Exam Procedures:What CandidatesNeed to Know

Pre-Examination Requirements

Candidates must register with ICML for an examination at least one (1) week prior to desired appointment time. Upon verification of candidates' eligibility and payment, ICML will send an email containing a URL link to start the account creation process in ProctorU. An account must be created at ProctorU before examinations can be scheduled.

The URL link is valid for six (6) months from the date of issue. If no examination is scheduled within this 6-month period, application will be cancelled with no refund. Candidates must click on the URL link to activate an invite from ProctorU to schedule their examination. Scheduling is based on slot availability. Examination appointments are available 24/7 and require a minimum of 72 hours advanced scheduling.

The following registration conduct is strictly prohibited:

• Providing false or misleading information about your identity or that of any other person.
• Registering for or taking an ICML examination with another individual's ProctorU login.
• Allowing someone else to register for or take an ICML examination with your ProctorU login.
• Creating multiple ProctorU site accounts.
• Holding multiple examination registrations at the same time under different ProctorU logins.

Candidates must log in to ProctorU platform at the time of their examination appointment and have a non-expired, government-issued photo ID ready for verification purposes. They must be alone in a private, well-lit room, using a workspace that is clear of any unpermitted resources and electronic devices. Phone, watches, cell phones, headphones, earbuds, calculators or other electronic devices are not permitted in testing area. Candidates will be allowed to use a cell phone to capture the image of the computer and keyboard, but then will be asked to remove it from the examination area. Desktop computer or laptop must fulfill the online exam system requirements. Close all third-party programs and unplug any secondary monitors. Remove any sunglasses, earbuds, or headphones, and non-religious head coverings.

View online exam system requirements

During the Examination

Candidates shall refrain from smoking, eating, drinking, or chewing gum, nor may they talk or leave the room at any time during the examination. Bathroom breaks are not allowed. ICML will consider requests for special arrangements from candidates with medical conditions or disabilities if submitted through the Contact Us form thirty (30) days prior to the exam date. Candidates must provide ICML with written documentation from their healthcare provider.

Candidates must comply with the closed-book examination requirements and may not access or use any external information or resources during the examination. This includes, but is not limited to, files or documents stored on the computer or accessible through a network, the Internet, external websites, email accounts, or any other device or source.

If a candidate has a concern regarding an examination question, they may submit a comment using the feedback field for that question during the examination. Candidates who do not submit a comment at the time of the examination waive their right to appeal their examination score based on concerns related to that specific question.

Examination Integrity

Use of electronic devices is not permitted in the examination room. Candidates will be required to remove cell phones from the exam area after check-in procedures have been completed.

All candidates who sit for an ICML examination agree to maintain the confidentiality of all examination content and not disclose such content to others. Candidates may not record, photograph, copy, capture, reproduce, or otherwise retain any examination questions or answers, nor may they share or discuss with anyone any questions, content, or answers viewed during the examination.

The examination session may be recorded by the online examination platform, including video and audio. ICML may retrieve and review these recordings solely for the purpose of protecting examination integrity, verifying compliance with examination rules, and investigating potential violations. Proctors are trained to identify suspicious behavior and potential security breaches.

ICML reserves the right to invalidate an examination upon determining that a candidate has violated its examination rules or security requirements. In such cases, examination fees will not be refunded, and the candidate must wait at least twelve (12) months before applying to take any ICML examination as a new candidate.

After receiving notice from ICML of a violation and any applicable sanctions, the candidate will have thirty (30) calendar days from the date of the notice to submit a written request for an appeal. All appeals must be submitted through the Contact Us form.

Post-Examination Procedures

Upon completion of the exam, candidate shall finalize the exam by selecting the submit button, agreeing with ICML’s Code of Honor, and leaving the exam room. ICML will analyze the candidate’s exam recording to determine whether any of ICML’s exam rules were violated. Within one (1) week of exam completion, candidate will receive an email from ICML with results.

Certification Assessment

Examination results are reported on a Pass/Fail basis and include a breakdown showing the percentage of correct answers for each subject area of the examination.

Candidates who fail an examination may retake it up to two (2) times, with a minimum waiting period of thirty (30) days between attempts. A new examination application and payment of the applicable retake fee are required for each retake.

Candidates who fail three (3) consecutive attempts must wait twelve (12) months before applying to take the examination again. After the twelve-month waiting period, the candidate must apply as a first-time examination candidate and pay the full examination application fee.

Candidates who pass the examination will receive their digital credentials via email from Accredible. Their names and company names will also be included in ICML’s online list of certified professionals.

Candidates may also access their examination results and, when applicable, their digital certificate through the ICML Portal.

Certification Renewal

All certifications, with the exception of the LAT, are renewable every three years from the date of issue, provided that no significant interruption in relevant employment has occurred during that period.

Contingency Procedures

If an exam appointment was not successfully fulfilled for any reason (including, but not limited to: wrong time zone, power outage or other technical issues, unstable/inadequate internet connection, insufficient system specs, unsatisfactory room environment, candidate tardiness, etc.), the candidate may use the Contact Us form to request a new invitation link upon paying a rescheduling fee.

Pre-Examination Requirements

Candidates should arrive fifteen (15) minutes prior to the examination start time. Note: Photo ID IS REQUIRED. Exam session length depends on the type of exam; see our FAQ page What is the exam format? for details. If a candidate is tardy, no extra time will be allowed. If tardiness exceeds thirty (30) minutes, the examination package may be reassigned to a waiting candidate.

During the Examination

Candidates shall print and sign their names on the exam paper and print their name, date, and exam type on the Scantron Response Sheet before beginning the exam. Answers (only one per question) shall be marked on the response sheet provided. If more than one answer is marked per question, that question will be automatically voided.

Candidates shall refrain from smoking, eating, drinking, or chewing gum and may not leave the room at any time during the examination, with exception of MLE candidates. ICML will consider requests for special arrangements from candidates with medical conditions or disabilities if submitted through the Contact Us form thirty (30) days prior to the exam date. Candidates requesting such arrangements must provide ICML with written documentation from their healthcare provider.

Candidates must comply with the closed-book examination requirements and may not access or use any external information or resources during the examination. Candidates are allowed only the exam paper, the Scantron Response Sheet, pencils, erasers, and a basic, nonprogrammable scientific calculator on their exam desk/table.

Foreign candidates may be allowed an English dictionary, which must be inspected by the proctor prior to the examination.

If a candidate has a concern regarding an examination question, they may submit a comment using the feedback field for that question during the examination. Candidates who do not submit a comment at the time of the examination waive their right to appeal their examination score based on concerns related to that specific question.

Examination Integrity

Use of electronic devices is not permitted in the examination room. Cell phones, pagers, laptops, etc., must be turned off and placed completely out of sight or left with the proctor during examination and returned upon completion of the exam.

All candidates who sit for an ICML examination agree to maintain the confidentiality of all examination content and not disclose such content to others. Copying, photographing, recording, reproducing, or removing any examination-related materials is strictly prohibited.

In the event of a breach of examination security, ICML reserves the right to invalidate an examination and cancel or withhold the candidate’s examination results. ICML reserves the right to invalidate an examination upon determining that a candidate has violated its examination rules or security requirements. In such cases, examination fees will not be refunded, and the candidate must wait at least 12 months before applying to take any ICML examination as a new candidate.

After receiving notice from ICML of a violation and any applicable sanctions, the candidate will have thirty (30) calendar days from the date of the notice to submit a written request for an appeal. All appeals must be submitted through ICML’s Contact Us form.Contact Us form

Any candidate who violates the ICML’s Terms & Conditions or engages in, or is an accessory to, fraudulent conduct or any other unethical behavior shall be excluded from the examination and their application canceled. Candidates excluded for unethical behavior must wait at least 12 months before applying for any ICML exams as a new candidate.

Post-Examination Procedures

Upon completion of the exam, and in the presence of the proctor, candidates shall place all exam-related materials in the return envelope provided within their individual exam packages, seal it, sign across the seal, and return the same to the proctor. After being accounted for, candidates shall leave the testing area.

Certification Assessment

Examination results are reported on a Pass/Fail basis and include a breakdown showing the percentage of correct answers for each subject area of the examination.

Candidates who fail an examination may retake it up to two (2) times, with a minimum waiting period of thirty (30) days between attempts. A new examination application and payment of the applicable retake fee are required for each retake.

Candidates who fail three (3) consecutive attempts must wait twelve (12) months before applying to take the examination again. After the twelve-month waiting period, the candidate must apply as a first-time examination candidate and pay the full examination application fee.

Candidates who pass the examination will receive their digital credentials via email from Accredible. Their names and company names will also be included in ICML’s online list of certified professionals.

Candidates may also access their examination results and, when applicable, their digital certificate through the ICML Portal.

Passing candidates receive digital credentials in an email from Accredible, and their names and company names will be shown in ICML’s online list of certified professionals. The certificate is renewable every three years from the date of issue, assuming that no significant work interruption has occurred during that time.

Certification Renewal

All certifications, with the exception of the LAT, are renewable every three years from the date of issue, provided that no significant interruption in relevant employment has occurred during that period.

Contingency Procedures

If the start of an examination is delayed by more than thirty (30) minutes due to the late arrival of a proctor or issues with the examination room, candidates may decline to take the examination and request that it be voided and, when possible, rescheduled for an alternative examination session.

Candidates who choose not to proceed must document the reason for their request on the examination envelope and return it to the proctor along with all examination materials. Failure to raise and document the issue before the end of the examination session constitutes a waiver of the right to appeal based on those examination-session circumstances.