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Certified Safety Professional (CSP) Examination

The CSP examination is the Board of Certified Safety Professionals' flagship certification exam — the credential BCSP calls the gold standard of SH&E certification — for practitioners with a bachelor's degree, four years of preventative SH&E experience, and a BCSP-approved credential. The 5.5-hour computer-based exam is delivered at Pearson VUE test centers worldwide and covers seven blueprint domains (Advanced Application of Safety Principles 25%, Program Management 25%, Risk Management 15%, Emergency Management 9%, Environmental Management 6%, Occupational Health and Applied Science 10%, Training 10%).

Official exam site

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QuestionsNot publicly disclosed — The current first-party exam pages and candidate materials cited for this record were reviewed; they do not publish this field.

Testing time5.5 hours

ScoringPass/fail result; roughly 12% of questions are unscored beta items that do not count toward the result; the passing score is set through BCSP standard-setting (Passing Score Activity) and is not published

Exam feeUSD 350 for a single exam attempt (exam bundle USD 600 for two attempts); separate USD 160 application fee; app+exam combo USD 494 and app+bundle combo USD 744; annual renewal USD 180

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Exam overview

What to know before choosing your prep

Who runs it: BCSP
Category: Occupational Safety
Current version: CSP11 examination blueprint (blueprint document V.2024.04.24), the blueprint currently published on the BCSP CSP page
Where it applies: Global
Exam languages: English
Testing provider: Pearson VUE
Format: Computer-based at Pearson VUE test centers; multiple-choice items with four possible answers and one best answer; on-screen TI-30XS calculator emulation; white board and marker provided; self-scheduled breaks allowed but the exam clock does not stop
Availability: Year-round by appointment; candidates have one year from application approval to sit for purchased exam authorizations, then schedule through Pearson VUE single sign-on from BCSP My Profile
Results: Official results available immediately upon exam submission; score report viewable in the Pearson VUE account after the exam
Credential validity: Certification maintained through a five-year recertification cycle (25 points including 0.5 ethics points) plus an annual renewal fee (USD 180)
Remote testing: Not available

Exam structure

Multiple-choice items (four options, one best answer) across seven blueprint domains: Advanced Application of Safety Principles (25%), Program Management (25%), Risk Management (15%), Emergency Management (9%), Environmental Management (6%), Occupational Health and Applied Science (10%), and Training (10%)

Where rules vary

BCSP is a U.S.-headquartered credentialing body (Indianapolis, IN) but the CSP exam is offered worldwide with no country restriction; Pearson VUE delivers BCSP exams 'at locations throughout the world'.

Eligibility

At minimum a bachelor's degree in any field; four years of SH&E experience with at least 50% preventative, professional-level work with breadth and depth of safety duties; a BCSP-approved credential (ASP, GSP, TSP, CIH, CMIOSH, CFIOSH, CRSP, U.S. Army ACRC certificate, CSE, ITC-ILO Master in OSH, NEBOSH Diploma, SISO Professional Member, or Indian State Government industrial safety diploma/certificate); disclosure of criminal convictions and adverse license/credential actions required

Retake policy

Retakes permitted at any available appointment at least six weeks after the last attempt; the exam fee applies to each attempt (the exam bundle includes two attempts)