Standard (Feb 1 - Mar 31) |
|---|---|---|
| FRM / RAI / ERP holder | USD 525 | USD 625 |
| GARP Individual Member | USD 550 | USD 650 |
| Non-member | USD 650 | USD 750 |
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Can you take the SCR exam online from home?
Yes - verified at three layers on 2026-10-22. GARP's SCR Exam Logistics page offers two formats: computer-based testing at a Pearson VUE center, or online proctoring remotely through Pearson VUE's OnVUE system at a location of your choice. Pearson's live GARP registration flow renders the SCR exam - id 42366 - without sign-in, and its delivery-options step offers In-person at a test center and Online with OnVUE. The official OnVUE view-all catalog lists GARP for home testing.
The at-home rules are Pearson's dedicated GARP OnVUE minimums: Windows 10 or macOS 14 or higher, one display, a working webcam, microphone, and speaker with no headphones, at least 6 Mbps down and 2 Mbps up, every other application closed, and no VPN or corporate network. Check-in runs through your GARP account into OnVUE with equipment and network checks, phone photos of you, your ID, and your workspace, and a room scan. GARP's FAQ adds the hard rules: no breaks during the online session, and a phone accessed after check-in terminates the exam.
How do SCR results, retakes, and the certificate work?
Results are window-based, not instant. GARP scores exams after the window closes and emails candidates when results post to the GARP candidate portal, within four to six weeks of the window's closing. The exam is pass/fail - no scaled score is published to the candidate - and passers receive an electronic certificate of completion and a complimentary digital badge.
If you do not pass - or if you register and never schedule or sit - the current fees page allows one reduced-price re-registration at 300 USD for either of the next two exam windows; after those windows, full fees apply. Because results take four to six weeks, a retake plan is really a next-window plan, which is why the fixed April and October calendar matters so much to deadlines.
On policies: GARP's SCR Exam Policies page is marked as last revised December 1, 2020. It states refunds must be requested within 48 hours of payment and describes a one-time deferral to the next window with an administrative fee - reasonable guidance, but dated, so confirm current terms with GARP Member Services before relying on them. CPD of 20 credits per two-year cycle is encouraged for certificate holders, not mandatory.
The short version
The SCR is GARP's climate-risk certificate exam: 80 equally weighted questions with one multi-part case study in four hours, pass/fail, a ten-chapter syllabus plus required readings, April and October windows only, and a 525-to-750 USD fee ladder by candidate status - with online delivery verified per exam in Pearson's live GARP flow on 2026-10-22.
If the sitting is the part you want handled, Exam Assist manages the SCR exam end to end - the GARP registration, the Pearson delivery choice, the system checks, and the proctored sitting - and the service fee is due only after the agreed result posts. Start at the booking page or open the SCR service page for the sitting itself.