CCP · CFCC · DRMP
AACE International's cost-engineering and project-controls credentials — the Certified Cost Professional (CCP), Certified Forensic Claims Consultant (CFCC), and Decision & Risk Management Professional (DRMP) — are the benchmark designations recognized on EPC megaprojects, by owner organizations, and in construction-claims litigation worldwide. Unlike a quick multiple-choice cert, each AACE exam pairs a dense 5-hour technical battery with a written memo, and the eligibility bar runs to 8–12 years of verifiable experience. This page breaks down exactly what each exam tests, how Kryterion delivers it, and how to get it done right the first time.
Pay Only After You Pass
No upfront fee — you settle only after your verified passing result. We advertise guaranteed results — 100% pass guaranteed or money back.
Three professional and expertise certifications under AACE International — and where each one fits
| Credential | Code | Level & focus | Core eligibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certified Cost Professional | CCP | Professional · Total Cost Management — estimating, cost control, performance | 8 yrs experience (4-yr degree = 4 yrs) |
| Certified Forensic Claims Consultant | CFCC | Expertise · Construction claims & disputes / expert testimony | Degree + 12 yrs claims + prior cert + report |
| Decision & Risk Management Professional | DRMP | Expertise · Decision analysis, cost & schedule risk | 8 yrs experience (4-yr degree = 4 yrs) |
All three are issued by the AACE International Certification Institute and graded on a 70% overall pass mark. The CCP is the cornerstone professional designation; the CFCC and DRMP are expertise-level credentials that typically sit above a core certification. AACE also offers core and technician certifications (CCT, CEP, EVP, PSP, PRMP) that share the same Kryterion delivery — ask us if your target sits outside this trio.
How the AACE exams are built — using the CCP as the reference design
119
The CCP technical battery is 119 questions — a mix of straight recall and longer scenario items drawn from the AACE Total Cost Management framework and Skills & Knowledge of Cost Engineering body.
1
A short business memo written during the test. It replaced the old 2,500-word standalone technical paper in June 2024 and is graded for communication, structure, and applied judgment — not just spelling.
5h
One continuous 5-hour window covers both the multiple-choice questions and the memo. Most candidates budget roughly 3.5–4 hours for the MCQs and reserve 60–90 minutes for the memo.
The CCP is a closed-book exam: no reference materials or notes. AACE provides formula sheets directly on screen and permits a battery-operated calculator, so the test rewards being able to set up the right equation under pressure rather than memorizing constants. The CFCC and DRMP follow the same closed-environment, proctored format.
There is no per-domain cutoff. Your scores across Cost Management, Interfacing with Other Disciplines, Performance Analysis, and the Communication memo are blended into a single overall average, and 70% clears it. That means a weak domain can be offset by a strong one — but a missed memo can quietly sink an otherwise solid technical score.
The four scored CCP areas — bars show each domain's share of the 119-question technical battery
55 questions — the heart of the exam. Cost estimating, cost control, budgeting, cash flow, the time value of money, and economic analysis across the asset and project life cycle.
40 questions on planning, scheduling, earned value management, forecasting, change management, and progress/productivity measurement on live projects.
24 questions on how cost engineering connects to procurement, quality, risk, contracts, and project management — the cross-functional context cost professionals work within.
A written memo, scored as its own competency. You read a workplace scenario and draft a clear, well-organized business memo demonstrating technical insight and effective communication.
The DRMP mirrors this design with risk- and decision-focused domains plus a memo where you choose a risk-based or decision-based scenario; the CFCC swaps the topic set for construction-claims forensics and dispute analysis while keeping the 5-hour, 70%-overall structure. Many candidates underestimate the memo — a strong technical performer can still fall under 70% overall by writing a thin or disorganized memo.
All three AACE exams run through Kryterion — two ways to sit, and what test day looks like
You sit the exam in a monitored room at a Kryterion-affiliated testing center, available worldwide. Center staff verify your government-issued photo ID against your AACE application, store your belongings, and administer the closed-book session under AACE's proctoring procedures.
For candidates who can't travel to a center, AACE offers Online Proctoring facilitated by Kryterion through its Webassessor platform with the Respondus lockdown environment. You must run a system check, lock down your browser, complete a webcam room scan and ID check, and be monitored live by a remote proctor for the full 5 hours.
Webassessor verifies your hardware, webcam, microphone, and bandwidth, then launches the Respondus secure browser. Second monitors, other apps, and virtual machines are blocked before the exam unlocks.
A valid government photo ID and a 360° webcam scan of your room. Clear desk, no notes, no phone within reach — only the on-screen formula sheets and an approved calculator are allowed.
Stay on camera and in frame the whole session. A dropped connection, leaving your seat, or talking aloud can flag the attempt — a real risk on a five-hour exam that few candidates plan for.
AACE credentials gate cost-engineering and project-controls careers
These are experience-gated credentials — the bar is genuinely high
Difficulty: The real pain points are scope and stamina. The CCP draws from a thick body of cost-engineering knowledge, the math is calculation-heavy, and you have to hold focus for five hours while still leaving time to write a graded memo. Working professionals juggling a megaproject schedule often can't carve out the months of study the breadth demands — exactly the pressure point our help is built to remove.
The CCP, CFCC, and DRMP are broad, calculation-heavy, five-hour exams that working cost and project-controls professionals rarely have time to prepare for. Exam Assist pairs you with a vetted cost-engineering specialist and works on a pay-after-you-pass model — so the risk sits with us, not you. No upfront fee, guaranteed results: Exam Assist handles the sitting end to end, and you settle only after the verified result.
Tell us which credential (CCP, CFCC, or DRMP), your delivery method (Kryterion center or online), your registration window, and your timeline. Takes a couple of minutes over WhatsApp, Telegram, or Discord.
We review your timeline and target and tell you plainly whether it's realistic — before any money is discussed. If it isn't a fit, we say so.
Exam Assist handles the sitting end to end. You're matched with a specialist who maps the work around the four scored areas, the 70% overall pass mark, the memo, and the Kryterion Webassessor / Respondus environment — discreetly and confidentially.
You only pay once your passing result is confirmed by AACE. No verified result, nothing owed.
Our project-management and cost-credential service — pay only after a verified pass.
ProctoringAACE online proctoring runs on Webassessor with Respondus — here's how we handle it discreetly.
ProctoringWhat remote, webcam-monitored Kryterion sessions involve — and how we work within them.
Start a confidential, pay-after-you-pass conversation about your CCP, CFCC, or DRMP.
Straight answers about the AACE CCP, CFCC, and DRMP
Sibling project-management and project-controls certifications
Pair with a vetted cost-engineering specialist on a results-first arrangement. No upfront fee — settle only after a verified passing result.
Start the conversation PMPPMI's flagship project-management credential — the most common companion certification for cost and controls professionals.
View exam PMI-RMPPMI's risk credential — a close cousin of AACE's DRMP for professionals who specialize in project risk.
View exam PMI-SPPMI's scheduling credential — overlaps directly with the planning and performance domains of AACE's CCP.
View exam PRINCE2PeopleCert's project-method credential — common across EPC and infrastructure programs where AACE is also valued.
View exam PMI-ACPPMI's agile credential — a useful complement for cost and controls professionals moving into hybrid delivery.
View examGet expert CCP, CFCC, or DRMP help with no upfront fee — you settle only after your verified passing result. Honest feasibility answer first, results-first arrangement always.