- What Pass-Rate Data Actually Exists for the EVP
- The Only Published Numbers: 2025 Examinations
- How to Read 23 of 32 Without Over-Reading It
- Why the Scoring Design Shapes Outcomes
- Where Candidates Lose Points: Domain by Domain
- The Memo Factor
- Attempts, Resits, and the Cost of Failing
- Sequencing Preparation Around the Blueprint
- Frequently Asked Questions
- AACE's 2025 report shows 32 EVP examinations taken and 23 passed, a calculated 71.9% pass proportion.
- No issuer-published 2026 pass rate or first-attempt pass rate exists, so treat any such figure with suspicion.
- Passing requires a 70% average across seven domain scores, not 70% of questions answered correctly.
- Analysis and Management Reports carries 35% of the blueprint and 41 of the 119 multiple-choice questions.
What Pass-Rate Data Actually Exists for the EVP
If you searched for the Earned Value Professional pass rate, you have probably already noticed that most certification sites state a number with great confidence and cite nothing. For the EVP, offered by AACE International through the AACE International Certification Institute, the honest answer is narrower: one issuer-published data point is available, it covers a small population, and it is not a 2026 figure.
That matters because the EVP is a niche, experience-gated credential. Candidates must document eight years of industry-related experience, or four years plus a related four-year college degree, and have it verified by an employer. The population sitting the exam is therefore self-selected and professionally seasoned, which makes comparisons with entry-level certification pass rates misleading. For a broader view of difficulty beyond one statistic, see How Hard Is the EVP Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026.
The Only Published Numbers: 2025 Examinations
The AACE 2025 Certification Progress Report, with data as of December 31, 2025, is the best available source. Its chart labels 32 EVP examinations taken and 23 passed. Its table also records 23 certifications awarded and 437 active EVP certificants. Dividing 23 by 32 gives 71.875%, or about 71.9%.
| Data Point | Reported Figure | Source Status |
|---|---|---|
| EVP examinations taken (2025) | 32 | Published in AACE chart |
| EVP examinations passed (2025) | 23 | Published in AACE chart |
| Calculated pass proportion | 71.875% (about 71.9%) | Derived: 23 divided by 32 |
| EVP certifications awarded | 23 | Published in AACE table |
| Active EVP certificants | 437 | Published in AACE table |
| 2026 pass rate | Not published | No issuer figure available |
| First-attempt pass rate | Not published | No issuer figure available |
Notice that certifications awarded (23) equals examinations passed (23). That is consistent with each passing examination producing one new certification, though the report does not spell out the reconciliation, so avoid reading more into the match than is stated.
How to Read 23 of 32 Without Over-Reading It
A sample of 32 is small. One or two additional failures or passes shifts the percentage by several points. A calculated 71.9% is compatible with a true underlying rate that is meaningfully higher or lower, and a single year cannot establish a trend.
What the figure can tell you
- The exam is passable by a clear majority of those who sit it, which is plausible for a population that has already cleared an experience and ethics gate.
- A meaningful minority did not pass, so the credential is not a formality.
- The pool is tiny compared with large project-management certifications, so there is no large body of public candidate statistics to lean on.
What the figure cannot tell you
- Whether the people who failed were first-time candidates or resit candidates.
- Whether failures concentrated in the multiple-choice battery or the written memo.
- What the pass rate will be in any later reporting period.
Why the Scoring Design Shapes Outcomes
The EVP is not scored like a conventional single-total exam. According to the AACE Earned Value Professional (EVP) Certification Exam Handbook (updated June 22, 2026, scoring on p. 42), seven domain scores are averaged, and the overall average must reach at least 70%. Six domains come from the knowledge-question blueprint. The seventh, Communication, is scored through the written memo and has no separate published blueprint percentage.
Two consequences follow. First, the six published percentages describe how knowledge questions are distributed, not how the final score is allocated. Second, because the domain scores are averaged, a weak result in a small domain can drag the overall average down more than candidates expect. Note that the live AACE webpage has referenced four domains in places, while the handbook's own example uses seven; the handbook is the controlling document, and this article follows it.
The exam format in brief
- 119 multiple-choice and compound-scenario questions plus one written memo, for 120 assessed items in total.
- Five hours for the complete examination, with approved short breaks that do not stop the timer.
- Closed book, with a stand-alone battery-operated calculator permitted but not supplied.
- Delivery through Kryterion via Webassessor, at a test center or online-proctored using Kryterion's Respondus environment and a biometric profile.
Do not read "120 assessed items" as 120 multiple-choice questions. The memo is one of those items and is graded separately by humans. For the full blueprint, see EVP Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 7 Content Areas.
Where Candidates Lose Points: Domain by Domain
AACE does not publish domain-level failure data, so any claim about which domain most often sinks candidates would be speculation. What the handbook does provide is the structure of the knowledge-question blueprint, and that structure tells you where the exposure is. The published question counts for Domains 1 through 6 are 15, 16, 15, 13, 41 and 19.
| Domain | Blueprint Weight | Published Question Count |
|---|---|---|
| Domain 1: Organizing | 12% | 15 |
| Domain 2: Perform Planning and Scheduling Duties | 13% | 16 |
| Domain 3: Perform Budgeting Duties | 13% | 15 |
| Domain 4: Account Considerations | 11% | 13 |
| Domain 5: Analysis and Management Reports | 35% | 41 |
| Domain 6: Revisions and Data Maintenance | 16% | 19 |
| Domain 7: Communication | No separate percentage published | Assessed through the memo |
Retain the printed weights as published rather than recalculating them from the question counts; the handbook presents them that way.
Domain 5: Analysis and Management Reports (35%, 41 questions)
The largest single block and the clearest place to protect your average. Candidates must move comfortably from raw performance data to interpreted results.
- Computing and interpreting cost and schedule variances and performance indices
- Forecasting estimates at completion and judging their reasonableness
- Explaining variance causes in terms a manager can act on
- Working compound scenarios where several data items must be combined under time pressure
Domains 2 and 3: Planning, Scheduling, and Budgeting
These are the foundation that makes Domain 5 analysis possible. Weakness here usually shows up as confusion about how the baseline was built.
- Linking scope, schedule, and budget into a performance measurement baseline
- Understanding how work packages, planning packages, and control accounts relate
- Time-phasing budget and understanding how that supports measurement
Domains 1, 4, and 6: Organizing, Account Considerations, and Revisions
Smaller individually, but together they account for a large share of knowledge questions, and their content is more procedural than computational.
- Structuring work and responsibility so performance can be measured at the right level
- Handling cost account considerations accurately
- Managing baseline changes and maintaining data integrity over time
The EVP study material is aligned with these areas, and the third-edition study guide is preparation material rather than a statement of the exam's blueprint date. For a structured preparation approach, see EVP Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt.
The Memo Factor
The memo is the most distinctive feature of this exam and the least discussed in pass-rate commentary. Communication is the seventh scored domain, assessed only through the written memo, and its score enters the same average as the other six. A candidate who is strong on calculations but writes a disorganized or incomplete memo can lose ground in a way that multiple-choice practice never exposes.
AACE publishes Memo Writing Guidance (AACE Certification Board, March 7, 2023), which explains what the grading expects. Read it before you draft any practice memo, and write practice memos under time limits, because the five hours cover everything and breaks do not pause the clock.
Key Takeaway
Budget deliberate practice time for the memo, not just for the 119 questions. Because Communication feeds the seven-domain average, a polished memo is a scoring lever, not an afterthought. Practice turning a data set into a clear management message in writing, then check it against AACE's published guidance.
Why results are not immediate
Memo grading occurs in monthly cycles, normally beginning around the 15th. Results typically arrive about two to three weeks after grading begins, and they are reported only as pass or fail. You should not expect a domain-by-domain score report, so a failed attempt gives you limited diagnostic information. That reinforces the value of self-testing against each domain before you sit. For scheduling realities, see EVP Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.
Attempts, Resits, and the Cost of Failing
Whatever the pass proportion, the structure of the attempt window affects your risk. Clearance provides six months for up to three attempts, including two reduced-fee resits. After that period, a new full-fee registration is required.
| Item | Member | Nonmember |
|---|---|---|
| Application and exam fee (includes eligibility review and computer-based testing) | USD 525 | USD 690 |
| Resit fee | USD 260 | USD 260 |
| Renewal by activity (first or only certification) | USD 295 | USD 385 |
| Renewal by examination (one attempt, no resit) | USD 525 | USD 690 |
Fees are nonrefundable, and AACE membership is optional. Preparatory courses and study-material purchases are optional as well. The resit fee applies to either category. A failed attempt therefore costs less than half of a fresh registration but still consumes one of your three attempts. For the complete financial picture, see EVP Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
Staying certified after you pass
Certification is valid for three years. Renewal requires 12 CEUs, including at least one full CEU in each of at least two activity categories, or a passed recertification examination. Renewal by examination permits one attempt with no resit, so most certificants will find the activity route less risky.
Sequencing Preparation Around the Blueprint
Because the published numbers are thin, the most productive response is to prepare against the structure you can verify. The sequence below ties each phase to the blueprint rather than to generic study habits. Adjust the length to your own schedule and keep it within your six-month clearance window.
Foundation: Domains 1, 2, and 3
- Review organizing, planning, scheduling, and budgeting so the baseline logic is solid
- Confirm which standard version your study sources reference; the current EVP webpage recommends EIA-748-E while handbook p. 8 still names EIA-748-D
Core Load: Domain 5
- Spend the largest block of time on Analysis and Management Reports (35%, 41 questions)
- Practice compound scenarios with a calculator you will actually bring
Maintenance and Accounts: Domains 4 and 6
- Cover account considerations, revisions, and data maintenance
Memo and Full Simulation
- Write timed practice memos against AACE's published guidance
- Run full-length five-hour simulations, including the memo
For a compact reference to review near exam day, use the EVP Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts, and test your readiness with the EVP practice test. If you want to gauge your baseline before committing to a schedule, the practice exam questions on the main site are a quick starting point.
Finally, remember why candidates pursue this credential at all. The payoff depends on your role and employer, so weigh it using Is the EVP Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 rather than relying on the pass proportion alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
AACE has not published a 2026 or first-attempt pass rate. The only issuer data is the 2025 Certification Progress Report, which lists 32 EVP examinations taken and 23 passed, a calculated 71.9% pass proportion for those 2025 examinations.
No. It is a calculation from two numbers in AACE's 2025 report (23 divided by 32 equals 71.875%). AACE does not label it as a pass rate, and it does not separate first attempts from resits.
The seven domain scores are averaged, and an overall average of at least 70% is required. Six domains come from the knowledge questions and Communication is assessed through the written memo. Results are reported only as pass or fail.
Clearance covers six months and up to three attempts, including two reduced-fee resits. A resit costs USD 260 for members and nonmembers. After the six months, a new full-fee registration is required.
Results are not immediate. The memo is graded in monthly cycles, normally starting around the 15th, and results generally arrive about two to three weeks after grading begins, reported as pass or fail only.
The takeaway is simple: the available data suggests a majority pass, but it is too small and too narrow to predict your outcome. Treat the 71.9% as context, prepare against the seven-domain structure, give the memo real practice time, and verify every fee and policy against AACE's current documents before you register.