CIPP/E certification: exam, cost and passing score

What is the CIPP/E certification?

CIPP/E stands for Certified Information Privacy Professional/Europe. It is issued by the IAPP, the International Association of Privacy Professionals, and the IAPP says the credential proves you understand pan-European and national data protection laws, along with key privacy terminology and practical concepts for protecting personal data.

In practice, the CIPP/E certification is the IAPP’s legal-knowledge credential for Europe: the GDPR, the institutions behind it and how processing, transfers and accountability work under it. It is ANAB-accredited, and the IAPP positions its CIPP designations as the global industry standard for privacy professionals.

The CIPP/E certificate is one of several regional CIPP credentials — the US version is CIPP/US — and it pairs naturally with the IAPP’s CIPM, which covers running a privacy programme rather than knowing the law.

Source: IAPP — CIPP/E: Certified Information Privacy Professional/Europe. Checked 10 October 2026.

How much does the CIPP/E exam cost?

The IAPP Store lists the CIPP/E exam at US$550, and unusually the price is the same for members and non-members. Once you buy it, the exam must be taken within one year of purchase.

Preparation is priced separately. The IAPP’s official online training, European Data Protection (CIPP/E), costs US$995 for members and US$1,195 for non-members and does not include the exam. The official textbook, European Data Protection, Third Edition, costs US$65 for members and US$75 for non-members in digital form, and the official practice exam costs US$45 or US$55.

After you pass, keeping the credential active costs US$250 per two-year term as a certification maintenance fee, which is included if you hold IAPP membership. The IAPP does not list a separate retake price on the exam page.

• CIPP/E exam: US$550 (members and non-members)
• Official online training: US$995 members, US$1,195 non-members
• Official textbook (digital): US$65 members, US$75 non-members
• Official practice exam: US$45 members, US$55 non-members
• Maintenance fee: US$250 per two-year term, included in membership

Source: IAPP Store — CIPP/E exam. Checked 10 October 2026.

CIPP/E exam format

The CIPP/E exam has 90 multiple-choice questions and an allotted time of 2.5 hours, with a 15-minute break. That is about a minute and forty seconds per question if you use all the time, so it rewards understanding the law well enough to apply it to a short scenario rather than looking things up in your head.

You can take the exam from home or the office through Pearson VUE’s OnVUE programme, or in person at one of the more than 6,000 Pearson VUE test centers worldwide. It is offered in English, German and French; the IAPP says the French and German versions were translated from the English exam by professional translation firms, with no machine translation.

The IAPP does not state on the CIPP/E page how many of the 90 questions are scored and how many are unscored, so treat every question as if it counts.

Source: IAPP Store — CIPP/E exam. Checked 10 October 2026.

CIPP/E passing score

The IAPP Certification Candidate Handbook states that all core IAPP exams are scored on a scale from 100 to 500, with a passing score of 300 or above. That is a scaled score, not a percentage, so it cannot be translated into a number of correct answers.

Results are immediate once you finish, unless the IAPP communicates otherwise. If you need to retake the exam, the Handbook says you cannot schedule the next attempt sooner than seven days after the previous one.

To pass, plan for even coverage of all five domains of the blueprint below rather than a target number of questions.

Source: IAPP — Certification Candidate Handbook (version 5.3.2). Checked 10 October 2026.

CIPP/E syllabus: what is on the exam?

The CIPP/E syllabus is the IAPP’s Body of Knowledge and Exam Blueprint, version 1.3.3, effective 1 September 2025. It has five domains and gives a minimum and maximum number of questions for each, so you can see where the weight sits before you start to study.

The law and regulation domain is the largest by a wide margin, followed by data processing. Together they account for between 31 and 49 of the 90 questions, which is why a CIPP/E prep plan should spend most of its time on the GDPR’s principles, lawful bases, rights and obligations — not just its history.

• I. Introduction to European Data Protection — 7 to 13 questions
• II. European Data Protection Law and Regulation — 18 to 28 questions
• III. European Data Processing — 13 to 21 questions
• IV. European Data Protection: Scope and Accountability — 8 to 18 questions
• V. Compliance with European Data Protection Law and Regulation — 8 to 16 questions

Source: IAPP — CIPP/E Body of Knowledge and Exam Blueprint (version 1.3.3). Checked 10 October 2026.

CIPP/E prerequisites

There are no formal prerequisites. The IAPP’s Candidate Handbook lists no eligibility requirements for the CIPP exams, and the CIPP/E page names none: you do not need a law degree, a minimum number of years in privacy or a completed training course to book the exam.

What the IAPP does require is upkeep. A certification is in good standing only with IAPP membership or a paid certification maintenance fee, plus the continuing education described below.

Source: IAPP — Certification Candidate Handbook (version 5.3.2). Checked 10 October 2026.

CIPP/E training, course and study materials

The IAPP calls its European Data Protection training the principal training for CIPP/E certification. It is offered online and self-paced, live online in a virtual classroom, in person, and as group training delivered on-site. The self-paced online course is the equivalent of a 13-hour live training and carries 13 CPE credits.

For self-study, the IAPP publishes three things worth starting with: the free Body of Knowledge, the free CIPP/E study guide, which covers the exam format and includes sample questions, and the official textbook, European Data Protection, Third Edition.

A training course is optional. Because there are no prerequisites, a reader who studies the Body of Knowledge and the textbook carefully can sit the exam without a course; the course is a structured way through the same material.

Source: IAPP — CIPP/E: European Data Protection training. Checked 10 October 2026.

CIPP/E exam questions, practice tests and dumps

The IAPP sells an official CIPP/E practice exam: 90 practice questions in a PDF, some of them retired from the actual exam, each with the correct answer and an explanation. It is the closest official match to the style of the real CIPP/E exam questions. The free study guide adds a smaller set of sample questions.

Use a practice test to find weak domains, not to memorise answers. A useful run mirrors the real exam: 90 questions, 2.5 hours, and a domain-by-domain review afterwards against the blueprint ranges.

CIPP/E dumps are a different matter. The Handbook states that the exam’s questions and answers are the IAPP’s exclusive and confidential property, and that candidates who access illegally obtained content through exam dump sites violate the pre-exam non-disclosure agreement. Sanctions include invalidated results, a ban on future exams and revocation of existing certifications.

Source: IAPP — Certification Candidate Handbook (version 5.3.2). Checked 10 October 2026.

How do you maintain the CIPP/E certification?

IAPP certifications run on a two-year term. Under the CPE Policy, version 3.3.1, you submit evidence of 20 hours of continuing professional education for each certification you hold in each term, and pay a US$250 certification maintenance fee, which is included in IAPP membership.

If you add a second IAPP certification, timing matters: earn it in the first year of your current term and the full 20 CPEs are due for it too; earn it after year one and no CPEs are required for it until your next term starts.

Source: IAPP — Continuing Professional Education Policy (version 3.3.1). Checked 10 October 2026.

CIPP/E vs CIPM — and is CIPP/E worth it?

CIPP/E tests what European data protection law says. CIPM, the Certified Information Privacy Manager, tests how to run a privacy programme; the IAPP describes it as the credential that says you are a leader in privacy programme administration. Many privacy professionals hold both, and the IAPP’s Fellow of Information Privacy (FIP) designation requires an active CIPP plus an active CIPM, CIPT or AIGP, three years of privacy work, references and a personal statement.

On value, the IAPP’s Salary and Jobs Report 2025–26 found that median salary was generally higher for respondents with any one IAPP qualification, and higher again with several. The IAPP adds that this does not prove cause and effect, and it publishes no CIPP/E-specific salary figure on that page. Whether the cert is worth it for you depends on whether your work touches EU data protection — for anyone advising on the GDPR, it is the IAPP’s direct proof of that knowledge.

Source: IAPP — Salary and Jobs Report 2025–26. Checked 10 October 2026.

CIPP/E practice questions on Certsqill

Certsqill’s CIPP/E practice questions are expert-developed: every question explains each answer option, and a readiness score for each of the five blueprint domains shows whether law and regulation, the largest domain, is ready before you pay for the exam.

CIPP/E questions people ask

What is the CIPP/E certification?

The Certified Information Privacy Professional/Europe from the IAPP. It proves knowledge of pan-European and national data protection law, including the GDPR. Source: IAPP, checked 10 October 2026.

How much does the CIPP/E exam cost?

US$550, the same for IAPP members and non-members. Training, textbook and practice exam are sold separately. Source: IAPP Store, checked 10 October 2026.

How many questions are on the CIPP/E exam?

90 multiple-choice questions in 2.5 hours, with a 15-minute break. Source: IAPP Store, checked 10 October 2026.

What is the CIPP/E passing score?

300 or above on a scale of 100 to 500. Source: IAPP Certification Candidate Handbook, version 5.3.2, checked 10 October 2026.

Can I take the CIPP/E exam online?

Yes, through Pearson VUE OnVUE from home or the office, or in person at a Pearson VUE test center. Source: IAPP Store, checked 10 October 2026.

Is the CIPP/E exam available in German or French?

Yes. It is offered in English, German and French. Source: IAPP Store and CIPP/E page, checked 10 October 2026.

Are there prerequisites for CIPP/E?

No. The IAPP lists no eligibility requirements for the CIPP exams. Source: IAPP Candidate Handbook, checked 10 October 2026.

How do I study for the CIPP/E?

Start with the IAPP’s free Body of Knowledge and study guide, then the official textbook, European Data Protection, Third Edition. The IAPP’s official training is optional. Checked 10 October 2026.

How do I keep CIPP/E active?

20 CPE credits per two-year term plus a US$250 maintenance fee, which IAPP membership covers. Source: IAPP CPE Policy 3.3.1, checked 10 October 2026.