CDMS Study Guide 2026

Everything you need to pass the CDMS exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.

CDMS exam key facts

The CDMS exam is a computer-based test of 150 multiple-choice questions, 25 of which are unscored field-test items. Source
The CDMS exam has no fixed raw passing score: The Commission sets the cut score through a standard-setting study and reports results as scaled scores across exam forms. Source
The first CDMS certification is valid for 5 years. Source

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📋 CDMS Exam Format at a Glance

150

Questions

210 min

Time Limit

70.00%

Passing Score

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📚 CDMS Topics to Study (21)

Behavioral Health and Psychosocial Aspects of Disability · 7 cards Behavioral Health and Psychosocial Aspects of Disability · 7 cards Behavioral Health and Psychosocial Aspects of Disability · 7 cards Certified Disability Management Specialist · 7 cards Certified Disability Management Specialist · 7 cards Certified Disability Management Specialist · 7 cards ADA Compliance and Reasonable Accommodation · 6 cards ADA Compliance and Reasonable Accommodation · 6 cards ADA Compliance and Reasonable Accommodation · 6 cards Ergonomics, Workplace Safety, and Injury Prevention · 6 cards Ergonomics, Workplace Safety, and Injury Prevention · 6 cards Ergonomics, Workplace Safety, and Injury Prevention · 6 cards Medical Aspects of Disability and Case Management · 6 cards Medical Aspects of Disability and Case Management · 6 cards Medical Aspects of Disability and Case Management · 6 cards Vocational Rehabilitation and Return-to-Work Programs · 6 cards Vocational Rehabilitation and Return-to-Work Programs · 6 cards Vocational Rehabilitation and Return-to-Work Programs · 6 cards Workers' Compensation and Claims Management · 6 cards Workers' Compensation and Claims Management · 6 cards Workers' Compensation and Claims Management · 6 cards

✍️ Sample CDMS Questions & Answers

1. Any diminished, missing, or lost bodily or mental function

✓ Disability

Disability refers to any lost, absent, or impaired physical or mental function that affects a person's ability to perform daily activities and participate fully in society.

2. What is 'contact stress' as an ergonomic risk factor?

✓ Concentrated pressure on body tissue from hard surfaces or edges during work tasks

Contact stress occurs when hard surfaces or edges press on soft tissue (tendons, nerves, blood vessels), impairing circulation and increasing injury risk.

3. What does an 'experience modification factor' (EMR or e-mod) measure in workers' compensation insurance?

✓ An employer's claim history compared to industry average losses

The EMR compares an employer's actual losses to expected losses for its industry, rewarding good safety performance with lower premiums.

4. What is subrogation in the context of workers' compensation?

✓ The insurer's right to recover money paid from a liable third party

Subrogation allows the workers' compensation insurer to sue a negligent third party to recover benefits already paid to the injured worker.

5. A disability management specialist determines that an injured worker cannot return to their previous occupation due to permanent restrictions. The NEXT step is to:

✓ Conduct a transferable skills analysis and labor market survey to identify feasible alternative occupations

When the prior occupation is no longer feasible, the specialist conducts a TSA and labor market survey to identify alternative jobs consistent with the worker's restrictions and skills.

6. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), what is a 'reasonable accommodation'?

✓ A modification or adjustment that enables a qualified person with a disability to perform essential job functions

A reasonable accommodation is any change to the work environment or job that enables a qualified employee with a disability to perform essential functions.

🎯 Free CDMS Practice Tests

Behavioral Health and Psychosocial Aspects of Disability · 7 questions Certified Disability Management Specialist · 7 questions Behavioral Health and Psychosocial Aspects of Disability · 7 questions Certified Disability Management Specialist · 7 questions Certified Disability Management Specialist · 7 questions Behavioral Health and Psychosocial Aspects of Disability · 7 questions ADA Compliance and Reasonable Accommodation · 6 questions ADA Compliance and Reasonable Accommodation · 6 questions Workers' Compensation and Claims Management · 6 questions Vocational Rehabilitation and Return-to-Work Programs · 6 questions

📖 CDMS Guides & Articles

Your CDMS Study Path

1. Learn with Flashcards → 2. Drill Practice Tests → 3. Take the Full Exam Simulation

🃏 CDMS Flashcards (132)🏆 CDMS Exam Simulation

What Practice Test Geeks adds beyond an AI chat for CDMS

An AI chatbot can quiz you, but it can't reproduce the exam conditions or keep your record. Here you get:

A timed, full-length CDMS mock exam — 150 questions in 210 minutes with a 70% pass mark, modeled on the official exam's question count and time limit, followed by a score report broken down by exam domain.
A fixed CDMS question bank: the same test every attempt, so your score is comparable from one try to the next instead of changing with every regenerated quiz.
Progress saved on your device: completed tests, scores and missed questions stay in My Progress, so you can retake only what you got wrong.
A printable CDMS cheat sheet you can print or save as a PDF.
CDMS flashcards built from the same question bank.
Free CDMS practice tests with the correct answer shown after each question.

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How this page was made: written with AI tools and published by Nathan Beja, founder of Practice Test Geeks, who is responsible for its content. Exam facts are checked against the official sources listed below. Not reviewed by a subject-matter expert. Editorial policy

Sources & references

Exam facts on this page (fees, format, dates, passing scores) are checked against these official sources; the date is our last check. Editorial policy

yourcommission.org — Registration deadline, registration, score release, test dates, exam format, passing score, retake fee, score validity, exam information · verified Oct 2026
pearsonvue.com — Test delivery · verified Oct 2026