The CESCO is the Certified Environmental, Safety and Compliance Officer credential from the National Registry of Environmental Professionals. This page is for candidates who want to check their recall before the exam. It lists the verified exam fee, passing score and eligibility rules, and links to free practice sets on air quality, hazardous waste, OSHA standards, risk assessment and more.

CESCO Exam at a Glance

What changed for CESCO in 2026

• Oct 27, 2026: Delivery changed to Online exam link valid 1 year, or proctored paper exam on request (previously Online exam link (valid 1 year) or proctored paper exam on request).^[5]
• Oct 27, 2026: Eligibility changed to HAZWOPER 40-hr OR OSHA 10/30-hr OR Bachelor's degree in related field, plus 2 years full-time environmental/safety work experience (previously HAZWOPER 40-hr OR OSHA 10/30-hr OR bachelor's degree, plus 2 years' full-time environmental/safety work experience).^[6]
• Oct 27, 2026: Validity changed to 1-year certification cycle (application valid 3 months) (previously 1-year certification cycle; application valid 3 months).^[3]
• Oct 27, 2026: Renewal changed to $95/year + 15 CE hours ($45 late fee) (previously $95 per year + 15 CE hours; $45 late fee).^[4]
• Oct 27, 2026: Exam fee changed to $270 exam fee ($145 application fee) (previously $145 application fee + $270 exam fee).^[2]
• Oct 27, 2026: Passing score changed to 75% (previously 75% correct).^[1]

What the CESCO is and how it works

According to National Registry of Environmental Professionals®, “Like CSM, CESCO requires an exam, and applicants must answer at least 75 percent of all questions correctly in order to pass.”^[1]

The CESCO is aimed at people who handle environmental, health, safety and compliance duties in the workplace. It is issued by the National Registry of Environmental Professionals (NREP), and the official certificate page is the source to trust if anything here differs.

Eligibility. NREP asks for HAZWOPER 40 HR training, or OSHA 10/30 HR training, or a Bachelor's degree from an accredited university in a related field. On top of that, you need 2 years of full-time employment performing environmental and/or safety work.

Delivery. Once your application is approved, you receive an examination link by email. The link is valid for 1 year. NREP also offers a proctored paper exam on request. Your application itself stays valid for 3 months.

Scoring. You need at least 75% of all questions correct to pass.

Fees. The application fee is $145 and the exam fee is $270. Each retake costs $170.

After you pass. The certification runs on a 1-year cycle. Renewal costs $95 per year plus 15 CE hours, and an expired credential adds a $45 late fee.

Question counts, time limits and the exact topic list are not in the facts we have verified, so check the NREP exam page before you book.

Worked examples: how to reason through CESCO 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: A compliance officer is prioritizing jobs for a Job Hazard Analysis (JHA). Which of the following jobs should be given the highest priority?

1. An office administration task performed daily.
2. A task with a history of frequent near-misses and minor injuries.
3. A new, non-routine task that has not yet been performed.
4. A maintenance task performed once a year by senior staff.

Answer: B. A task with a history of frequent near-misses and minor injuries.

Explanation:

The correct answer is the task with a history of frequent near-misses and minor injuries. That history is direct evidence that the current controls are not working, so analysing the job is likely to prevent a more serious event.

The office administration task is wrong because routine, low-hazard work rarely produces serious harm, even when it happens often. The new, non-routine task is a reasonable candidate for review before it starts, but with no performance history it ranks below a job that is already showing failures. The task done rarely by senior staff is wrong because low exposure and experienced workers lower the likelihood of harm.

Rule to remember: rank jobs for hazard analysis by actual injury and near-miss history and by potential severity, not by how often the job is done or how unfamiliar it feels.

Example 2

Question: Which step comes first in hazard control?

1. Administrative controls.
2. Elimination or substitution
3. Personal protective equipment.
4. Engineering controls.

Answer: B. Elimination or substitution

Explanation:

The correct answer is elimination or substitution. The hierarchy of controls ranks measures from most to least effective, and removing the hazard, or replacing it with something less dangerous, comes at the top because it works at the source and does not depend on anyone behaving correctly.

Engineering controls are wrong as a starting point because they isolate or reduce the hazard rather than remove it. Administrative controls, such as procedures, training and scheduling, rely on people following them, so they rank lower. Personal protective equipment is wrong because it sits at the bottom: it only protects the wearer, and it fails if it is missing, damaged or worn incorrectly.

Rule to remember: work down from eliminating the hazard, and use PPE as the last line of defence rather than the plan.

Example 3

Question: Which law regulates hazardous waste management?

1. Clean Water Act.
2. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
3. Safe Drinking Water Act.
4. Toxic Substances Control Act.

Answer: B. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)

Explanation:

The correct answer is the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). It is the main federal law governing solid and hazardous waste, and it uses a cradle-to-grave approach that tracks waste from generation through transport, treatment, storage and disposal.

The Clean Water Act is wrong because it addresses pollutant discharges into surface waters. The Safe Drinking Water Act is wrong because it sets protections for public drinking water supplies. The Toxic Substances Control Act is wrong because it deals with the manufacture, import and use of chemical substances, not the management of waste once it exists.

Rule to remember: match the statute to the medium or activity it covers. Waste handling points to RCRA, water discharges to the Clean Water Act, drinking water to the Safe Drinking Water Act, and chemical products to TSCA.

How to use these practice tests

Start with the official NREP material so you know the eligibility rules, the fees and how the exam is delivered. Then use the practice sets to find where you are weak, rather than to collect a score.

1. Take a broad set first, such as the main CESCO practice test, and note every topic where you guessed.
2. Work through the topic sets that match those gaps. For regulation-heavy areas, try hazardous waste and RCRA, air quality and the Clean Air Act and water pollution control. For practice-oriented areas, use risk assessment, safety management systems and compliance auditing.
3. After each wrong answer, read the explanation and write down the rule behind it in your own words, such as which law covers which activity.
4. Return to the sets that caught you out and retake them after a break, so you are testing memory and not recognition.

Our questions are written by us and are not real exam questions, so treat them as a way to check understanding. Aim to finish with scores that stay comfortably above the 75% passing mark, and keep your exam link's validity window in mind when you schedule.

Sources & last verified

1. National Registry of Environmental Professionals® — passing score (official source). “Like CSM, CESCO requires an exam, and applicants must answer at least 75 percent of all questions correctly in order to pass.” Verified Oct 27, 2026 · source checked Oct 25, 2026.
2. National Registry of Environmental Professionals® — exam fee, retake fee (official source). “Exam Fee $270.00” Verified Oct 27, 2026 · source checked Oct 25, 2026.
3. National Registry of Environmental Professionals® — validity (official source). “Each recertification cycle is one (1) year in length, following initial completion of the certifying examination. The cycle ends on the annual expiration date of…” Verified Oct 27, 2026 · source checked Oct 25, 2026.
4. National Registry of Environmental Professionals® — renewal (official source). “To recertify credentials, NREPSM requires the payment of a $95.00 annual renewal fee. If credential are expired, an additional $45.00 late fee will be applied.” Verified Oct 27, 2026 · source checked Oct 19, 2026.
5. National Registry of Environmental Professionals® — delivery (official source). “NREP? offers online examinations for many of our general certifications. Once an application has been approved, the candidate will receive an examination link by email.…” Verified Oct 27, 2026 · source checked Oct 19, 2026.
6. National Registry of Environmental Professionals® — eligibility (official source). “Minimum of HAZWOPER 40 HR training or OSHA 10/30 HR training or a Bachelor's degree from an accredited university in related field. Work Experience Two…” Verified Oct 27, 2026 · source checked Oct 25, 2026.

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