- How EVP Exam Dates Actually Work
- The Six-Month Clearance Window
- Eligibility Review Comes Before Any Date
- Test-Center vs. Online-Proctored Delivery
- Memo Grading Cycles and Result Timing
- Planning Backward From Your Exam Day
- Resits, Retake Timing and the Renewal Clock
- Test-Day Logistics and Rules
- Frequently Asked Questions
- EVP is delivered through Kryterion and Webassessor, so you schedule within your clearance window rather than waiting for a fixed national exam date.
- Clearance gives you six months and up to three attempts, including two reduced-fee resits at USD 260 each.
- The five-hour exam has 119 multiple-choice and compound-scenario questions plus one written memo; approved breaks do not pause the timer.
- Memo grading runs in monthly cycles starting around the 15th, with results about two to three weeks after grading begins.
How EVP Exam Dates Actually Work
Many candidates search for a list of 2026 "exam dates" the way they would for a certification that runs only in fixed national sittings. The Earned Value Professional (EVP) credential from AACE International does not work that way. The AACE International Certification Institute administers the exam through Kryterion, using Webassessor to deliver it at a test center or through an online-proctored session. That means the practical question is not "which date was published?" but "when will I be cleared, and when within my clearance window will I sit?"
This distinction changes how you plan. Instead of reverse-engineering a single deadline, you control two things: when you submit your application for eligibility review, and when you book your seat after clearance. The rest of this guide walks through each step so you can build a realistic calendar. If you want the broader picture first, our overview of what EVP certification is explains the credential itself, and the EVP requirements guide covers the qualifying criteria in detail.
The Six-Month Clearance Window
The single most important timing rule for the EVP exam is the clearance window. Once AACE clears your application, you receive six months to use up to three attempts. Those three attempts include the first sitting plus two reduced-fee resits. If the six months pass before you pass the exam, you must submit a new full-fee registration to continue.
| Item | EVP Detail |
|---|---|
| Clearance period | Six months from clearance |
| Maximum attempts in window | Three (first attempt plus two resits) |
| First-attempt fee (member) | USD 525 |
| First-attempt fee (nonmember) | USD 690 |
| Resit fee (either category) | USD 260 |
| After the window expires | New full-fee registration required |
| Refund policy | Fees are nonrefundable |
Because the clock starts at clearance rather than at registration, the smart move is to submit your application when you are roughly ready to begin focused preparation, not months before. Clearing too early burns calendar time you could have spent studying. Clearing too late with a rushed study plan risks wasting a nonrefundable fee. For a full breakdown of what you will spend across attempts, see the EVP certification cost guide.
Key Takeaway
Treat the six-month window as a budget of time and attempts. Plan your first sitting for roughly the midpoint so that, if needed, a resit still fits inside the same clearance period without forcing a new full-fee registration.
Eligibility Review Comes Before Any Date
You cannot book a seat until AACE reviews and clears your application, so eligibility is effectively the first "deadline" in your timeline. The application and exam fee covers both the eligibility review and the computer-based testing, so you pay once up front. Requirements include:
- Eight years of industry-related experience, or four years of industry-related experience plus a related four-year college degree
- Employer verification of that experience
- Degree evidence where the degree-plus-four-years path applies
- Adherence to AACE's Canons of Ethics
Employer verification is the step most likely to stall a calendar. If your supervisor travels, changes roles or works in a slow-response organization, build in extra days. A common mistake is paying the fee and then waiting on paperwork while the plan sits idle. Gather your employment history, degree documentation and verifier contact details before you submit. Membership in AACE is optional; it only changes the price tier (USD 525 member versus USD 690 nonmember), not eligibility or scheduling rights. Preparatory courses and study-material purchases are also optional, so they should never gate your application timing.
For a deeper look at qualifying paths and documentation, read our EVP requirements and eligibility guide.
Test-Center vs. Online-Proctored Delivery
After clearance, you schedule through Webassessor and choose between a test center and an online-proctored session. Both are Kryterion-delivered, but the logistics differ in ways that affect when and where you can sit.
Test-Center Delivery
Test-center seating depends on local site availability, so popular days can fill. If you live far from a site, travel time becomes part of your scheduling math. The advantage is a controlled environment with no dependence on your home internet or webcam.
Online-Proctored Delivery
Online candidates use Kryterion's Respondus environment and a biometric profile. AACE permits a built-in camera, blank scratch paper and a pen or pencil. Online delivery offers more flexibility around your workday, but you must set up a quiet, compliant space and complete the biometric profile in advance. Do not leave environment checks for the morning of the exam.
Delivery-Mode Decision Points
Pick the mode that minimizes avoidable risk on a five-hour sitting.
- Unreliable home internet or a noisy household favors a test center
- Long travel distance or tight work schedules favor online proctoring
- Either mode: a stand-alone battery-operated calculator is allowed, but it is not supplied to you
- Either mode: the exam is closed book
Memo Grading Cycles and Result Timing
The EVP exam is not graded instantly. It includes 119 multiple-choice and compound-scenario questions plus one written memo, and the memo is what slows results. The Exam line counts 120 assessed items including the memo, which does not mean 120 multiple-choice questions. Because a person must grade the memo, AACE processes memos in monthly cycles. Grading normally begins around the 15th of the month, and results arrive roughly two to three weeks after grading begins. Results are reported only as pass or fail, with no immediate score screen.
This has a direct scheduling consequence. Sitting the exam shortly before the monthly cycle starts generally gets you results sooner than sitting just after it. If you sit on the 16th, your memo may wait for the next cycle. Since the clearance window is only six months, a slow result can affect when you learn whether a resit is needed, so consider this when picking your date.
| Scenario | Likely Effect |
|---|---|
| Sit shortly before the monthly grading cycle begins | Memo enters the upcoming cycle; results often arrive sooner |
| Sit shortly after grading begins | Memo may wait for the following monthly cycle |
| Need a resit after a fail | Delayed results shorten the time left in your six-month window |
Planning Backward From Your Exam Day
Once you understand the window, the cycle and the delivery options, you can plan backward. The goal is to submit your application, get cleared, and hold a preparation runway that matches the exam's blueprint, in which Analysis and Management Reports carries the heaviest weight.
The six published blueprint percentages describe the knowledge-question blueprint, not final-score allocations. They are: Organizing (12%), Perform Planning and Scheduling Duties (13%), Perform Budgeting Duties (13%), Account Considerations (11%), Analysis and Management Reports (35%) and Revisions and Data Maintenance (16%). Published question counts for Domains 1-6 are 15, 16, 15, 13, 41 and 19. Analysis and Management Reports is the largest area at 35%, with 41 questions, so it deserves the most calendar time. Our complete EVP domains guide explains each area in depth.
Foundations: Organizing and Account Considerations
- Work through Domain 1 (Organizing) and Domain 4 (Account Considerations) while your application clears
- Review the reference-version caveat: the current EVP webpage recommends EIA-748-E, while handbook p. 8 still names EIA-748-D
Planning, Scheduling and Budgeting
- Cover Domain 2 (Perform Planning and Scheduling Duties) and Domain 3 (Perform Budgeting Duties)
- Practice linking scope, schedule and budget baselines
Analysis and Management Reports
- Dedicate the longest block to Domain 5, the 35% area with 41 questions
- Drill variance analysis, performance indices and forecasting scenarios
Revisions, Communication and Memo Practice
- Review Domain 6 (Revisions and Data Maintenance)
- Write timed practice memos using AACE's Memo Writing Guidance (March 7, 2023)
This sequence is a sample, not a requirement; stretch or compress it to fit your experience level. A thorough preparation approach is laid out in our EVP study guide, and you can pressure-test your readiness with the EVP practice tests before you commit to a sitting. If you are unsure how demanding the exam is for someone with your background, see how hard the EVP exam is.
One note on source versions: the third-edition EVP study guide is preparation material, not the version date of the current exam blueprint. The authoritative blueprint is in AACE's EVP Certification Exam Handbook, updated June 22, 2026 (blueprint on pp. 10-11, scoring on p. 42). Check that handbook when you finalize your plan so your study scope matches what is actually tested.
Resits, Retake Timing and the Renewal Clock
Dates matter after you pass, too. Because the exam can be retaken inside the same clearance window, a first-attempt miss does not automatically restart your timeline. You can use the two reduced-fee resits at USD 260 each, provided they fall within the six months. Given that memo results take roughly two to three weeks after grading begins, a failure announced late in the window may leave little room for a second preparation cycle, which is another reason to avoid sitting at the very end.
For context on outcomes, AACE's 2025 Certification Progress Report (as of December 31, 2025) labels 32 EVP examinations taken and 23 passed. That works out to a calculated 71.875%, about 71.9%, for those reported 2025 examinations. This is a calculated proportion from a small sample, not an issuer-published 2026 or first-attempt pass rate. The same report records 23 certifications awarded and 437 active EVP certificants. For more on interpreting these figures, see the EVP pass rate analysis and the EVP passing score explanation, which covers the 70% overall average required across the seven domain scores.
The Three-Year Renewal Clock
Certification is valid for three years, so your pass date also sets your next deadline. Renewal requires either 12 CEUs (including at least one full CEU in each of at least two activity categories) or a passed recertification examination. Renewal by activity for a first or only certification costs USD 295 for members and USD 385 for nonmembers. Renewal by examination costs USD 525 member or USD 690 nonmember and permits one attempt with no resit. The AACE Recertification Handbook (revised February 2026) and AACE's recertification pages are the sources for these rules. Starting to log CEUs early is far cheaper than facing an exam-based renewal with no resit safety net. Weigh these ongoing costs against career upside in our EVP ROI analysis.
Key Takeaway
Put your three-year renewal date on the calendar the day you pass. Activity-based renewal is cheaper and gives you room to manage CEUs gradually, while renewal by examination offers a single attempt only.
Test-Day Logistics and Rules
Knowing the rules removes day-of surprises that can derail a five-hour sitting. You have five hours for the complete examination, covering the 119 questions and the memo. Approved short breaks do not stop the timer, so a bathroom visit costs you working time. Budget your pace accordingly: the knowledge questions and the memo compete for the same clock.
- Closed book: Reference materials are not permitted.
- Calculator: A stand-alone battery-operated calculator is allowed, but you must bring your own. Test it and carry spare batteries.
- Online setup: Complete your Kryterion biometric profile ahead of time, and have blank scratch paper and a pen or pencil ready, plus a built-in camera if that is your device.
- Fees: All fees are nonrefundable, so confirm your date before paying for a resit.
For a compact last-minute refresher on the concepts you will lean on, a condensed EVP cheat sheet is useful the night before, and you can run final timed drills on the main practice test site.
Frequently Asked Questions
The EVP exam is delivered through Kryterion's Webassessor at test centers or online-proctored, and you schedule within your six-month clearance window rather than waiting for a single published national date. Availability depends on seat or proctor capacity for the slot you choose.
Clearance provides six months for up to three attempts, including two reduced-fee resits at USD 260 each. After that period, you must submit a new full-fee registration.
Results are not immediate. The memo is graded in monthly cycles that normally begin around the 15th, and results arrive approximately two to three weeks after grading begins. Results are reported only as pass or fail.
No. Fees are nonrefundable. Confirm you meet eligibility and are adequately prepared before paying, and plan your sitting so it falls comfortably within your six-month clearance window.
Your certification is valid for three years. To renew, you need 12 CEUs (with at least one full CEU in each of at least two activity categories) or a passed recertification examination, which allows only one attempt with no resit.
Scheduling the EVP exam is less about hunting for a calendar date and more about managing a clearance window, a monthly memo-grading cycle and a nonrefundable fee. Submit your application when you are ready to start serious preparation, aim your first sitting for the middle of your window, and keep your three-year renewal date in view from the day you pass.