CDPSE certification: exam, cost and requirements
CDPSE — Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer — is ISACA’s certification for building privacy into systems and applications. The exam has 120 multiple-choice questions in 210 minutes, and you need a scaled 450 on a 200–800 scale to pass. It costs US$575 for ISACA members and US$760 for non-members. To be certified after passing, you need three years of experience across the four CDPSE domains.
- Certification
- Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer (CDPSE), issued by ISACAISACA CDPSE page, checked 10 October 2026
- Exam fee
- US$575 for ISACA members, US$760 for non-membersISACA CDPSE page, checked 10 October 2026
- Questions
- 120 multiple-choiceISACA CDPSE Exam Content Outline, checked 10 October 2026
- Duration
- 210 minutes (3.5 hours)ISACA Exam Candidate Guide v1.26, checked 10 October 2026
- Passing score
- 450 on a scale of 200 to 800ISACA Exam Candidate Guide v1.26, checked 10 October 2026
- Delivery
- PSI test centers or remotely proctoredISACA CDPSE page, checked 10 October 2026
- Experience to certify
- 3+ years across the four CDPSE domains, within the 10 years before applyingISACA Earn a CDPSE Certification, checked 10 October 2026
- Application
- Within 5 years of passing; US$50 processing feeISACA CDPSE page, checked 10 October 2026
- Maintenance
- 120 CPE hours per 3 years, at least 20 per yearISACA Earn a CDPSE Certification, checked 10 October 2026
Know if you're ready for CDPSE — before you book.
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Why you can trust these CDPSE questions
What is the CDPSE certification?
The Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer (CDPSE) is a certification from ISACA. ISACA says it validates expertise in implementing privacy-by-design principles into existing and future systems, networks and applications.
Where many privacy credentials focus on law and policy, the CDPSE certification is technical. ISACA pitches it at security and IT professionals who want to show how their work supports privacy — and its largest exam domain, privacy engineering, is about technology stacks, security and privacy controls, consent, tracking technologies, anonymization and privacy-enhancing technologies.
ISACA states on the CDPSE page that more than 16,000 professionals hold the credential.
Source: ISACA — CDPSE certification. Checked 10 October 2026.
CDPSE exam format and passing score
The CDPSE exam has 120 multiple-choice questions and lasts 3.5 hours (210 minutes) — 105 seconds per question on average. It is computer-based and offered at authorised PSI test centers worldwide or as a remotely proctored exam.
Scores run from 200 to 800, and you need 450 or higher to pass. That is a scaled score, not a percentage. You see a preliminary result on screen when you finish; ISACA says the official score is emailed and available online within 10 working days.
After registering, you have six months to take the exam. If you fail, ISACA allows four attempts within a rolling 12-month period, with waiting periods of 30 days before the first retake and 90 days before each of the next two.
Source: ISACA — Certification Exam Candidate Guide, Version 1.26. Checked 10 October 2026.
CDPSE exam domains (2025 job practice)
ISACA updated the CDPSE exam on 2 June 2025, expanding the original three domains — privacy governance, privacy architecture and data life cycle management — into four. Privacy engineering is now the largest by far at 39% of the exam.
The content outline lists the topics in each domain: privacy principles, laws and documentation, vendor and incident management and data subject rights in governance; privacy assessments, threats, risk response and compliance monitoring in the risk domain; data inventory, classification, minimisation, retention and destruction in the data life cycle; and privacy controls, privacy-enhancing technologies and AI/ML considerations in engineering.
- Domain 1: Privacy Governance — 20%
- Domain 2: Privacy Risk Management and Compliance — 18%
- Domain 3: Data Life Cycle Management — 23%
- Domain 4: Privacy Engineering — 39%
Source: ISACA — CDPSE Exam Content Outline. Checked 10 October 2026.
How much does the CDPSE certification cost?
The CDPSE exam costs US$575 for ISACA members and US$760 for non-members. After you pass, ISACA charges a one-time US$50 application processing fee when you apply for certification.
Training, if you take it, is a separate cost. ISACA does not list a yearly maintenance fee on the CDPSE pages we checked, so we do not quote one.
- Exam: US$575 members, US$760 non-members
- Certification application: US$50 processing fee
Source: ISACA — CDPSE certification. Checked 10 October 2026.
CDPSE certification requirements
ISACA has you pass the exam first and apply for certification afterwards; you are not certified until the application is approved. The CDPSE requirement is three or more years of professional work experience across the four CDPSE domains, gained within the 10 years before you apply.
You have five years from passing the exam to apply. You also agree to ISACA’s Code of Professional Ethics and its continuing professional education policy.
Source: ISACA — Earn a CDPSE Certification. Checked 10 October 2026.
How do you maintain CDPSE?
ISACA requires CDPSE holders to earn and report at least 120 CPE hours over each three-year reporting period, with a minimum of 20 CPE hours every year.
The annual minimum matters: you cannot leave all 120 hours to the last year of the cycle.
Source: ISACA — Earn a CDPSE Certification. Checked 10 October 2026.
CDPSE training, courses and exam questions
Base any CDPSE training plan on the 2025 content outline, and check that a course was built for the four-domain exam rather than the old three-domain version. With privacy engineering at 39%, a course that is mostly governance and regulation will leave a large part of the exam uncovered.
ISACA offers a free CDPSE practice quiz of 10 questions on its site and refers to its own suite of test-prep products. Ten questions show the style — scenario-based, choosing the best technical or organisational response — but they are not enough to measure readiness for a 120-question exam.
Live exam questions are off-limits. ISACA’s terms forbid selling, sharing, disclosing or discussing exam content; violations can void the exam, revoke ISACA certifications and membership, and ban you from future ISACA exams.
Source: ISACA — CDPSE practice quiz. Checked 10 October 2026.
CDPSE salary: is the CDPSE worth it?
ISACA displays a figure of “US$150K+” labelled average annual salary on its CDPSE page, without naming a source, survey or method there. Treat it as ISACA’s own marketing figure, not as an independent salary benchmark.
Whether the CDPSE is worth it depends less on that number than on your role. It fits people who design, build or secure systems that process personal data and want a credential that shows technical privacy skills. If your work is mainly legal or policy-focused, the engineering weight of the exam may be a poor match.
Source: ISACA — CDPSE certification. Checked 10 October 2026.
CDPSE practice questions on Certsqill
Certsqill’s CDPSE practice questions are expert-developed for the four-domain exam: every question explains each answer option, and a readiness score for each domain shows whether privacy engineering, at 39% of the exam, is ready before you book.
CDPSE questions people ask
What is the CDPSE certification?
The Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer from ISACA, a technical privacy certification for implementing privacy by design in systems and applications. Source: ISACA, checked 10 October 2026.
How much does the CDPSE exam cost?
US$575 for ISACA members and US$760 for non-members, plus a US$50 application fee after passing. Source: ISACA CDPSE page, checked 10 October 2026.
How many questions are on the CDPSE exam?
120 multiple-choice questions in 210 minutes. Source: ISACA, checked 10 October 2026.
What is the CDPSE passing score?
450 or higher on a scale of 200 to 800. Source: ISACA Exam Candidate Guide, checked 10 October 2026.
What are the CDPSE requirements?
Three or more years of work experience across the four CDPSE domains, gained within the 10 years before applying, and an application within five years of passing. Source: ISACA, checked 10 October 2026.
Can I take the CDPSE exam online?
Yes. It is offered at PSI test centers or as a remotely proctored exam. Source: ISACA CDPSE page, checked 10 October 2026.
How often can I retake the CDPSE exam?
Four attempts within a rolling 12 months, with waits of 30, 90 and 90 days. Source: ISACA Exam Candidate Guide, checked 10 October 2026.
How do I maintain the Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer CDPSE credential?
Earn at least 120 CPE hours every three years and at least 20 each year. Source: ISACA, checked 10 October 2026.
Is the CDPSE worth it?
ISACA shows a “US$150K+” average salary on its CDPSE page without a stated source. It is most useful for technical roles that build privacy into systems.
