CGMS

Eligibility Requirements  |  2025 Exam Transition  |  Study and Prepare for the Exam
Take the Exam  |  Exam Information  |  Candidate Statistics
Adhere to the Ethics  | What If I Need to Retake the Exam  |  I Passed, Now What

How to Earn Your Credential

Eligibility Requirements

Each eligibility requirement has been established to ensure that certified individuals have an acceptable level of knowledge, as evidenced by the examination and education requirements, and skill, as evidenced by the experience requirement, needed for certification. All individuals who seek certification must meet the established eligibility requirements.

To be eligible to sit for the CGMS exam, candidates must attest to having one of the following:

1. A minimum of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education or equivalent foreign degree that would allow you to qualify for a master’s or doctoral degree program at an accredited U.S. college or university AND a minimum of three (3) years of full-time* grants management experience in the last 10 years**; OR

2. No college degree, BUT a minimum of five (5) years of full-time* grants management experience within the last 10 years**.

*Full-time is defined as 32 hours per week or more. Candidates may determine if they meet the requirement by calculating the percent of time spent on grants (years of experience x percent of time spent on grants).

**Grants management experience includes any and all activities covered by the Grants Management Body of Knowledge.

Eligibility Audits

A percentage of candidate applications will be audited to ensure compliance with the eligibility criteria. Applications for audit will be selected randomly. If your application is selected for audit, you will be provided with instructions on how to supply satisfactory documentation that supports your compliance with the eligibility criteria before your certificate is released.

 2025 Exam Transition

NGMA has been working to update the CGMS exam. The new CGMS Exam is now active. The previous CGMS exam and Practice exam was phased out as of January 31, 2025.

The updated exam was developed using the following process:

1. Job Task Analysis: NGMA conducted a comprehensive Job Task Analysis (JTA) to define the role of the grants manager. The findings informed the development of a revised Exam Blueprint. The Blueprint outlines the distribution of questions across four categories: Grant Guidance, Fiscal Management, Grant Awards, and Program Management. 


2. Exam Review: Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), led by psychometricians, reviewed the CGMS exam against the new Exam Blueprint and identified any areas where new questions may be needed.

3. Item Writing: SMEs, led by psychometricians, collaborated to write new items for the CGMS exam based on the up dated blueprint.

4. Beta Test: A Beta Test/Pilot Test was conducted in February-March 2025. Data from the Beta Test informed the Standard Setting/Cut Score study.

5. Standard Setting/Cut Score Study: A group of SMEs, led by psychometricians, conducted a cut score study during March-April 2025. The study was necessary to determine the pass score of the new exam. The new cut score is 650 on a scale from 200-1000. This represents a scaled score. Raw scores represent the number of questions answered correctly by the candidate. Scaled scores are converted from raw scores to a standardized scale. Scaled scores allow for a comparison of scores across different exam forms.

This updated exam reflects the latest industry standards and best practices, ensuring the CGMS certification remains a trusted and valuable credential in the grants management field. A heartfelt thank you goes to the SMEs who dedicated their time and expertise to the development of the CGMS exam. Their invaluable contributions ensured that the exam reflects the highest standards of excellence and remains aligned with the evolving needs of the grants management profession.

Study and Prepare for the Exam

NGMA encourages candidates to prepare for the exam by:

• Looking for a study group or partner, connecting with a mentor or searching exam preparation tips and best practices in the CGMS Discussion area of the NGMA Community Forum.

• Taking NGMA's GMBoK Training. The training covers the full lifecycle of grants management. Note: GMBoK Training is not a CGMS exam prep course. The training is not required to take the CGMS exam or endorsed by the NGMA Certification Council.

 Additional preparation tips:

• Read and know 2 CFR 200.

• Review CGMS Exam Blueprint.

• Remember: Even experienced grant professionals need to study for the exam!
  

Take the Exam

You must submit a CGMS application and pay the exam fee before scheduling your exam.

The computer-based CGMS exam is offered in-person at testing centers or with a live-remote (virtual) proctor. You may review the Environmental and System Requirements for the live-remote proctor option on pages 3-4 of the Prometric ProProctor User Guide. Candidates will be given three (3) hours to complete the exam.

CGMS Exam Fee (nonrefundable): $500 for members | $674 for non-members
(non-member fee includes a one-year NGMA membership)

Exam Information
 

Prometric, NGMA’s testing vendor, provides technical assistance to NGMA in the delivery of the computer-based testing center and remote proctored CGMS exam.

The computer-based CGMS exam is offered at proctored testing centers across the United States and as a live remote proctored assessment available 24/7.

The CGMS exam contains 150 multiple-choice questions (130 scored questions and 20 pre-test/pilot questions). Candidates will be given three (3) hours to complete the exam. 

CGMS exam results are presented using a scaled score. The exam scoring scale ranges from 200-1,000. A score of 650 is required to pass the CGMS exam. Raw scores represent the number of questions answered correctly by the candidate. Scaled scores are converted from raw scores to a standardized scale. Scaled scores allow for a comparison of scores across different exam forms. The CGMS exam uses two exam forms. 

Candidate Statistics
 
As of January 1, 2025, there are 321 CGMS holders.

CGMS EXAM PASS RATE

Adhere to the Ethics

Read and adhere to the NGMA Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.

The document articulates ideals and values related to the NGMA's:

• Responsibility
  
• Respect
  
• Fairness
  
• Honesty

Failure to adhere to these ideals and values may result in the revocation of the CGMS credential.

What if I Need to Retake the Exam?

Candidates may retake the exam 90 days after test dates and are allowed three attempts in a 365-day period (one year). Candidates will be required to pay the retesting fee for each exam retake. Retakes are initiated through NGMA and NOT the Candidate Management System (CMS). Contact [email protected] for more information on scheduling a retake exam.

CGMS Non-Refundable Retesting Fee: $175 for members | $250 for non-members

I Passed, Now What?

Congratulations, you passed! You have earned your CGMS designation and will receive an email from NGMA welcoming you to this elite group. You will have access to the CGMS social community page. A PDF of your CGMS certification may be downloaded from the Candidate Management System. Your CGMS is good for three years from the date you passed the exam.