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Open free ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Implementer prep resources ↗Exam facts & prep options
PECB Certified ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Implementer (exam)
The PECB Certified ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Implementer exam is PECB's AI-management-system implementation certification exam: an 80-question, 3-hour, open-book multiple-choice exam (stand-alone and scenario-based questions, 70% pass mark) covering six AIMS competency domains from AIMS fundamentals and ISO/IEC 42001 requirements to planning, implementation, monitoring and measurement, and continual improvement plus preparation for an AIMS certification audit; delivered online through the remotely invigilated PECB Exams application or paper-based through PECB partners, and feeding the Provisional Implementer through Senior Lead Implementer credential tiers.
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Questions80 multiple-choice questions across six competency domains — 17/5/20/18/10/10 per domain — split 32 questions measuring comprehension/application/analysis and 48 measuring evaluation (40%/60%)
Testing time3 hours (plus 30 additional minutes on request for candidates taking the exam in a non-native language, per the Lead-exam allowance)
ScoringPassing score of 70%
Exam feeUSD 1,000 for the Lead Exam taken standalone, plus a USD 500 certification application fee; when booked through a PECB partner, the training fee includes the first exam attempt, one free retake, the certification application fee, and the first year of the Annual Maintenance Fee
Prep options
Study resources for ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Implementer
Independent prep
Courses and study resources
Exam overview
What to know before choosing your prep
- Who runs it
- PECB
- Category
- Technology Governance, Risk & Compliance
- Current version
- ISO/IEC 42001-based Lead Implementer exam (multiple-choice edition); Candidate Handbook Version 1.5, ©2026
- Where it applies
- Global
- Exam languages
- English
- Score scale
- 0–100% (per-domain question/point weights shown in the handbook content table; online multiple-choice candidates see their exact grade instantly, otherwise results are pass/fail)
- Testing provider
- PECB (self-delivered via the remotely invigilated PECB Exams application and its partner network)
- Format
- Multiple-choice, open-book — stand-alone and scenario-based questions (each scenario followed by five questions), each question with three options; allowed references are a hard copy of the ISO/IEC 42001 standard, training course materials, and personal notes; delivered online via the PECB Exams application (remotely invigilated) or paper-based through a PECB authorized partner
- Availability
- Scheduled online exam sessions posted on the PECB Exam Events page (sessions listed in multiple countries), or paper-based on Day 5 of partner-led training courses / dates arranged with the partner
- Results
- Instant result with exact grade for online multiple-choice exams; two to four weeks for paper-based multiple-choice exams (communicated by email)
- Remote testing
- Available
Exam structure
80 multiple-choice questions across six competency domains with handbook weights: Fundamental principles and concepts of an artificial intelligence management system — AIMS (21.25%); AI management system requirements (6.25%); Planning of an AIMS implementation based on ISO/IEC 42001 (25%); Implementation of an AIMS based on ISO/IEC 42001 (22.5%); Monitoring and measurement of an AIMS based on ISO/IEC 42001 (12.5%); Continual improvement and preparation for an AIMS certification audit (12.5%)
Where rules vary
PECB delivers the same exam worldwide through its international partner network and online via the PECB Exams application; the candidate handbook lists no jurisdiction-specific variants (only a 30-minute non-native-language accommodation for Lead exams).
Eligibility
No mandatory prerequisite to sit the exam (candidates may take it without attending the training course; the page's stated main requirement for the training is general knowledge of AIMS and ISO/IEC 42001); the credential tiers set experience requirements — Provisional Implementer (none), Implementer (2 years incl. 1 in AI + 200 project hours), Lead Implementer (5 years incl. 2 in AI + 300 project hours), Senior Lead Implementer (10 years incl. 7 in AI + 1,000 project hours)
Retake policy
Unlimited retakes; 15-day wait after a failed first attempt; candidates who completed a PECB partner course get one free retake within 12 months of course completion, otherwise retake fees apply