APICS Certification Maintenance Explained: 75 Points, 5 Years, No Surprises
Earning an APICS certification is the hard part; keeping it is mostly a matter of not forgetting. ASCM's rule is simple: submit 75 professional development maintenance points every five years (100 for Fellow level holders) and your CSCP, CPIM, CLTD or CTSC stays valid. Here is how the cycle works and how to make it painless.
The cycle
Maintenance runs in five year intervals from your certification date. You can open the application as early as 30 days into the cycle, and ASCM sends reminders at one year, 90, 60, 30 and 7 days before the deadline. Each certification you hold is maintained separately.
What happens if you miss it
Certifications not maintained in five years are suspended; you then have 90 days to submit the application. Not reinstated after 90 days, the certification expires, and you must retake and pass the exam. During suspension or after expiry you may not use the designation on your CV or LinkedIn.
What earns points
- ASCM membership: six points a year, 30 of your 75 for simply staying a member
- Education: courses relating to the ASCM body of knowledge (one point per hour of instruction), including classes in other languages
- Foundations courses: 24 points each (plus 3 for a first Foundations course); certificate programs 20 points
- Another APICS exam: passing a second certification earns points toward the first
- Events and writing: up to 18 points at ASCM's annual CHAINge conference; five points for an ASCM Insights article
What does not count: regular job duties, exam prep study, presentation skills classes, non APICS exams, basic computer or MS Office courses, staffing a booth, or reading websites.
Fellow and lifetime status
Fellow designations (CSCP F, CPIM F, CLTD F, CTSC F) need 100 points per cycle; falling short reverts you to the base credential. Lifetime certification is available to holders aged 62 or over in good standing.
The easy strategy
Keep membership active (30 points), and take one substantive course each cycle, a second APICS credential or an advanced program like CTSC, and you clear 75 without scrambling in year five.
Ask an advisor which program fits your next cycle.
