The development of a valid exam for the CAP® certification process began with a clear and concise definition of the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for competent job performance. Using interviews, surveys, observation, and group discussions, ISA worked with automation professionals to delineate critical job components. The knowledge and skill bases for the questions on the exam were derived from the actual practice of the automation professionals as outlined in the 2012 CAP Role Delineation Study.
CAP exam specifications were developed by combining the overall survey evaluations of importance, frequency, and criticality, and converting the results into percentages. Importance, frequency, and criticality ratings were weighted equally in this computation. These percentages are used to determine the number of questions related to each domain and task, as shown in the chart below.
| CAP Performance Domains and Exam Specifications | % of Test | Number of Items on Exam |
| I. Feasibility Study | 11% | 19 |
| II. Definition | 12% | 21 |
| III. System Design | 20% | 35 |
| IV. Development | 19% | 33 |
| V. Deployment | 16% | 28 |
| VI. Operation and Maintenance | 22% | 39 |
| TOTAL: | 100% | 175 |
In addition to the CAP exam specifications based on the Domains, the exam questions are also distributed by knowledge or technical topic categories to ensure broad coverage of technical topics. The distribution of exam questions among these technical topics is particularly important to those preparing for the exam .
| CAP Exam Specifications by Technical Topic Category | % of Test | Number of Items on Exam |
|---|---|---|
| I. Basic Continuous Control | 14% | 24 |
| II. Basic Discrete, Sequencing, and Manufacturing Control | 13% | 23 |
| III. Advanced Control | 9% | 16 |
| IV. Reliability, Safety and Electrical | 13% | 23 |
| V. Integration and Software | 21% | 37 |
| VI. Deployment and Maintenance | 16% | 28 |
| VII. Work Structure | 14% | 24 |
| TOTAL: | 100% | 175 |
Additional Documents
- Review the CAP Job Analysis Report Exam Blueprint (PDF), which includes all information compiled to develop exam specifications.
- Download the CAP Classification System Report (PDF)