AIGP exam guide
The AIGP is 100 questions in 3 hours, scored from 100 to 500 with 300 to pass, and costs US$799 (US$649 for IAPP members). This page covers how the four domains are weighted, what a retake costs, and what keeping the certification involves.
The format
100 questions in 3 hours (85 scored, 15 unscored pilots). Multiple-choice and multi-select, heavily scenario-based. Scaled score 100 to 500, pass at 300.
The exam is built on Body of Knowledge version 2.1, effective 2 February 2026. Questions are heavily scenario-based: you are given a situation and asked what a governance professional should do, rather than asked to recite a definition. That is why rote memorisation under-performs on this paper.
How the four domains are weighted
Question counts per domain are set by the exam blueprint, so you can plan study time against them directly.
Domain I — Understanding the foundations of AI governance
What AI governance is, the common principles and pillars of a governance programme, and the policies that apply across the AI life cycle. 16–20 questions.
Domain II — Understanding how laws, standards and frameworks apply to AI
Existing laws that reach AI (privacy, IP, nondiscrimination, consumer protection, product liability), AI-specific laws led by the EU AI Act, and the main standards: OECD, NIST AI RMF and the core ISO trio. 19–23 questions.
Domain III — Understanding how to govern AI development
The provider and builder view of the life cycle: design-phase governance, data and testing governance, then release, monitoring and maintenance. The heaviest domain together with IV. 21–25 questions.
Domain IV — Understanding how to govern AI deployment and use
The deployer's view: deciding what to deploy (model types, deployment options, adaptation techniques), assessing the chosen system (impact assessment, vendor contracts), then governing it in use through monitoring, assessment, incident handling and communication. 21–25 questions.
What the AIGP exam costs
The exam fee is US$799, or US$649 for IAPP members, and the voucher must be used within one year of purchase. A retake is discounted — around $625, or $475 for members — with a short mandatory wait between attempts. Membership costs more than the $150 it saves on this exam, so it only makes sense if you want the membership anyway. Prices are the IAPP's, current mid-2026; check iapp.org before booking.
What score you need to pass
Results are reported on a scaled score from 100 to 500, and 300 is the pass mark. Because the score is scaled there is no exact percentage equivalent, but with 85 scored questions, consistent accuracy in the region of 70% is a reasonable target. There is no penalty for wrong answers, so never leave a question blank. A preliminary result appears on screen when you finish.
How hard is it?
The IAPP does not publish pass rates, so ignore any specific percentage you read elsewhere. It is a professional exam with a real failure rate. The difficulty is style rather than depth: questions describe a scenario and ask what a governance professional should do, and two of the four options usually look defensible. Practising scenario questions until those distinctions are automatic matters more than extra reading. The longer answer, by background, is at how hard is the AIGP exam.
Booking, retakes and logistics
The exam is delivered by Pearson VUE, either in person at a test centre or remotely via OnVUE. Remote delivery has the usual proctoring conditions: a cleared desk, a room scan and a stable connection. After a failed attempt there is a short mandatory waiting period before you can rebook at the retake rate, so a failed attempt costs time as well as money.
Keeping the certification
The AIGP credential runs on a two-year term. Maintaining it takes 20 continuing professional education (CPE) credits earned during the term, plus a certification maintenance fee (US$250, waived while an IAPP membership is active). Webinars, conference sessions and industry reading all earn credits, so most holders maintain it without buying anything extra.
How to prepare
Work the domains in order — they build. Read a topic, then immediately practise it while it is fresh; the gap between recognising an answer and producing one is where most failed attempts live. For a week-by-week plan, see how to study for the AIGP; for a comparison of courses, books and question banks, see the best AIGP prep material.
- Start with the free Domain I study guide, all 15 topics.
- Test yourself with free practice questions.
- Drill vocabulary in the 196-term glossary.
- Finish with timed mock exams to build pacing for 3 hours.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the AIGP exam?
Three hours for 100 questions — 85 scored and 15 unscored pilot questions you cannot tell apart from the rest. There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so use the full time and never leave a question blank.
What is the AIGP exam format?
Multiple-choice and multi-select questions, delivered by Pearson VUE at a test centre or remotely. Almost every question is scenario-based: a short situation, then a question about what a governance professional should do next, rather than a request to define a term.
How many domains does the AIGP exam cover?
Four: foundations of AI governance, laws and standards, governing AI development, and governing AI deployment and use. Domains III and IV together carry roughly half the paper. The weighting for each is in the table above; the topics themselves are in the AIGP study guide.
Is there an official AIGP syllabus?
Yes — the IAPP's Body of Knowledge (version 2.1, effective 2 February 2026) is the syllabus, free to download from the IAPP, and every exam question maps to it. The study guide on this site follows the same structure.
AI Governance Study is an independent study aid. It does not represent a government entity: it is not affiliated with, endorsed by or authorised by any government, government agency or regulatory authority, and it does not provide government services or legal advice. Laws and frameworks are described in our own words — the official texts are listed at official sources. It is also not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the IAPP. The AIGP name is used only to identify the exam this material helps you prepare for.