CAC Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling

The Fall 2026 Testing Window

The Certified Associate Constructor (CAC) credential is administered by the American Institute of Constructors (AIC) through its Constructor Certification Commission. Unlike on-demand credentials where you book any open seat on any weekday, the CAC is built around defined testing windows. For fall 2026, that window is November 5-14, 2026.

That ten-day span is the single most important date in this article. Everything else, from registration to study pacing, works backward from it. If you are still deciding whether the credential fits your career, our guide on whether the CAC certification is worth it lays out the return-on-investment case, and What Is CAC Certification? covers the basics of what the credential represents.

How the Certified Associate Constructor Calendar Works

The CAC follows a window-based model. Rather than scheduling an appointment at a testing center whenever you feel ready, you register ahead of a published deadline and then complete the exam during the announced window. Current AIC material names PointLeader as the platform in the picture for the Fall 2026 cycle, and the notice specifies remote proctoring for professionals and university arrangements for students.

Practically, that means two things for your planning:

• Fewer retake opportunities per year. Missing a window can mean waiting for the next one, so a failed attempt or a missed deadline has a real calendar cost.
• A hard registration cutoff. You cannot decide in late October that you want to test in November if the professional deadline was October 1.

Because the window is the constraint, your preparation timeline should be anchored to it from the start. Our CAC study guide covers how to structure that preparation, and the later section of this article ties the schedule to specific exam domains.

Registration Deadlines and What Counts as "On Time"

For professionals, the newer notice lists October 1 as the registration deadline for the fall exam. Students testing through a university generally work within their institution's arrangements, which means your department or proctor coordinator may set internal cutoffs that fall earlier than any AIC-level date.

A Practical Registration Checklist

1. Confirm eligibility first. Four years of qualifying education/experience, or being within 12 months of the qualifying construction degree for the student route. The full details are in our CAC requirements guide.
2. Gather supervisor verification. Experience claims are verified by a supervisor, and that takes other people's time. Start well before the deadline.
3. Decide your delivery path. Remote proctoring for professionals; university arrangements for students.
4. Budget the fee. $200 or $235 depending on proctoring arrangement (see below).
5. Submit before October 1 if you are registering as a professional, and leave a buffer in case of documentation questions.

Remote Proctoring and University Arrangements

The Fall 2026 notice splits candidates into two delivery tracks. Professionals test via remote proctoring. Students test through university arrangements, typically with a university-supplied proctor.

For remote proctoring, plan your environment as carefully as your content review. Eight active hours across two sessions means your testing space, internet connection, and computer setup all need to hold up. The linked handbook describes closed-book rules and restricted calculator allowances (a nonprogrammable trigonometric calculator), but you should confirm the current remote materials instructions before exam day, since remote proctoring rules can differ from the handbook's general language.

Fees, Payment Timing, and the Optional Course

The exam fee depends on how you are proctored:

Notably, there is no separate CAC member versus non-member exam tier. The price difference comes from the proctoring arrangement, not your AIC membership status. That surprises many candidates who expect member discounts.

The optional official course costs $50 for either membership category. It is not required to sit for the exam, but because it is inexpensive relative to the exam fee, many candidates fold it into their budget when they register. For the full cost picture including post-exam fees, see our CAC certification cost breakdown.

Eligibility Timing: When You Can Actually Sit

Two eligibility routes interact directly with the calendar:

The student route is a significant timing advantage. Because you can test up to a year before graduating, you may be able to choose among more than one testing window while the material from your coursework is fresh. Details are in CAC Requirements 2026.

Two Four-Hour Sessions: Planning Your Exam Days

The exam is structured as eight active hours delivered in two four-hour sessions. Current overview material advertises 300 multiple-choice questions, while the linked handbook says up to 300, so treat 300 as the ceiling and avoid assuming an exact count.

Because the window runs ten days, you have some flexibility in placing the two sessions, subject to your proctoring arrangement. When you schedule, think about:

• Energy management. A four-hour block of dense multiple-choice questions is a stamina test. Schedule each session at the time of day you are sharpest.
• Separation between sessions. Whether you test back to back or on separate days depends on what your proctoring arrangement allows, so confirm this at registration.
• Buffer days. The window includes slack for technical problems or illness, but only if you do not push your sessions to the final day.

For more on how demanding the exam is overall, read How Hard Is the CAC Exam? and the results data in CAC Pass Rate 2026. The latest verified statement shows a pass rate of greater than 70% for Fall 2025. Scoring thresholds are covered in CAC Passing Score 2026.

Working Backward from November: A Domain-Based Schedule

This is the one place we use a timeline, and it is tied to the actual CAC domain weights rather than generic pacing. The official 2022 specification, revised September 10, 2022, defines ten domains. Communication Skills and Planning, Scheduling & Schedule Control each carry 12%, the largest weights. Three domains sit at 11%: Bidding and Estimating, Budgeting, Costs and Cost Control, and Project Administration. The full breakdown is in our CAC exam domains guide.

If you register for the November 5-14 window, here is one way to sequence the final stretch, allocating heavier weeks to the heavier domains:

Why this order? The quantitative domains benefit from repetition over a longer span, while Communication Skills and Planning and Scheduling are the heaviest-weighted and deserve concentrated attention before the field-oriented domains. Use our CAC practice tests to diagnose which domains need extra weeks, and keep the CAC cheat sheet handy for the final review.

After Exam Day: Results, Award, and Maintenance Dates

Passing is not the end of the calendar. The CAC carries ongoing maintenance obligations, and they run on a longer cycle than the exam itself:

• Biennial employment/reporting maintenance. You report employment on a two-year cycle.
• No mandatory CAC CPD-hour minimum. Unlike many credentials, there is no required continuing-education hour count for the CAC itself.
• Annual recertification fee. $25 for members or $175 for non-members, plus any membership dues.
• Public renewal page requirement. The renewal page states a Certified Professional Constructor (CPC) attempt is required within ten years, or you retake the CAC.

That ten-year marker is worth putting in your long-term calendar. If you intend to progress toward the next AIC credential, our CAC training overview and CAC jobs page cover where the credential fits in a construction career, while the CAC salary guide addresses earnings in qualitative terms.

For students, remember that the award follows degree completion. If you pass in the fall of your final year, expect the credential to be conferred after you graduate rather than immediately upon passing.

Frequently Asked Questions