The CPP now runs on PPA's certification curriculum: six module exams you take online in Google Chrome, plus a separate Technical Image Evaluation. This guide covers eligibility, exam format, costs, attempts and retakes, and a study sequence built on PPA's own modules and the Photography Certification Guide.
What the CPP credential covers
The Certified Professional Photographer credential is administered by Professional Photographers of America and is tested through six module exams plus a separate image evaluation.
The Certified Professional Photographer (CPP) credential is run by Professional Photographers of America (PPA), a nonprofit trade association for professional photographers. Certification is not a single sitting: PPA's current process is built around a curriculum of six modules you work through at your own pace.
Each module combines instructional videos, visual presentations, quizzes, a link to the Photography Certification Guide, and the exam that goes with that module. The six modules are:
- Module 1: Cameras, Lenses, and Attachments
- Module 2: Lighting and Flash Photography
- Module 3: Design and Composition
- Module 4: Exposures and Metering
- Module 5: Digital Post-production
- Module 6: Introduction to Business
Official sources: CPP Exam FAQ's (PPA, 2026) — Questions 1–16; Curriculums | Professional Photographers of America — Certification Curriculum overview and membership terms
Eligibility and declaring candidacy
You need a PPA member account to access the curriculum, and candidacy costs $200 with a two-year completion window.
The curriculum and its exams sit inside a PPA member account, and PPA describes the curriculum content as exclusively available to members, so membership comes first.
Declaring candidacy costs $200. That declaration starts a two-year window in which you must pass the module exams and complete the Technical Image Evaluation.
One exemption depends on timing: candidates who declared candidacy before 1 February 2025 do not have to pass the Introduction to Business exam. If you declared on or after that date, plan to sit all six module exams.
You can only take a CPP exam if you are a declared, active candidate, or a CPP who is up for recertification within the current calendar year. Submitting the membership application also means agreeing to PPA's Code of Ethics, which commits members to professionalism, honesty, and integrity in dealings with colleagues, clients, and the public.
Official sources: CPP Exam FAQ's (PPA, 2026) — Questions 1–16; Curriculums | Professional Photographers of America — Certification Curriculum overview and membership terms
What to study in the six modules
Use the six named exam modules as your study checklist, with the Technical Image Evaluation tracked separately.
The public PPA curriculum lists six knowledge modules plus the Technical Image Evaluation. The study tasks below are suggestions for using your member materials; they are not extra assessment requirements or a substitute for the current test specifications.
For each module, read its section of the Photography Certification Guide, watch the lessons, try the practice quizzes and explain the answers in your own words. Return to the guide when you cannot explain a choice.
| Official module | Suggested study task |
|---|---|
| Cameras, Lenses, & Attachments | Make a comparison sheet for the equipment and controls covered in the guide, stating what each is used for. |
| Lighting and Flash Photography | Sketch the setups in your lessons and explain the purpose of each light or modifier. |
| Design & Composition | Annotate your own photographs with the composition principles taught in the module. |
| Exposures and Metering | Work the guide’s examples, then explain how the meter reading relates to the exposure chosen. |
| Digital Post-production | Reconstruct the workflow taught in the module and explain what each stage is intended to accomplish. |
| Introduction to Business | Turn the module’s concepts into short practice scenarios, then check your reasoning against the guide. |
Official sources: CPP Exam FAQ's (PPA, 2026) — Questions 1–16; Curriculums | Professional Photographers of America — Certification Curriculum overview and membership terms
How the module exams work
Each exam has 10–25 multiple-choice questions drawn from the CPP test specifications, needs 70% to pass, and runs on demand in Google Chrome.
Each module exam contains 10–25 multiple-choice questions. The questions come from the CPP test specifications, and every question is referenced in the Photography Certification Guide, which makes that guide your primary study document.
You need 70% or higher to pass each exam. The exams are on-demand, so you do not schedule a proctor; you open the exam at the bottom of the module page when you feel ready. Before it starts, you complete a short setup: a Google Chrome browser extension, a room scan, and an ID scan. Chrome is mandatory for every exam.
Your results are reviewed before approval and appear in your PPA account roughly one to three business days after the exam, shown as a percentage. If you fail a module, you only retake that specific exam.
Official sources: CPP Exam FAQ's (PPA, 2026) — Questions 1–16
Costs, attempts, and retakes
Ten attempts are pooled across all six exams, and a fresh set of ten costs $25 on top of the $200 candidacy fee.
You get 10 attempts across the six module exams, and you can purchase additional attempts as needed. Each extra set of ten costs $25. The FAQ lists this separately from the $200 candidacy declaration, so treat them as two distinct costs when budgeting.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Candidacy declaration fee | $200, starting a two-year completion window |
| Module exam length | 10–25 multiple-choice questions per exam |
| Passing score | 70% or higher on each module exam |
| Exam attempts | 10 attempts shared across all six exams |
| Additional attempts | $25 for a new set of 10 |
| Results | 1–3 business days after review, shown as a percentage |
| Required browser | Google Chrome |
Official sources: CPP Exam FAQ's (PPA, 2026) — Questions 1–16
The Technical Image Evaluation
Certification requires the Technical Image Evaluation in addition to the six module exams, but its submission details are not covered in the 2026 exam FAQ.
Alongside the module exams, the curriculum lists the Technical Image Evaluation as its final component, and the FAQ confirms it is a required part of finishing within your two-year candidacy window.
PPA's 2026 exam FAQ does not spell out the image evaluation's submission requirements, judging criteria, or scheduling. Use the current instructions in your PPA account — or contact PPA directly — before planning that step, rather than relying on third-party summaries.
Official sources: CPP Exam FAQ's (PPA, 2026) — Questions 1–16; Curriculums | Professional Photographers of America — Certification Curriculum overview and membership terms
Sequencing your preparation
Start with any module, study it with the Certification Guide, then take that module's exam when you are ready.
You can start in any module and skip around; there is no required order. Because every exam question is referenced in the Photography Certification Guide, work through that guide alongside each module's videos and quizzes before opening the exam.
PPA recommends setting aside 30 minutes to an hour per exam sitting, which covers setup as well as test time. The FAQ presents this as a recommendation, not an enforced time limit. If you need testing accommodations for a documented disability, email cpp@ppa.com at least four weeks before your scheduled test date.
- Google Chrome browser installed and ready
- Government-issued ID whose name matches your PPA account name
- A working webcam
- A quiet location clear of any reference material
- Strong internet connection — a hard-wired connection is recommended
- Your PPA login
Official sources: CPP Exam FAQ's (PPA, 2026) — Questions 1–16
Practice question: applying the candidacy rules
Work through the declaration date, completion window, retake scope, and attempt costs in one scenario.
The CPP's administrative rules are easy to misread, so test yourself on them before you rely on them.
Practice question
Priya declares CPP candidacy on 15 November 2024. She has already passed two module exams and has just failed her third. (a) Is she exempt from any module exam? (b) What must she complete, and by when? (c) If she exhausts all ten attempts, what does a fresh set cost?
Show answer
(a) Yes — she is exempt from the Introduction to Business exam, because she declared candidacy before 1 February 2025. (b) She must pass her remaining module exams and complete the Technical Image Evaluation within two years of declaring candidacy — by November 2026. She retakes only the module she failed, not the ones she passed. (c) $25 buys another set of ten attempts.
The FAQ ties the business-exam exemption to the declaration date, so a November 2024 declaration qualifies even though she sits exams later. The two-year window begins with the $200 declaration and covers both the module exams and the Technical Image Evaluation. Failing one module means retaking only that exam, and attempts are pooled: ten attempts across all six exams, with each additional set of ten costing $25.
Official sources: CPP Exam FAQ's (PPA, 2026) — Questions 1–16
Next steps
Open the curriculum in your PPA account, confirm your declaration date, and study each module with the Certification Guide before its exam.
A short sequence covers everything the official documents require:
- Log into your PPA account and open the Certification Curriculum under the Benefits menu to preview all six modules.
- If you have not yet declared candidacy, budget the $200 fee and note your declaration date — it starts your two-year clock and determines whether the business-exam exemption applies to you.
- Study each module's videos, quizzes, and the Photography Certification Guide, then take that module's exam on demand in Chrome.
- Check your current PPA instructions for the Technical Image Evaluation, since the exam FAQ does not cover its submission details.
- Practice with free CPP questions and browse the full study-guide library before your first sitting.
Official sources: CPP Exam FAQ's (PPA, 2026) — Questions 1–16
Official sources
Fact-checked against PPA's 2026 exam FAQ: