- What This Cheat Sheet Covers (and What It Doesn't)
- The Five Exam Domains at a Glance
- Credential Levels: Requirements Side by Side
- Exam Format and Testing Logistics
- Fees and Costs: The Numbers to Memorize
- Staying Certified: Hours, Dues and Ethics
- Domain-by-Domain Topics to Master
- Sequencing Your Review Around the Domains
- Traps That Cost Candidates Points
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The professional exam runs 90 minutes; the Assistant-level foundational assessment is a separate 60-minute test.
- Practitioner and Master differ on score (50% vs. 70%) and experience (two vs. four years), both with 1,400 direct hours.
- The professional exam costs USD 350 with proctor fee; the post-pass certification fee is USD 125.
- The standard exam is US-centric; ICCP offers a separate Canadian-law version, so don't blend jurisdictions.
What This Cheat Sheet Covers (and What It Doesn't)
This page is a compressed review of the Public Sector Data Governance Professional (PSDGP) credential offered through the Institute for the Certification of Computing Professionals (ICCP). The acronym is shared with other credentials in the industry, so one point of scope: everything here applies only to the ICCP public sector data governance credential and its published levels. It does not describe a different data governance certification, and it is not a substitute for a CDP specialty exam.
Use this as a pre-study orientation or a final-week refresher. If you want the long-form treatment of any topic, the companion pieces on all five PSDGP content areas and the full PSDGP study guide go deeper. If you're still deciding whether the credential fits your career, start with what PSDGP certification actually is.
The Five Exam Domains at a Glance
ICCP's exam outline for the Public Sector Data Governance exam is organized into five sections, numbered 1.0 through 5.0. These are the official headings:
- Data Governance Concepts and Mission Drivers
- Legal and Regulatory Environment
- Data Governance and Stewardship Roles & Responsibilities
- Data Governance Inputs and Deliverables
- Fundamental Knowledge Areas for Public Sector Data Stewardship
One thing to commit to memory: the published outline lists these as exam objectives, not as weighted percentages. Any source claiming that a particular domain is "worth 30% of the exam" is not drawing on ICCP's published outline. Since no highest-weighted topic is established, the safe strategy is balanced coverage, with extra time on whichever domain is weakest for you given your work background.
Credential Levels: Requirements Side by Side
The PSDGP credential has multiple levels, and the requirements differ in more than just the score. This table is the single most useful thing to have on a one-page review:
| Level | Assessment | Minimum Score | Experience | Other Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assistant | Distinct 60-minute foundational assessment | At least 50% | 900 direct data-governance/stewardship hours | Ethics compliance |
| Practitioner | Professional exam, 90 minutes | At least 50% | Two years, including 1,400 direct hours | Ethics compliance |
| Master | Professional exam, 90 minutes | At least 70% | Four years, including 1,400 direct hours | Ethics compliance |
| Principal | Professional exam, 90 minutes | At least 70% | Five years, including 1,400 direct hours | Significant industry contribution; two-day mentoring workshop |
| Executive | No examination; written assignment | Assignment graded at least 70% | Five years of management experience, including 1,400 direct hours | Four-day workshop |
Two details trip people up. First, the workshop durations (two days for Principal, four days for Executive) are program requirements, not exam timers. Second, the Executive level is the only one with no exam at all. It substitutes a written assignment. For a deeper look at eligibility questions, see the PSDGP requirements guide.
Exam Format and Testing Logistics
Timing and structure
The professional examination is 90 minutes. The foundational assessment used for the Assistant level is a separate 60-minute test. No question count is established in the sources used for this article, so don't plan around a specific number of items; plan around pace across the 90 minutes and the breadth of the five domains.
How testing is delivered
ICCP arranges computer-based internet testing with either remote or approved local proctors. If you choose remote proctoring, expect these requirements:
- Identity verification
- A working web camera
- Reliable internet connection
Run your equipment check well before exam day. A shaky connection is a logistics problem you can fully prevent. For scheduling specifics, see the PSDGP exam dates and scheduling guide.
Retakes
ICCP's general retake guidance is to wait 30 days after an unsuccessful attempt. That is general guidance, not an unconditional ban on earlier retakes in every training-related circumstance, so confirm your situation with ICCP if you're on a tight timeline. Use any waiting period to review your weakest domain rather than re-reading everything.
US vs. Canadian version
The standard exam version is US-centric. ICCP also offers a Canadian-law version. This matters most for Domain 2, Legal and Regulatory Environment. If you're sitting the standard version, prepare for US law and policy; if you're sitting the Canadian version, prepare for Canadian law. Do not mix the two sets of statutes and frameworks in your notes.
Fees and Costs: The Numbers to Memorize
ICCP's current linked store prices are the figures to rely on. They supersede generic examples in the FAQ (such as a USD 299 three-exam illustration) and older 2022/2023 partner-training promotions.
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Professional exam (includes proctor fee) | USD 350 | Used for Practitioner, Master and Principal paths |
| Foundational exam (includes proctor fee) | USD 249 | The 60-minute assessment |
| Certification fee (after passing) | USD 125 | Linked from the PSDGP credential page; the product URL carries a CDP suffix but is explicitly linked from the PSDGP page |
| Candidate application fee | USD 45 | Subject to published exemptions; application also needs membership application, CV and ethics agreement |
| Arithmetic subtotal: exam + certification fee | USD 475 | Just 350 + 125; not an advertised package |
That USD 475 figure is arithmetic only. It excludes any applicable candidate fee, training, workshops and renewal costs, so budget above it. Detailed exam guides are sold separately by ICCP, which is another line item to account for. The full picture is in the PSDGP certification cost breakdown, and if you're weighing the spend, this ROI analysis frames the decision.
Staying Certified: Hours, Dues and Ethics
ICCP describes the credential itself as lifelong. Keeping active professional certified-member status, however, takes ongoing effort:
- Professional-development hours: 120 acceptable hours per three-year cycle
- Annual dues: USD 75 per year
- Associate category: 60 hours per cycle and USD 35 annually
Ethics compliance applies across the credential at every level, not just at application. Treat the ethics agreement as a working standard you'll be held to, not a form to sign and forget.
Key Takeaway
Think of cost in three layers: the one-time exam and certification fees, the application-stage items (membership, candidate fee, any training or workshops), and the recurring renewal commitment of 120 hours and USD 75 a year. Candidates who only budget for the exam price are the ones surprised later.
Domain-by-Domain Topics to Master
The outline gives headings, not itemized topic lists, and the detailed paid exam guides were not reviewed for this article. The points below are therefore framed as what each heading logically demands of a public sector practitioner; treat them as study prompts and verify depth against ICCP's materials.
Domain 1: Data Governance Concepts and Mission Drivers
This domain is about why governance exists in a public agency and how it connects to mission outcomes.
- Core vocabulary: governance versus management, stewardship, data as an asset
- How an agency's mission and public accountability shape governance priorities
- Drivers such as transparency, service delivery, risk reduction and interagency sharing
- Being able to explain governance value in mission terms, not just technical terms
Domain 2: Legal and Regulatory Environment
Public sector data work is bounded by law. Expect to reason about obligations, not just recite names.
- Privacy, records, open-data and information-access obligations relevant to government
- Which jurisdiction's law applies: US-centric on the standard exam, Canadian on the Canadian version
- Translating legal requirements into governance policy and stewardship practice
- Keep a clean separation between US and Canadian frameworks in your notes
Domain 3: Data Governance and Stewardship Roles & Responsibilities
Who decides, who executes, who is accountable.
- Distinguishing governance bodies, executive sponsors, data owners and data stewards
- Decision rights and escalation paths within an agency
- How responsibilities differ between governance authority and day-to-day stewardship
- Ethics expectations that attach to these roles
Domain 4: Data Governance Inputs and Deliverables
Governance is a process with things that go in and things that must come out.
- Typical inputs: laws, mission statements, existing policies, inventories, stakeholder needs
- Typical deliverables: policies, standards, charters, glossaries, metrics and reports
- How deliverables are used to enforce, communicate and measure governance
- Linking each deliverable to the role responsible for producing or approving it
Domain 5: Fundamental Knowledge Areas for Public Sector Data Stewardship
The foundational data-management knowledge a steward needs in daily work.
- Core data-management concepts that support stewardship, such as quality, metadata, security and lifecycle
- How these knowledge areas apply in a public agency context
- Recognizing which knowledge area a scenario is really testing
For a longer treatment of each area, the complete domains guide is the place to go, and the difficulty guide explains where candidates tend to struggle.
Sequencing Your Review Around the Domains
Since no domain is officially weighted above the others, sequence by dependency rather than by assumed importance. A sensible four-week order, assuming you already work in or near data governance:
Domains 1 and 3
- Lock in the concepts and the role vocabulary first; everything else references them
- Build a one-page chart of roles, decision rights and responsibilities
Domain 2
- Study the legal and regulatory environment for your exam version only
- Write a plain-language note for each requirement: what it demands and who is affected
Domains 4 and 5
- Map inputs to deliverables, then tie deliverables back to roles from Week 1
- Review the foundational knowledge areas for stewardship
Integration and timed practice
- Take timed sets against a 90-minute window and review by domain
- Spend leftover time on your weakest heading, not your favorite one
Practice questions that mix scenario and recall are the best way to test integration; the PSDGP practice test site is built for exactly that. For a fuller plan, see the study guide.
Traps That Cost Candidates Points
- Confusing level thresholds. Practitioner needs at least 50%; Master and Principal need at least 70%. Know which level you're targeting before you decide how hard to push.
- Treating workshops as exam time. The two-day and four-day workshops are requirements for Principal and Executive, not test durations.
- Mixing jurisdictions. Studying US and Canadian law together and then blending them in answers is a Domain 2 hazard.
- Importing facts from other credentials. Several certifications share the PSDGP acronym. Fees, dates and pass rates from another program will not apply here.
- Budgeting only the exam fee. The USD 350 exam price is one piece of the total; the certification fee, candidate fee and renewal also count.
- Assuming a published pass rate. None is established for this credential, so don't anchor your confidence to a number you can't verify.
- Skipping the ethics agreement. Ethics compliance applies across the credential and is part of the application.
Frequently Asked Questions
The professional examination is 90 minutes. The Assistant level uses a separate foundational assessment that runs 60 minutes. No question count is established in the sources used for this article.
Practitioner requires at least 50%, while Master and Principal require at least 70%. The Assistant level also uses at least 50% on its foundational assessment. Executive uses a written assignment graded at least 70% instead of an exam. These are minimum thresholds, not domain weights or pass rates.
The professional exam is USD 350 including the proctor fee, and the foundational exam is USD 249. A USD 125 certification fee is payable after passing, and the general application includes a USD 45 candidate fee subject to exemptions. The USD 475 exam-plus-certification subtotal excludes candidate fees, training, workshops and renewal.
ICCP's general guidance is to wait 30 days after an unsuccessful attempt. That is general guidance rather than an absolute rule for every circumstance, so confirm your specific situation with ICCP.
ICCP describes the credential as lifelong. Maintaining active professional certified-member status requires 120 acceptable professional-development hours per three-year cycle and USD 75 annually. The associate category uses 60 hours and USD 35 annually.
Keep this cheat sheet handy as a checklist, then test yourself under realistic conditions on the PSDGP Exam Prep practice tests so the facts hold up when the 90 minutes start.