IAB Study Guide 2026

Everything you need to pass the IAB 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.

IAB exam key facts

The IAB Digital Media Sales Certification exam has 100 multiple-choice questions, of which 80 are scored and 20 are unscored pretest items. Source
The IAB Digital Media Sales Certification exam appointment lasts two hours, with 1 hour and 55 minutes to answer questions after a 5-minute nondisclosure agreement. Source
IAB sets the passing point for the Digital Media Sales Certification exam using psychometric procedures and does not publish a numeric cut score. Source
Each IAB certification (DMSC, DBPC, DAOC or DMFC) costs $500, which covers the certification exam and the initial two-year certification period. Source
Candidates who fail an IAB certification exam must wait for their official score report and pay a $175 re-test fee, and anyone past the 6-month exam window must re-apply and pay all fees again. Source
An IAB certification is valid for two years, after which the holder must recertify. Source

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📋 IAB Exam Format at a Glance

100

Questions

120 min

Time Limit

70.00%

Passing Score

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📚 IAB Topics to Study (40)

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✍️ Sample IAB Questions & Answers

1. What is the role of a Mobile Measurement Partner (MMP)?

✓ An independent third-party platform that tracks and attributes mobile app installs and in-app events to marketing sources

MMPs (such as AppsFlyer, Adjust, or Branch) provide independent, neutral attribution data that tracks which marketing channels drove installs and user actions across mobile campaigns.

2. What is 'skippable' vs 'non-skippable' video advertising?

✓ Skippable ads allow viewers to skip after a few seconds; non-skippable ads must be watched in full before content plays

Skippable video ads (like YouTube TrueView) let viewers skip after typically 5 seconds, while non-skippable ads must be viewed entirely before the content begins.

3. What does 'purpose limitation' mean in data privacy?

✓ Requiring that personal data only be used for the specific purposes disclosed when it was collected

Purpose limitation is a GDPR principle that requires personal data to be collected for specific, explicit, and legitimate purposes and not further processed in incompatible ways.

4. What is a mid-roll video ad?

✓ A video ad that plays during a break in the middle of video content

Mid-roll ads are video advertisements inserted at a break point during longer-form video content, similar to a traditional TV commercial break, and tend to have high completion rates.

5. What is 'programmatic native advertising'?

✓ The automated buying and selling of native ad inventory through programmatic platforms using dynamic assembly of native ad components

Programmatic native advertising applies automated buying technology to native ad inventory, dynamically assembling ad components (headline, image, description) to fit each publisher's native format at scale.

6. What is 'branded content' and how does it differ from a traditional ad?

✓ Branded content is storytelling or editorial content that a brand creates and owns, focused on building brand affinity rather than direct product promotion

Branded content is storytelling-driven content created by or with a brand that aims to entertain, inform, or inspire, with brand values front and center—rather than leading with a direct product pitch.

🎯 Free IAB Practice Tests

Digital Advertising Standards · 11 questions Digital Media Sales · 11 questions Digital Display Advertising · 7 questions Digital Display Advertising · 7 questions IAB Video Advertising · 6 questions IAB Data Privacy and Consumer Consent · 6 questions IAB Data Privacy and Consumer Consent · 6 questions IAB Video Advertising · 6 questions IAB Mobile Advertising · 6 questions IAB Programmatic Advertising · 6 questions

📖 IAB Guides & Articles

Your IAB Study Path

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

🃏 IAB Flashcards (252)🏆 IAB Exam Simulation

What Practice Test Geeks adds beyond an AI chat for IAB

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 IAB mock exam — 100 questions in 120 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 IAB 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 IAB cheat sheet you can print or save as a PDF.
IAB flashcards built from the same question bank.
Free IAB 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

iabcertification.com — Exam format, passing score, time limit, renewal, score validity, test delivery, eligibility, fees, retake fee, score release · verified Oct 2026