FAQs

If you are registered for Level I then you may identify yourself as a "Level I Candidate in the CAIA program." If you are registered for Level II, you may identify yourself as a "Level II Candidate in the CAIA program." You may not list "CAIA Level I" or "CAIA Level II" after your name, although you may indicate that you passed Level I or Level II. You may only use the CAIA designation after you have met the Membership Requirements in the Member Policy Manual.

The one-time program enrollment fee is non-refundable. The CAIA Association will grant refunds of exam registration and exam retake fees, but only if the refund is requested within 14 days of the date of purchase. Requests must be sent via email to candidate@caia.org. For complete details, please refer to the Fee Schedule. Exam registrations cannot be transferred to other individuals.

Please visit the Exam Registration Dates and Fees page.

Individuals who register during the early registration period automatically receive discounted pricing on the exam session registration fee only. Exam retake fees are not eligible for the early registration discount.

It is not possible to pay or take both exams within the same payment or exam session.

Please visit the Association Partner Discount page.

Note: CAIA Association does not grant retroactive discounts. Eligible Candidates must apply for the appropriate discount prior to registration or forfeit said discount.

Paying for registration is an online process during the open registration period. The preferred method of payment is by credit card. We accept American Express, VISA, MasterCard, and Discover. Candidates with a U.S. based bank account may elect payment by eCheck. Candidates may also opt to pay by check or wire transfer although these payment methods will take time to process, and exam registration is incomplete until payment is received.

Please see the Fee Schedule for other payment options and further details.

All fees must be paid in full by a single party. Partial, split, or multi-party payments are not accepted.

Please see the Candidate Policy Manual for further detail.

Click here for Pearson VUE test Center, location specific, guidelines.

Via Pearson VUE test Center: Find a Pearson VUE test center near you. 

Schedule Your Exam

Neither the CAIA Association nor Pearson VUE can guarantee availability of appointments for any given exam, location, or specific date. 

Appointments are scheduled on a first-come/first-served basis. Candidates are encouraged to schedule appointments as soon as possible, as examination centers have limited capacity. If a Candidate’s preferred location and time are not available, it is solely the Candidate's responsibility to locate, and arrange for transportation to, an alternate testing center. Deferments will not be granted to Candidates who are unable to sit for the exam due to lack of preferred site availability or failure to schedule an appointment.

For complete details, please refer to the Special Accommodations page of our website.

If you need to change your exam appointment, you may reschedule to another date and/or location within the same testing window only, and subject to availability at the time. You can reschedule up to 72 hours before your original appointment by rescheduling through your CAIA account.

No, registration is exam-specific and not open-ended. By registering for a single exam, you are committing yourself to a date- and time-specific exam, and you may not postpone from one testing window to another, e.g., you cannot change your September exam registration to March. If you are unable to sit for the exam for which you are currently registered, or if you do not pass, you will need to re-register to take the exam during a future exam window. The fee for reregistering for an exam  is US$795, regardless of whether you sat for the exam the first time.

Access to the Official Digital CAIA Curriculum, is included with your registration fee. Instructions are provided in your Registration Confirmation email. Additional study tools are located on the Curriculum and Study Tools page of our website.

The CAIA curriculum and CAIA study tools are the only preparation materials developed by the CAIA Association and are the Candidate’s best source of information regarding what content is eligible to be tested on the CAIA exams. All the content on the CAIA exams comes directly from the CAIA curriculum readings.

Arrive at the test center or begin your online check-in process, at least 30 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment to allow time for check-in procedures. Late arrivals may not be permitted to sit for the exam.

Please refer to the Identification and Calculator policy in the Candidate Policy Manual for requirements.

• If your IDs do not meet the requirements, you will not be allowed to test.
• If the Calculator is not one of the “approved” calculators, you will not be able to use it. Test sites will not have an approved calculator for you to “borrow” for your exam.  

No pen or paper is allowed to be used during the exam.

• In a test center, a dry erase board and marker are provided.

For the OnVUE exam, Candidates must use the online digital whiteboard available, Tutorial and Tips, or the scratch pad built into the exam.

Level I exam results are usually released within five weeks of the last examination day. Level II, which includes essays, takes more time. Level II results are generally released within eight weeks of the last examination day.

When results are released, you will receive an email with notification that your results have been uploaded to your CAIA account, with instructions detailing how to retrieve them. Candidates are encouraged to keep their contact information up to date to ensure the timely receipt of exam results.

• Test with Confidence – OP exam overview by our online exam provider, OnVue.
• Tip & Tricks for a successful online proctored exam
• Digital White Board Tutorial and Tips. Note: Digital whiteboard contents will now be available for the duration of your CAIA exam, throughout both sections, assuming no connection interruption. This is a change from previously provided information.
• Exam Day Support - There is a chat function within the exam where you will be able to ask your proctor for assistance. However, they will not answer exam content-specific questions. We also highly recommend you contact CAIA at candidate@caia.org immediately following your exam to notify CAIA of your experience.

All CAIA exams are administered at Pearson Vue Test Centers. However, an Online Proctored exam may be requested via an accommodation only.

has the required experience of:

• holds a bachelor’s degree (or the equivalent) and has one (1) year of professional experience in the field of alternative investment analysis or other regulatory, banking, financial, or related field, OR
• has four (4) years of professional experience in the field of alternative investment analysis or other regulatory, banking, financial, or related field, OR
•  is a CFA charter holder in good standing;
• provides the name and e-mail of two (2) people as professional references; 
• agrees to abide by the CAIA Candidate and Member Agreement, including the use of the CAIA designation as an exclusive right for Full and Retired Members whose membership is in good standing and fully paid; and
• submits payment to join CAIAA after passing CAIAA’s Level II exam, and thereafter submits a renewal payment on or before the expiration date of May 31st.

• Please keep in mind that we offer Affiliate Membership as an option if you do not meet the CAIA Membership requirements when you pass your Level II exam. Please contact member@caia.org to request an Affiliate Membership.

You may pay by credit card, check, or wire during the online checkout process. 

• 1 Year Membership: Ideal for professionals looking for annual access to CAIA's resources and community.
   
• 2 Year Membership: Offers a longer-term engagement with CAIA, providing all the benefits of Membership for two years at a reduced rate.
   
• Retired Membership: Designed for active CAIA Members who are unemployed, retired, full-time students, leaving the industry, or experiencing other extenuating financial or personal circumstances and are unable to pay the full Membership fee.
   
• Affiliate Membership: Suitable for CAIA Candidates who have passed the Level II exam and are working to meet the requirements for full Membership.

Your Membership registration or renewal will not be considered complete until CAIA has received your dues payment and applied it to your account. 

Receipts can be printed directly from your account at caia.org. Log in to your CAIA account with your email and password and click on My Account in the top right corner of your screen to access your profile. All past invoices will be stored on your profile under the “My Invoices” tab.

• Pending invoices can be printed directly from your account at caia.org. Log in to your CAIA account with your email and password and click on My Account in the top right corner of your screen to access your profile. All past invoices will be stored on your profile under the “My Invoices” section. 
   
• If you need an invoice for submission to your employer, please complete the Membership application or renewal process, and select Pay by Check or Wire when you reach your shopping cart. Your unpaid invoice will be available to be printed or saved from within your profile under the “My Invoices” tab. 

We do not contact professional references on a routine basis. However, we reserve the right to contact all references if we perform a random audit.

Membership in the CAIA Association is not a requirement to serve as a reference. The only requirement for your references is that they have relevant information regarding your professional experience. 

A one-year Membership costs US$350 and a two-year Membership is US$650. 

• CAIA also offers an Emerging Market rate for Membership. A one-year Emerging Market Membership costs US$100 and a two-year is US$200.  At this time, the emerging market rate is based on the MSCI Emerging Market Index.

Once your Membership application is confirmed by an email sent to your primary email address, you have earned the right to use the CAIA designation.

There are no time restrictions on the validity of your exam results. To enjoy a full year of benefits, we encourage you to apply for Membership as soon as possible after passing the CAIA exams.  

With Membership, comes the exclusive right to use the marks. To enjoy a full year of benefits, including the use of the CAIA marks, we encourage you to apply for Membership as soon as possible after passing the CAIA exams.  

Yes, only CAIA Charterholders in good standing have the exclusive right to use the CAIA designation. 

If you allow your Membership to lapse, you will have forfeited the right to use the CAIA designation. 

• Pending invoices can be printed directly from your account at caia.org. Log in to your CAIA account with your email and password and click on My Account in the top right corner of your screen to access your profile. All past invoices will be stored on your profile under the “My Invoices” section. 
  
   
• If you need an invoice for submission to your employer, please complete the Membership application or renewal process, and select Pay by Check or Wire when you reach your shopping cart. Your unpaid invoice will be available to be printed or saved from within your profile under the “My Invoices” tab. 

Regardless of when you passed your Level II exam, your Membership expires on May 31. You may renew at any time prior to May 31. 

• When you log in to your account, you will have access to the renewal link in the gray box at the top of your user profile.

We offer Retired Membership status at a reduced cost to renewing Members who are unemployed, retired, returning to school, leaving the industry, or experiencing other extenuating financial or personal circumstances and are unable to pay the full Membership fee. Please see Retired Membership status for details.

Your Membership registration or renewal will not be considered complete until CAIA has received your dues payment and applied it to your account. 

Receipts can be printed directly from your account at caia.org. Log in to your CAIA account with your email and password and click on My Account in the top right corner of your screen to access your profile. All past invoices will be stored on your profile under the “My Invoices” tab.

Log in to your account at CAIA.org. After logging into the CAIA website, click on My Account in the top right corner. From there you will see Renew Membership in orange within the gray box at the top of your profile.

Please keep in mind that only CAIA Members in good standing have the exclusive right to use the CAIA designation.  

• To enjoy a full year of benefits, we encourage you to renew your Membership on time.  Please also keep in mind that we do not prorate Membership dues. Regardless of when you first apply for or renew your Membership, your Membership always expires on May 31.

• CAIA Members with three or more years of industry experience are eligible for membership with the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investments (CISI). 

• CAIA Members with at least three years of industry experience qualify for full membership (MCSI). 

• CAIA Members with less than three years of industry experience are eligible to join as Associate (ACSI) members. 

The annual Retired Status Membership fee is US$175.

Retired Membership is reserved for active CAIA Members who are unemployed, retired, full-time students, leaving the industry, or experiencing other extenuating financial or personal circumstances and are unable to pay the full Membership fee.

During Membership renewal, active Members may apply for Retired Membership through the renewal process.

To qualify for Retired Membership Status, Members are required to do the following: 

1. Select the Retired Membership option when renewing your Membership.  

2. Agree on an annual basis to abide by the Member Agreement.  

3. Submit payment of US$175 for the annual Retired Membership fee.

CAIA does not make distinctions between Retired Status Members and full CAIA Members.  Retired Status Members enjoy all the benefits and rights of full CAIA Membership. 

We are pleased to offer an easy way to both help you display a visual depiction of your accomplishment and enable easy verification for employers and clients. In addition to credibility, your digital badge conveys critical information, such as what it takes to earn the certification, key skills you’ve demonstrated, and when you earned the certification. A digital badge is a web-enabled version of your Charter, which can be verified online in real-time. Since it is digital, it can be shared across the internet for maximum visibility and recognition.

Find out more about how to access and use your Digital Badge here.

If you need to complete a verification for an employment screening or background check, please send a request along with a signed release from your candidate to the appropriate area of CAIA:

• For verifying a CAIA Membership, send your request to member@caia.org
• For verifying a Candidate’s enrollment in the CAIA Charter program, send your request to candidate@caia.org
• For verifying completion of the Fundamentals of Alternative Investment course, send your request to fundamentals@caia.org.

NOTE: If you need to complete a verification for an employment screening or background check, please complete the form here. 

You may use CAIA after your name with or without the registered marks. Proper: Jane Smith, CAIA® -OR- Jane Smith, CAIA 

For details on the proper usage of the CAIA marks, please refer to the Intellectual Property Policy in the Policies section of our website.

As a CAIA Member, you gain access to exclusive educational content, professional development tools, and networking opportunities. For a comprehensive overview of all CAIA Member resources, please visit our For Members page.

Finding other CAIA Members is convenient using our CAIA Member Directory. Simply log into your account to access this feature. Searches can be done by Name, Chapter, City, State, or Country. Having trouble logging in? Contact member@caia.org for assistance with your login access.