The Certified Agile Developer (CAD) exam from GAQM suits developers and team members who want proof of working knowledge in agile practices. This page gives you the exam format and fees as GAQM publishes them, three worked practice questions with full explanations, a study plan, and free practice sets grouped by topic. Practice with the free Certified Agile Developer practice test on PracticeTestGeeks (7 questions with answer explanations).

Free Certified Agile Developer Study Tools

Interactive Certified Agile Developer resources on PracticeTestGeeks, free to start:

• Certified Agile Developer flashcards — review key terms and concepts card by card
• Certified Agile Developer study guide — topic-by-topic overview of what the exam covers
• Certified Agile Developer cheat sheet — one-page printable summary for last-minute review

CAD Exam at a Glance

What changed for CAD in 2026

• Oct 25, 2026: Eligibility changed to No prerequisites (E-Course recommended) (previously No prerequisites (e-course recommended)).^[1]
• Oct 25, 2026: Retake policy changed to 2 attempts per voucher; a new voucher is needed after that (previously 2 attempts per voucher; a new voucher adds 2 more).^[1]

What the CAD is and how it works

According to GAQM, “The exam comprises of 40 Multiple Choice Questions out of which the candidate needs to score 70%”^[1]

The Certified Agile Developer (CAD) credential is issued by GAQM and is aimed at people who build software on agile teams. There are no prerequisites, although GAQM recommends its E-Course as preparation.

The exam is delivered online in AI-proctored mode and is available on demand. You buy a voucher, and the voucher is valid for 240 days, so you pick the day that suits you inside that window.

The exam has 40 multiple-choice questions and the total time is 60 minutes. You need to score 70% to pass. With a fixed time limit, steady pacing matters as much as knowing the material, so practise answering at a set speed.

The exam voucher costs $150 and covers 2 attempts. The Premium Package costs $170 and adds an e-book; its voucher is also valid for 2 attempts. If you use both attempts without passing, you need to buy a new voucher.

Once earned, the certification is valid for life, so there is no renewal cycle to plan around.

We could not verify an official list of content areas for this page, so we do not claim to mirror the syllabus. Check the GAQM CAD page for the current outline, prices and rules before you pay. Our questions are written by us with AI tools. They are practice material, not real exam questions.

Worked examples: how to reason through CAD questions

These are practice questions written for this site, not questions from the real exam. Each explanation shows why the right answer is right and why the others are wrong.

Example 1

Question: Which of the following statements BEST distinguishes Continuous Delivery (CD) from Continuous Integration (CI)?

1. CI is a practice for development teams, while CD is a practice exclusively for operations teams.
2. CI focuses only on compiling code, while CD is responsible for running all automated tests.
3. Continuous Delivery extends Continuous Integration by ensuring that every change passing the automated pipeline is in a releasable state.
4. Continuous Integration requires daily merges to the mainline, whereas Continuous Delivery only requires weekly merges.

Answer: C. Continuous Delivery extends Continuous Integration by ensuring that every change passing the automated pipeline is in a releasable state.

Explanation:

Option C is correct. Continuous Integration is about merging and testing changes frequently. Continuous Delivery builds on that: every change that passes the automated pipeline is kept in a releasable state, even if the final release is a manual business decision.

Option A is wrong because both practices involve development and operations, and neither belongs to one team alone. Option B is wrong because CI normally runs automated tests too, and CD is not defined by running them. Option D is wrong because CD is not defined by a slower merge rhythm; the difference between the two is readiness to release, not merge frequency.

Rule to remember: CI answers whether the change integrates and passes tests. CD answers whether the change could be released right now.

Example 2

Question: What is 'triangulation' in the context of TDD?

1. Running tests on three different environments
2. Adding multiple specific examples to drive out a general algorithm
3. Organizing tests into three layers: unit, integration, and E2E
4. Using three assertions per test case

Answer: B. Adding multiple specific examples to drive out a general algorithm

Explanation:

Option B is correct. Triangulation means adding several specific examples, one after another, until the only sensible implementation is the general one. A single test can be satisfied by a hard-coded return value. A second and third example force you to write real logic.

Option A is wrong because triangulation has nothing to do with the number of environments tests run in. Option C is wrong because it describes layers of test types, which is a separate idea about test strategy. Option D is wrong because the count of assertions in a test does not drive out an algorithm.

Rule to remember: when a test passes with a fake or constant, add another example with different data. The code should become general only when the tests demand it.

Example 3

Question: Which of the following best describes the 'Arrange-Act-Assert' pattern in TDD?

1. A project management framework for agile teams
2. A pattern where you set up preconditions, execute the action, and verify the outcome
3. A method for prioritizing which tests to write first
4. A deployment strategy for test environments

Answer: B. A pattern where you set up preconditions, execute the action, and verify the outcome

Explanation:

Option B is correct. Arrange-Act-Assert gives a test a readable shape: arrange the data and preconditions, act by calling the behaviour under test, then assert that the outcome matches what you expect.

Option A is wrong because AAA is a way of structuring a single test, not a project management framework. Option C is wrong because choosing which test to write next is a separate skill, and AAA says nothing about ordering. Option D is wrong because deployment strategy sits outside the test body altogether.

Rule to remember: if a test is hard to read, check whether setup, action and verification are clearly separated. A test that mixes them, or that checks many unrelated outcomes, usually needs to be split.

How to use these practice tests

Start with the official material. Read the GAQM CAD page and, if you can, the E-Course or e-book, so you know the topics GAQM expects. Then use the practice sets to find weak spots rather than to collect scores.

Begin with the basics: CAD Agile Fundamentals and CAD Agile Principles and Mindset. Move on to CAD Agile Planning and Estimation and CAD Agile Frameworks and Methodologies.

Then spend real time on the engineering practices, since this is a developer exam: CAD Test-Driven Development (TDD), CAD Continuous Integration and Testing, CAD Code Refactoring and Quality and CAD Collaboration and Teamwork.

After every set, read the explanation for each miss and write down the rule behind it in your own words. Retake a set only after a gap of a few days, so you are recalling rather than recognising answers. In the last days before your exam, do mixed sets against a timer to practise the pace the 60-minute limit demands.

Sources & last verified

1. GAQM — number of questions, time limit, exam fee, retake policy (official source). “The exam comprises of 40 Multiple Choice Questions out of which the candidate needs to score 70%” Verified Oct 25, 2026.

How we verify: editorial & fact-checking policy. Report an error: contact us.