You can see it againUnder pressure people bring back shapes and positions long after the wording has gone.
Picture superiority · Shepard 1967, Standing 1973
ISACACMMC Certified Assessor
The CMMC Certified Assessor (CCA) certification equips experienced cybersecurity and compliance professionals with the advanced skills needed to conduct formal CMMC Level 2 certification assessments. As the credential required to evaluate organizations for the US Department of War's CMMC ecosystem, CCA holders verify security controls, review evidence, and determine whether organizations handling Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) meet CMMC Level 2 requirements. This certification is essential for those performing official assessments and advancing in the defense industrial base.
Exam formatComputer-based
DeliveryPSI
Free questions117
Content last reviewed 30 July 2026 · Up to date
The certification
What CMMC Certified Assessor proves, and what it asks of you
What this certification covers, who it is written for, and what the exam itself looks like on the day.
4domains
6objectives
36concepts
US $575.00exam fee
What it is
What this certification is
What it validates, who it is written for, and the experience it assumes.
About this certification
The CMMC Certified Assessor (CCA) certification is the credential required to perform formal CMMC Level 2 certification assessments within the US Department of War's (DoW) cybersecurity ecosystem. It validates that experienced cybersecurity professionals can evaluate evidence, validate security controls, conduct interviews, and determine whether organizations handling Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) meet CMMC Level 2 certification requirements.
CCA holders are equipped with the advanced, job-ready skills needed to conduct official CMMC Level 2 assessments. The certification covers evaluating organizations seeking certification against CMMC Level 2, assessment scoping, the CMMC Assessment Process (CAP), and assessing CMMC Level 2 practices. As ISACA serves as the official CMMC Assessor & Instructor Certification Organization (CAICO), this credential is globally recognized and required for many organizations and government agencies.
Who it’s for
The CCA certification is designed for experienced cybersecurity and compliance professionals who are ready to conduct formal CMMC Level 2 assessments. It is ideal for IT and security practitioners transitioning into compliance, government contractors and defense industry personnel, risk, audit, and compliance professionals, and aspiring Lead CCAs. Candidates should have a strong background in cybersecurity and be comfortable evaluating security practices, reviewing evidence, and making compliance determinations. The certification is particularly relevant for those working within the defense industrial base and supporting organizations pursuing CMMC certification.
Recommended experience
ISACA recommends that candidates have experience in cybersecurity and compliance, particularly in evaluating security controls and conducting assessments. While not mandatory, this experience helps candidates succeed on the exam and in the role. Experience in cybersecurity, compliance, or risk assessment; Familiarity with CMMC requirements and assessment processes; Understanding of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) handling; Ability to evaluate evidence and validate security controls
The syllabus
What you’ll learn
Every domain and objective ISACA measures, with the weight they carry on the exam.
The official ISACA exam outline · checked 30 July 2026 · See the source
Domain 1: Evaluating Organizations Seeking Certification (OSC) Against CMMC Level 2 (15%)
- Assess the various environmental considerations of Organizations Seeking Certification (OSCs) against CMMC Level 2 practices
Domain 2: CMMC Level 2 Assessment Scoping (20%)
- Analyze the CMMC assessment scope of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) assets using the five categories of CUI assets as defined in the CMMC Level 2 Assessment Scoping Guide
- Given a scenario, analyze the CMMC assessment scope based on the redetermined CUI categories within the CMMC Level 2 Assessment Scoping Guide
- Evaluate the CMMC assessment scope considerations based on the CMMC Level 2 Assessment Scoping Guide
Domain 3: CMMC Assessment Process (CAP) (25%)
- Given a scenario, apply the appropriate phases and steps to plan, prepare, conduct, and report on a CMMC Level 2 Assessment
Domain 4: Assessing CMMC Level 2 Practices (40%)
- Identify evidence verification/validation methods and objects for practices based on the CMMC Level 2 Assessment Guide and CMMC Assessment Process (CAP) documentation
On the day
The exam itself
Everything ISACA publishes about sitting it, and nothing we inferred.
Prerequisites
Complete the mandatory CAICO-approved CCA course
CertificationCMMC Certified Assessor
Exam formatComputer-based
DeliveryPSI
LanguagesEnglish
PricingUS $575.00
After you pass
Where this credential goes next
The path ISACA lays out, how the credential is kept, and where to book.
Step-by-step path to CMMC Certified Assessor
PrerequisiteComplete the mandatory CAICO-approved CCA course
Credential earnedCMMC Certified Assessor Certification Renewal and maintenance
ISACA certifications require renewal through earning CPE credits. The CCA certification must be maintained by adhering to the Continuing Professional Education Policy. Stay current with the latest technologies and maintain your certification.
Learn more about renewal requirements Lifecycle status
This certification is currently active and available. ISACA maintains this certification to validate current skills and industry relevance.
Exam status: ActiveMaintained by ISACA
Exam registration
Register for the exam through PSI, ISACA’s authorized testing partner.
Schedule your examVisit the official ISACA certification page for exam policies and requirements.
View the official pageYour coach
And when you are serious, your coach Pip takes over
Your coach in the app reads what you have answered with the book closed and tells you one thing to do tonight. It will not count an answer you gave with the page open, and it will tell you when you are not ready.
See how the coach worksBefore you book
Questions people ask
How does the CCA exam relate to the CCP certification?
The CCA exam requires candidates to hold an active CCP certification. CCP is the foundational certification for the CMMC ecosystem, and CCA builds on that foundation to prepare professionals for conducting formal CMMC Level 2 assessments.
Is the CCA certification required to perform CMMC Level 2 assessments?
Yes, the CCA certification is required to perform formal CMMC Level 2 certification assessments within the US Department of War's cybersecurity ecosystem.
Can I take the CCA exam without completing Tier 3 training?
Yes, CCA candidates do not need to complete Tier 3 before taking CCA training and exam.
How long is my exam eligibility period after registration?
Upon registration, CCA exam candidates have a six-month eligibility period to take their exam. This means that from the date you register, you have six months to take your CCA exam.
What is the retake policy for the CCA exam?
ISACA has a zero-tolerance policy for fraudulent test-taking activities. Specific retake policies are not detailed on the official page, but candidates should refer to the Terms of Use for exams.
Are there any special accommodations for candidates with disabilities?
ISACA provides special accommodations for candidates with disabilities. Candidates should refer to the Special Accommodations guide available on the ISACA website.
How soon will I receive my exam results?
The official page does not specify the exact timing for score reports. Candidates should refer to the Exam Candidate Guide for details.
What job roles does the CCA credential map to?
The CCA credential is designed for IT and security practitioners transitioning into compliance, government contractors and defense industry personnel, risk, audit, and compliance professionals, and aspiring Lead CCAs.
Can I recertify by passing a different ISACA exam?
ISACA certifications require renewal through earning CPE credits. Passing a different exam may contribute to CPE requirements, but specific recertification policies are not detailed on the official page.
Is the CCA exam available globally?
Yes, ISACA's CCA certification exams are computer-based and administered at authorized PSI testing centers globally or as remotely proctored exams.
Information freshness · Content last reviewed on 2026-07-30 Up to date
Practice free questions 117 questions, free, no account needed.
The curriculum
The whole exam, mapped and written
Every domain, every objective, and every concept ISACA measures — each one written out.
4domains
6objectives
36concepts
25free pages
The domains, and what sits inside them
Every objective below is a page you can open and practise now, without an account.
The official ISACA exam outline · checked 30 July 2026 · See the source
1Domain 1: Evaluating Organizations Seeking Certification (OSC) Against CMMC Level 2 (15%)28 questions
2Domain 2: CMMC Level 2 Assessment Scoping (20%)35 questions
Analyze the CMMC assessment scope of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) assets using the five categories of CUI assets as defined in the CMMC Level 2 Assessment Scoping Guide5 concepts · 2 pagesOpen →Given a scenario, analyze the CMMC assessment scope based on the redetermined CUI categories within the CMMC Level 2 Assessment Scoping Guide2 concepts · 1 pagesOpen →Evaluate the CMMC assessment scope considerations based on the CMMC Level 2 Assessment Scoping Guide10 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →
3Domain 3: CMMC Assessment Process (CAP) (25%)26 questions
4Domain 4: Assessing CMMC Level 2 Practices (40%)28 questions
Not a table of contents
Every line on this map already opens
In front of every objective the practice pages are already there, free and without an account. This is one objective, opened.
Assess the various environmental considerations of Organizations Seeking Certification (OSCs) against CMMC Level 2 practices6 pagesOpen →
Free in front of it
28 questions on this objective, five to a page. Every range above is a real page, open now, with no account.
Reading the map is not the same as knowing the ground
The curriculum tells you what is on the exam. Proving you know it is a different job — and it is the one the closed-book run does.
Free questions
117 questions. No account, no card.
The whole bank is open. 5 questions to a page, every answer explained, and a discussion thread on each one.
117questions
25pages
6objectives
Freealways
Start anywhereAssess the various environmental considerations of Organizations Seeking Certification (OSCs) against CMMC Level 2 practices 28 questions · 6 pages
Browse by domain
Every objective, and every page range, is a link — so you can pick up exactly where you left off.
1Domain 1: Evaluating Organizations Seeking Certification (OSC) Against CMMC Level 2 (15%)28 questions
2Domain 2: CMMC Level 2 Assessment Scoping (20%)35 questions
3Domain 3: CMMC Assessment Process (CAP) (25%)26 questions
4Domain 4: Assessing CMMC Level 2 Practices (40%)28 questions
What a practice page gives you
1Five to a page
Short enough to finish, long enough to matter.
2Every answer explained
Not only which one is right — why the others are wrong.
3A discussion on each
Ask, answer, and vote. Every question has its own thread.
A question, and the idea behind it
Every question comes from a concept
These are not trivia. Each one is written against a concept in the book, so when you get one wrong there is somewhere to go and find out why.
The visual book
See it once. Carry it into the exam.
The pages shown here come from our AI-900 book — an example of how each concept is written in plain language and, where the idea needs one, drawn as a full page you can take in at a glance.
36concepts
117free questions
Why a picture, and not another paragraph
Three reasons, and each one is a real finding rather than a slogan.
You can see it againThe whole idea at onceWhere it starts, what happens in the middle, what comes out, and the mistake to avoid.
Multimedia principle · MayerThe look-alikes sit togetherThe pairs the exam tests are drawn side by side, so the difference is seen, not told.
Dual coding · PaivioWhat one page is made of
You are never asked to read a poster here — only to see how one is built. After that, every other page is legible at a glance.
1A numbered strip on top
The idea as a sequence, followed with a finger before a word is read.
2Panels for the parts
What it is, how the machine learns it, when it is the right tool.
3The trap, framed
The distinction the exam tests, given its own box instead of buried in prose.
4One line at the bottom
The sentence to carry into the exam room.
Open book, on purpose
Answer it with the picture beside you
This is the part that teaches. The illustration and the written explanation stay where they are while you work, so a scenario stops being a memory test and becomes something you can simply look at.
It teaches · it does not count
A smartphone uses AI to unlock when the owner looks at the camera. Which AI capability is being used?
AImage classification
BFacial recognition
COptical character recognition
DObject detection
Look at the five steps. Detect finds a face, align straightens it, encode turns it into numbers, search compares it with a stored face, and decide answers one question: is this the same person? Classification would only say “a face”. Detection would only draw a box. Neither decides whose.
Then the page shuts, and it starts counting
The same questions come back with the book closed — that run is the one that counts. After it, your coach picks one thing for tonight, sized to the time you have, and brings pages back before you lose them.
Testing effect · Roediger & Karpicke 2006 · spacing effect · Cepeda et al. 2006
Official resources
Straight from ISACA
Where the exam is defined, scheduled and scored.
2official links
36concepts mapped
The source
ISACA’s own pages
We link to them rather than repeat them, so nothing here goes stale behind them.
Checked against the source
Every objective on the official ISACA outline already has questions here
We build from the official skills outline, not from a summary of it — 6 objectives, 36 concepts written under them, and free questions against every one. When ISACA changes the outline, this page changes with it.
6objectives on the outline→36concepts written→117free questions
An official page tells you what will be asked. It cannot tell you what you will get right.
That is the only question worth answering the night before, and no link answers it. You answer it by taking the questions with the book closed, and seeing what comes back.