The CAE is the Certified Assessment Evaluator designation from the International Association of Assessing Officers, taken by people working in property appraisal and assessment administration. This page offers free practice sets by topic, worked explanations of sample questions, a summary of the exam's fees, scoring and retake rules, and a study plan you can adapt to your own schedule.
Numbers in brackets link to the official sources listed under Sources & last verified. Dates that have passed are removed automatically.
| Item | Detail | Source · Verified |
|---|---|---|
| Time limit (CAE Comprehensive Examination) | 8 hours, exclusive of a lunch break[1] | International Association of Assessing Officers · Oct 27, 2026 |
| Passing score | 70% (pass/fail)[2] | International Association of Assessing Officers · Oct 27, 2026 |
| Exam fee (CAE Comprehensive Examination) | $395 non-member / $245 IAAO member[3] | International Association of Assessing Officers · Oct 27, 2026 |
| Retake fee (CAE Comprehensive Examination) | $295 non-member / $195 IAAO member[3] | International Association of Assessing Officers · Oct 27, 2026 |
| Retake policy (CAE Comprehensive Examination) | Retake after 30 days; 180-day waiting period after a second fail; retake allowed while eligible[4] | International Association of Assessing Officers · Oct 27, 2026 |
| Validity | 5 years (one 1-year extension permitted)[4] | International Association of Assessing Officers · Oct 27, 2026 |
| Renewal | 70 credit hours per 5-year recertification cycle[2] | International Association of Assessing Officers · Oct 27, 2026 |
| Delivery (CAE Comprehensive Examination) | Paper exam with an approved proctor, at any location and date[1] | International Association of Assessing Officers · Oct 27, 2026 |
| Eligibility | 5 years' experience, 7 courses, 2 projects, and a bachelor's degree or alternative[1] | International Association of Assessing Officers · Oct 27, 2026 |
| Score release | By email, promptly after grading[5] | International Association of Assessing Officers · Oct 27, 2026 |
According to International Association of Assessing Officers, “All professional development program examinations are graded on a pass/fail basis only. A passing grade is seventy percent.”[2]
The CAE (Certified Assessment Evaluator) is a designation from the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO) for professionals in property appraisal and assessment administration. Candidates must have at least 5 years of experience, 7 courses, 2 projects, and a bachelor's degree or an accepted alternative.
The examination is delivered on paper with an approved proctor. It may be administered at any location and on any date, and IAAO prefers that the proctor be a CAE designee. Candidates are allotted a maximum of 8 hours, exclusive of a lunch break. Grading is pass/fail only, and the passing grade is 70%. Results are sent by email promptly after the exam is graded.
The fee is $395 for non-members and $245 for IAAO members. A retake costs $295 for non-members and $195 for members. You may retake the exam after 30 days. If you fail the re-examination, you must wait 180 days before any later attempt, and you may keep retaking for as long as you remain eligible. A candidacy is approved for 5 years, with a 1-year extension permitted. After you earn the designation, recertification requires 70 credit hours per 5-year cycle.
Fees and rules can change, and we have not verified an official list of content areas for this page. Check the IAAO designation pages and the Professional Development Manual before you register.
Prepare for the CAE - Certified Assessment Evaluator exam with our free practice test modules. Each quiz covers key topics to help you pass on your first try.
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.
Question: The IAAO acceptable range for the overall level of assessment (median ratio) in a ratio study is:
Answer: A. 0.90 to 1.10
Explanation:
The correct answer is 0.90 to 1.10. IAAO standards treat a median assessment ratio inside that band as an acceptable overall level of assessment. It shows that properties are assessed close to market value on the whole.
0.85 to 1.15 and 0.80 to 1.20 are too wide. They would let the overall level drift far from market value and still count as acceptable. 0.95 to 1.05 is too narrow. It is tighter than the standard asks for, so it is not the accepted range.
Rule to remember: the median ratio measures the overall level of assessment, and the acceptable band is centered on 1.00 with limited room on each side. Separate measures, such as uniformity, are judged by other statistics, so do not mix them up with the level.
Question: Which body typically hears first-level property assessment appeals at the local level?
Answer: D. Board of review or board of equalization
Explanation:
The correct answer is the board of review or board of equalization. In most jurisdictions this local body is the formal administrative step where an owner first contests an assessment, before any court is involved.
A city planning commission deals with land use and zoning, not assessed values, so it has no role in assessment appeals. A state supreme court is the top of the judicial system and hears matters only after lower administrative and court steps are finished. A federal district court is the wrong level and the wrong system, because local property assessment disputes are generally state and local matters.
Rule to remember: appeals usually move upward from a local administrative board to higher administrative or judicial bodies. Exact names and procedures vary by state, so check your own jurisdiction.
Question: Under most state statutes, which standard of value is the basis for ad valorem property assessment?
Answer: D. Market value (fair cash value)
Explanation:
The correct answer is market value, also called fair cash value in some states. Most state statutes define the basis for ad valorem property assessment as market value or a close statutory equivalent such as true value.
Liquidation value is wrong because it assumes a forced, rushed sale, which usually produces a lower price than an open market sale would. Insurance replacement value is wrong because it estimates the cost to rebuild, which serves insurance purposes rather than taxation. Book value is wrong because it is an accounting figure based on historical cost less depreciation, and it need not reflect what the property would sell for.
Rule to remember: assessment aims at what a typical buyer and seller would agree on in an open market. Your state's statute sets the exact wording, so learn the local term.
Start with the official material. Read the IAAO designation page for the CAE and the Professional Development Manual so you know the eligibility rules, the retake policy and how the exam is run. Since an official content outline is not reproduced here, use IAAO's course materials to decide which topics deserve the most time.
Next, take a practice set cold, before reviewing anything. Begin with Core Concepts and Principles, then move to Property Valuation Techniques, Income Approach to Value and Mass Appraisal and Statistical Analysis. Write down every question you miss and the reason: a gap in knowledge, a misread question, or a mix-up between similar terms.
Then study the gaps in your IAAO course notes and redo the sets you struggled with. Add Appeals and Dispute Resolution and Legal and Regulatory Framework, and note where your own state's rules differ from the general answer.
Before test day, practise working through long stretches of questions without breaks, since the real exam is long and on paper. Our questions are written by us and are not real exam questions, so use them to find weak areas, not to predict your score.
Candidates are allotted a maximum of 8 hours to complete the exam, exclusive of a lunch break. It is a paper exam given with an approved proctor, who may administer it at any location and on any date. IAAO prefers that the proctor be a CAE designee.
IAAO grades its professional development program examinations on a pass/fail basis only, and the passing grade is 70%. Results are sent to you by email promptly after the exam is graded. Check the IAAO procedural rules for the current wording.
The exam fee is $395 for non-members and $245 for IAAO members. A retake costs $295 for non-members and $195 for members. Fees can change, so confirm the amounts on the IAAO designation fees page before you register.
Yes. You may retake the exam after 30 days. If you fail the re-examination, you must wait 180 days before any later attempt. You can keep retaking for as long as you remain eligible, and your candidacy is approved for 5 years, with a 1-year extension permitted.
Candidates need at least 5 years of experience in property appraisal or assessment administration, 7 courses, 2 projects, and a bachelor's degree or an alternative that IAAO accepts. See the IAAO designation page for the details of each requirement.
Recertification requires a minimum of 70 tested or untested credit hours per 5-year cycle. Our CAE Continuing Education Requirements set can help you review the topic, but your IAAO account and the Procedural Rules are the authority on what counts.
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