The quick answer
All of these come from the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP). In one sentence each:
- CPACC — the broad, foundational, non-technical certification. The best first step for almost everyone.
- WAS — the technical, hands-on certification for writing, testing and fixing accessible code.
- CPWA — not a separate exam. It is the designation you hold automatically once you have passed both CPACC and WAS. IAAP's highest professional credential.
- ADS — a separate technical certification for making documents accessible. Not part of the CPWA.
If you only remember one thing: you cannot sit a CPWA exam, because there isn't one. CPWA is what two passes add up to.
Side-by-side comparison
CPACC, WAS and ADS compared — exam structure, experience and fees. Figures verified against IAAP's published information on 1 September 2026.
| Attribute |
CPACC |
WAS |
ADS |
| Focus | Broad accessibility knowledge | Technical web accessibility | Accessible documents |
|---|
| Type | Foundational, non-technical | Technical, hands-on | Technical, hands-on |
|---|
| Questions | 100 | 75 | 75 |
|---|
| Format | Multiple choice, closed book, computer-based | Multiple choice, computer-based | Multiple choice, computer-based |
|---|
| Time limit | 2 hours | 2 hours | 2 hours |
|---|
| Experience needed | 1 year in accessibility, or a new or changing role with some accessibility responsibility | 3–5 years hands-on in a live, customer-facing technical role | Regular, ongoing hands-on document remediation work |
|---|
| Standard fee | $510 | $555 | $555 |
|---|
| IAAP member fee | $410 | $455 | $455 |
|---|
| EDE country fee | $170 | $225 | $225 |
|---|
| Retake (standard) | $315 | $330 | $330 |
|---|
| Renewal credits per 3 years | 45 | 35 | 35 |
|---|
| Counts toward CPWA? | Yes | Yes | No |
|---|
All fees are in US dollars and are non-refundable. “EDE” is IAAP's reduced rate for candidates in Emerging and Developing Economy countries — it is a substantial discount, and worth checking the eligible-country list before you pay the standard rate. Additional exam time can be requested as an accommodation.
CPACC — start here
The Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies is the entry point, and for most people it is the right first exam. It is conceptual rather than technical: disabilities and assistive technologies, universal design, and the standards, laws and management strategies that govern accessibility.
Who it suits
Project managers, designers, content authors, procurement and policy staff, QA testers, and anyone moving into accessibility from an adjacent role. You do not need to write code to pass it.
What IAAP asks for
One year of experience in accessibility, or a new or changing role with some responsibility for accessibility. Candidates with less than a year are asked to describe their background and goals rather than being refused outright — so a genuine career-changer has a route in.
The exam itself
100 multiple-choice questions in two hours, computer-based and closed book. It is offered in English and German, and IAAP is piloting a Spanish version in the September/October exam session.
Read the full CPACC study guide, or practise CPACC questions in the A11ytek exam-prep app.
WAS — the technical credential
The Web Accessibility Specialist proves you can build, test and repair accessible websites in real code. It covers WCAG, ARIA, assistive-technology testing and remediation, and it is aimed squarely at developers, accessibility engineers and technical QA specialists.
The experience requirement is real
IAAP asks for 3–5 years of personal experience in a live, customer-facing technical environment across three domains: writing accessible code, testing it, and fixing it. The requirement is built from job tasks defined by working accessibility professionals and the managers who hire them, and applicants are expected to perform those tasks independently. This is the requirement people most often underestimate — it is worth checking your current role honestly against the WAS Content Outline before you apply.
The exam itself
75 multiple-choice questions in two hours, computer-based.
Read the full WAS study guide, or practise WAS questions in the exam-prep app.
CPWA — the combined credential
The Certified Professional in Web Accessibility is not an exam. There is no CPWA test to book, no CPWA syllabus to revise, and no separate CPWA fee. Hold CPACC and WAS at the same time and IAAP awards you the CPWA — its highest professional credential, signalling both broad knowledge and deep technical skill.
Most people earn CPACC first and add WAS once they have the technical experience behind them. Renewal is handled as a single credential: a CPWA needs 55 education credits every three years rather than maintaining two certifications separately.
Where does ADS fit in?
The Accessible Document Specialist is a separate technical certification for people who make PDFs, Word files and presentations accessible. It is not part of the CPWA — passing it does not move you toward that designation — but it pairs naturally with CPACC for anyone whose work involves document remediation.
IAAP is explicit that ADS is not a beginner credential. Candidates submit a résumé documenting first-person, ongoing, regular document-accessibility work, and IAAP states plainly that knowing how to run automated remediation tools and checkers is not sufficient background on its own.
Read the full ADS certification guide.
What the full path actually costs
Published fees only tell half the story, because the member rate usually beats paying standard — and IAAP membership also makes renewal free.
Getting to CPWA
- Standard rate: $510 + $555 = $1,065
- IAAP member rate: $410 + $455 = $865
- EDE country rate: $170 + $225 = $395
The member rate saves $200 across the two exams, which is more than most individual memberships cost — so for anyone taking both, joining first is usually the cheaper route, before you count free renewals.
If you fail
Retakes are discounted: $315 for CPACC and $330 for WAS or ADS at the standard rate, less again for members and EDE candidates. The discounted retake is available once, within a year of your first attempt — after that you pay full price again.
Do you have to take CPACC before WAS?
No. They are independent exams and you may sit them in either order, or sit only one. CPACC is not a prerequisite for WAS.
Most people still take CPACC first, for two practical reasons. It has the lighter experience requirement, so it is available earlier in a career. And it is the cheaper of the two, which makes it a lower-risk way to find out how IAAP writes questions before you commit to the harder exam.
The exception is an experienced developer who already has the 3–5 years behind them and wants the technical credential for a specific job. In that case WAS first is perfectly reasonable — you can always add CPACC afterwards and pick up the CPWA at that point.
How long it takes to prepare
IAAP's own guidance is to plan for 5–10 hours a week for 6–8 weeks for each exam. That is roughly 30 to 80 hours in total, depending on how much of the material your day job already covers.
Two honest observations from having sat these. First, the CPACC covers a genuinely wide field — disability models, international law, universal design — and much of it will be new even to people who have worked in accessibility for years. Second, the WAS is not a WCAG memory test; it asks what you would actually do, so time spent testing real pages with a screen reader is worth more than time spent re-reading the guidelines.
Keeping the certification
IAAP certifications are valid for three years. You renew with continuing-education credits rather than by re-sitting the exam:
- CPACC — 45 credits every three years
- WAS — 35 credits
- ADS — 35 credits
- CPWA — 55 credits, covering both certifications together
With continuous IAAP membership, members pay nothing to renew. Letting a membership lapse can therefore cost more than it saves.
So which should you take?
- New to accessibility, or in a non-technical role? Take the CPACC.
- Experienced developer or tester with 3+ years? Aim for the WAS, and pair it with CPACC to hold the CPWA.
- Work mainly on PDFs and documents? Consider the ADS alongside CPACC.
- Want the strongest credential available? CPACC + WAS, in that order, gives you the CPWA.
Whichever you choose, the exams reward applied judgement rather than recall. A11ytek's exam-prep app covers CPACC, WAS and ADS with thousands of verified practice questions, each with an explanation, organised by exam domain so you can find your weak areas before the exam does.
About these figures
Exam fees, question counts and experience requirements were checked against IAAP's published information on 1 September 2026. IAAP updates its fees and requirements from time to time, so confirm the current detail on the IAAP website before you book. A11ytek is an independent training provider and is not affiliated with or endorsed by IAAP.