CLTD Certification in India: Exam, Content and Who It Suits
| CLTD at a glance | |
|---|---|
| Awarding body | ASCM (formerly APICS) |
| Eligibility | ASCM states no education or experience requirement |
| Exam | One computer-based exam, 150 questions, 3.5 hours |
| Scoring | 200 to 350; 300 and above passes |
| Where | Pearson VUE test centres in India, or online through OnVUE |
| Maintenance | 75 points every five years, or retake |
| Our preparation | CLTD course, live online with a self-paced option |
The short answer
If you run warehouses, transport, distribution networks or a 3PL operation and want the ASCM credential written for that work, CLTD is it. No eligibility application, one exam, preparation live online from anywhere in India, maintenance every five years. If your career is in forwarding and shipping rather than distribution, read the CILT comparison below before you choose.
What CLTD covers
ASCM describes the exam as "one exam covering nine modules of content". Our course follows the same ground: logistics overview and strategy, logistics network design, sustainability and reverse logistics, capacity planning and demand management, order management, inventory management, warehouse management, transportation, and global logistics considerations. The outcomes are a logistics manager's: design and run networks, manage freight movement and carriers, plan inventory and orders across a network, run warehouses to standard, and handle the international and reverse-flow parts of the job.
Eligibility
ASCM's CLTD materials state no education or experience prerequisite. As with CPIM, that is an absence of a stated requirement rather than a declaration, so we phrase it that way. Practically: you purchase the exam and schedule it, with no application to approve. The exam does assume working knowledge of logistics operations; people new to the field should start with a logistics fundamentals programme, which the logistics courses hub lists.
Exam, fees and maintenance in brief
Everything mechanical about an ASCM exam is identical across CSCP, CPIM and CLTD, and the CSCP explainer sets it out in full. What is particular to CLTD: the nine content areas are weighted toward network design, transportation and warehousing, so expect scenario questions about mode choice, route and fleet economics, and facility location alongside the inventory and order-management arithmetic; the pass threshold is 300 on the 200 to 350 scale. The exam credit comes from ASCM in US dollars at member or non-member rates, you book your own sitting with Pearson VUE (a test centre in any large Indian city, or OnVUE from home), and our rupee tuition sits on the course page with the advisor confirming the total in writing. Maintenance is 75 points per five years; logistics managers typically earn them through the warehouse, transport and safety training their employers already run.
Where and how we prepare you
Live online cohorts with recordings and a self-paced track, instructor-led through the ASCM learning system with timed mock exams. In-person sessions are possible at our New Delhi, Noida, Pune, Hyderabad and Kochi centres when a cohort fills; Kochi, with its container transhipment terminal and export bodies, has a logistics-focused centre page. Warehouse and transport teams can take CLTD preparation in-house through corporate training in India.
CLTD or CILT?
This is the real decision for most Indian logistics professionals, and the two are different kinds of thing. CLTD is a single designation from ASCM: one exam, no ladder, five-year maintenance. CILT qualifications come from the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport on a ladder: the International Certificate for people moving into supervision, the International Diploma for those planning and managing operations (four units, examined, about 12 to 18 months part time by CILT's estimate), and CILT membership grades above. CLTD leans toward distribution, warehousing and network roles inside manufacturers, retailers and 3PLs; CILT leans toward transport, shipping and forwarding careers and toward a staged professional path. Many Indian employers in logistics recognise both. The logistics certification comparison works through it role by role; CILT qualifications in India covers the CILT side.
CLTD, CSCP or CPIM?
Same exam format and maintenance across the three ASCM designations; different scope. CSCP is the end-to-end chain and has had no eligibility requirement since December 2022. CPIM is planning and inventory depth and has been a single exam since June 2026. CLTD is logistics, transportation and distribution. Warehouse and transport managers pick CLTD; planners pick CPIM; generalists pick CSCP. See the CSCP and CPIM explainers.
Who it suits in India
Warehouse and distribution centre managers, transport and fleet managers, 3PL and freight professionals, logistics managers in manufacturing, FMCG, pharma, retail and e-commerce, and global logistics coordinators. Less suited to people whose work is shipping documentation and forwarding operations rather than network and distribution management, for whom the CILT route or the shipping programmes fit better.
Frequently asked questions
What is the CLTD eligibility? ASCM states no education or experience requirement. You purchase the exam and schedule it.
How long is the CLTD exam? 3.5 hours, 150 questions; 300 on a 200 to 350 scale passes.
Can I take the CLTD exam in India? Yes, at Pearson VUE test centres across India or online via OnVUE.
CLTD or CILT? CLTD for distribution, warehousing and network roles and a single-exam designation; CILT for transport, shipping and forwarding careers and a staged professional qualification.
How long is CLTD valid? Five years, then 75 maintenance points or a retake.
Start your CLTD preparation
See the CLTD course page for the current cohort, format and rupee tuition, or speak to a course advisor.
