ACAMS's own FAQ states the CAMS exam consists of 120 multiple-choice questions covering both theoretical knowledge and practical scenario-based problems.
The CAMS factsheet describes a 3.5-hour, computer-based and proctored exam that can be taken online or at a testing center.
The CAMS package - study guide, flashcards, four core courses, two electives, exam simulator, and the exam itself - lists at US$2,095 private sector and US$1,595 public sector.
ACAMS requires 40 eligibility credits built from experience, certifications, education, and training, plus an active ACAMS membership, before it approves an application.
What the CAMS Exam Actually Tests
CAMS is ACAMS's specialist-level certification for anti-money laundering work, positioned for professionals with 18 to 24 months of anti-financial-crime experience and for people working in, or moving into, the second and third lines of defense. ACAMS names the common roles directly: MLRO and BSA Officer, Compliance Officer, Risk Manager, Internal Auditor, Head of Compliance, Head of KYC, and Head of Transaction Monitoring. The vendor counts more than 65,000 CAMS-certified members to date inside a 120,000-plus member AFC community.
The exam format is stated in two places and they agree: ACAMS's FAQ says the CAMS exam consists of 120 multiple-choice questions covering both theoretical knowledge and practical scenario-based problems, a timed, computer-based test lasting three and a half hours. The official CAMS factsheet repeats the 3.5-hour, 120-question structure and adds the delivery sentence that matters for planning: it can be taken online or at a testing center.
The preparation spine is four core courses - Understanding Risks and Methods of Financial Crime; Global AFC Frameworks, Governance, and Regulations; Building an AFC Compliance Program; and Tools and Technologies to Fight Financial Crime - plus two electives, one Sector-Specific AML Case Studies course and one AML Regulatory Framework course, each 90 minutes plus a post-course assessment. The package also includes an exam simulator with more than 1,000 practice questions and progress tracking, though ACAMS notes the simulator runs in only a few languages and other languages include a 100-question practice exam instead.
One honesty note you will not get from most prep sites: ACAMS does not publish a CAMS passing score on its candidate-facing pages. Any site quoting an exact CAMS pass percentage is guessing. What ACAMS publishes is the question count, the timing, the eligibility rule, and the price - and that is what this page is built on.
| Element | Published value |
|---|---|
| Questions | 120 multiple-choice (knowledge plus scenario-based problems) |
| Time | 3.5 hours, timed, computer-based, proctored |
| Delivery | Online from home via Pearson OnVUE, or at a Pearson test center |
| Eligibility | 40 credits plus active ACAMS membership |
| Package price | US$2,095 private sector / US$1,595 public sector |
| Languages | Eleven, including English, Arabic, French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and simplified and traditional Chinese |
Scroll horizontally to view all columns.
At Home via OnVUE or at a Pearson Test Center
The delivery answer is official on both sides. ACAMS's CAMS factsheet states the exam can be taken online or at a testing center, and Pearson VUE runs a dedicated ACAMS OnVUE online testing page where you log in to schedule, reschedule, or cancel an online-proctored sitting. Scheduling runs through your ACAMS account into the Pearson VUE exam scheduling system once ACAMS approves your application - typically within five business days - and you have six months from approval to take the exam.
The at-home route carries published minimums worth knowing before you book. Your computer runs Windows 10 or macOS 14 or higher with a working webcam, microphone, and speaker - no headphones or headsets - on a single display. Your connection needs at least 6 Mbps download and 2 Mbps upload, stable, and every application except OnVUE closes. Prohibited on exam day: virtual machines and beta operating systems, phones, tablets, headphones, earbuds, styluses and watches, smart or connected devices with recording or AI features, secondary or touchscreen displays, and VPN, corporate, or public and shared networks.
Pearson's rule is to run and pass its System Test on the same device and network you will use on exam day, restart the computer beforehand, and keep everyone else off the network. ACAMS and Pearson are explicit about the stakes: fail to meet the minimum requirements on exam day and the exam can be cancelled immediately with the exam fee forfeited.
What the CAMS Attempt Costs, Including the Retake Math
The CAMS package is priced by sector on ACAMS's own page: US$2,095 private sector and US$1,595 public sector. That package is not just a seat - it bundles the study guide PDF, flashcards, the four core courses, two elective courses, the exam simulator tool, and the certification exam itself. Bundling the Virtual Classroom Series - a live, web-based four-to-six-week course led by ACAMS experts in weekly one-to-two-hour sessions - takes the total to US$2,495 or US$2,095 by sector, a stated saving of up to US$195 against buying separately; the series alone lists at US$595.
Two add-on fees complete the picture. A retake after a failed attempt costs US$299 and is scheduled through your ACAMS account. An exam extension, if you need more time before your eligibility expires, costs US$100. ACAMS does not publish a retake waiting period on its candidate pages - anyone quoting you a fixed CAMS retake wait is inventing it.
The renewal budget matters too. CAMS recertifies every three years: keep an active ACAMS membership, meet the 60 recertification credit requirement, pay a recertification fee, and submit an online application. The designation is never a one-time purchase - it is a three-year cycle of credits and membership on top of the package price.
Where CAMS Attempts Actually Go Wrong
The first failure point is eligibility, not knowledge. ACAMS gates the exam behind 40 eligibility credits, and the math trips people: the four core certificates contribute 18 credits, each elective adds 1, and a Virtual Classroom Series adds 12 - but membership itself, though mandatory, contributes zero. Candidates who buy the package assuming membership alone qualifies them discover the application is a separate hurdle with its own evidence requirements.
The second is the scenario-based half of the paper. ACAMS states the 120 questions mix theoretical knowledge with practical scenario-based problems. Scenario items reward applied judgment - what a compliance program should do next, which red flag escalates - and that is a different skill from recognizing definitions. Professionals who memorized the glossary without working cases meet the format unprepared.
The third is the six-month clock and the fee structure around it. The exam must be taken within six months of application approval; an extension costs US$100; a failed attempt costs US$299; and an exam-day setup that fails Pearson's minimum requirements can forfeit the fee outright. None of those numbers appear on a study guide, and each one is real money.
The fourth is the three-year horizon. CAMS is recertified every three years against 60 recertification credits and an active membership. Candidates who treat the exam as the finish line find the designation lapses on a cycle they never budgeted for.
How the Service Works
You send the brief
You get a straight feasibility answer
The sitting is handled end to end
You pay after the result
What You Get
Current-format confirmation
At-home or center delivery
End-to-end sitting management
Pay-after-pass terms
How We Think About Exam Security
Every CAMS sitting runs as a computer-based, proctored exam - at home under Pearson's OnVUE monitoring or inside a Pearson test center - and ACAMS's package, eligibility, and recertification rules are published for every candidate to read. That is the published environment, and it is why we plan every engagement around the official delivery rules - the published OnVUE room, equipment, and network requirements or the test-center equivalent - instead of against them.
You will see cheaper offers that promise the world on this exam. Ask them what happens when the proctoring record meets the certification file. Our model only makes money when your pass posts and stays posted, which is exactly the outcome you are paying for.
What we control is the quality, discretion, and privacy of the engagement: an honest feasibility answer before anything starts, a structured execution plan, and a fee that follows the result. Your details stay private, and if your situation makes the service a bad fit, we tell you before you spend anything.
The Payment Model, Stated Plainly
You pay the service fee only after the agreed result posts. ACAMS's own costs - the US$2,095 or US$1,595 package, any Virtual Classroom add-on, and any US$299 retake or US$100 extension fees - are the exam's own costs, separate from the service fee, and we tell you the full picture up front so there are no surprise line items.
We accept the usual range of payment methods and can work around procurement constraints for employer-sponsored sittings - ask in the first message and you will get a straight answer.
What AML Professionals Say
A regulator exam cycle put CAMS on my objectives with a hard date. They confirmed the 120-question format and the current package against ACAMS's page, handled the OnVUE sitting at home, and I paid after the pass posted to my ACAMS account.
Forty credits documented, membership active, no time to prep between audits. The feasibility answer was straight, the CAMS sitting was handled end to end, and the fee came after the result.
Needed CAMS for an MLRO appointment. Scheduling, check-in, and the sitting were all handled, with the package, retake, and extension fees separated and visible from day one.
ACAMS CAMS Exam Questions
Can the CAMS exam be taken online from home?
How much does the CAMS exam cost?
What is the CAMS exam format?
What are the CAMS eligibility requirements?
What score do I need to pass the CAMS exam?
How long is CAMS valid, and how do I keep it?
Book Your CAMS Sitting
Send your role, your eligibility-credit standing, your window, and your deadline. You get an honest feasibility answer against the current exam coverage, and if the engagement makes sense, the sitting is handled end to end - at home via OnVUE or at a Pearson test center - with the service fee due only after your pass posts.
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