CAT Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling

Understanding How CAT Scheduling Actually Works

If you're used to booking a seat at a testing center on a specific calendar date, the Certified Accessibility and Private Residence Lift Technician (CAT) process works differently. There is no series of quarterly "testing windows" published by the NAEC Certification Board. Instead, the exam is administered on the Exam Builder platform - computer-based, closed book, English only - and it's taken at the candidate's own workplace rather than at a commercial test center.

That single fact changes how you should think about "exam dates." Rather than circling a date on a national calendar, your scheduling work centers on three things: getting your application approved, lining up two qualified proctors, and completing the required on-the-job training hours before you sit down at the keyboard. For a broader orientation to what the credential covers before you start scheduling anything, see What Is CAT Certification? and the deeper breakdown in CAT Requirements 2026.

Key Deadlines Every 2026 Candidate Must Track

Even without fixed testing windows, the CAT program runs on strict administrative clocks. Missing one of these can cost you months of delay or force a full reapplication.

• 90-day application window: Once you start your application, you have 90 days to complete it in full.
• 365-day authorization window: After your application is authorized, you have 365 days to actually sit the exam.
• 30-day retake wait: If you fail, you must wait at least 30 days before attempting again.
• 180-day wait after a third failure: A third unsuccessful attempt triggers a mandatory 180-day wait plus reapplication to the Certification Board.
• December 31 expiration: Certification is valid for one year and expires every December 31, no matter when during the year you earned it.

These deadlines matter more than any single "exam date" would. A candidate who passes in March and one who passes in November are both renewing on the same December 31 clock, which can compress your first continuing education cycle significantly. We cover the fee side of these deadlines in detail in CAT Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.

Education Pathway Timeline and Domain Sequencing

The active route into CAT certification for new candidates is the education pathway: a two-year, five-course curriculum ending in a 150-question final exam that requires 75 percent correct within a three-hour sitting. Application fees are $105 for employees of NAEC member companies and $160 for non-members. Candidates also need at least 4,200 documented on-the-job training hours accumulated after candidate approval, along with completion of all required skills verifications.

The five courses map directly to the exam's content domains, and understanding this sequence is essential for scheduling your study time realistically:

Because Course 5 dominates the training hour count, it's reasonable to assume it also carries outsized weight in the field-hour requirement toward your 4,200-hour total. For a question-by-question breakdown of how these five domains are likely to appear on the final exam, see CAT Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 5 Content Areas.

Scheduling Your Proctored Exam Day

Once your training hours and skills verifications are complete, the actual "exam date" is whatever day you and your two proctors agree on - subject to the 365-day authorization window. The proctoring requirement is one of the most distinctive parts of scheduling a CAT exam, and it takes real lead time to arrange correctly:

• Proctor One: Must be an officer of the employing company.
• Proctor Two: A competent adult who is not related to the examinee, not their supervisor, and not another program examinee.
• Documentation: Both proctors must submit a signed and notarized proctoring statement before certification can be issued.

Because notarization takes coordination, build in extra time before your target date - don't assume you can schedule the exam and get paperwork notarized the same week. Confirm proctor availability, notary access, and workplace computer/Exam Builder access well before you lock in a date. If you're unclear on how demanding the exam content itself is relative to this logistical overhead, How Hard Is the CAT Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 walks through both dimensions.

Building a 2026 Study Calendar Around the Five Courses

Generic study techniques only matter to the extent they map onto the actual CAT curriculum. Since Course 5 (Private Residence Elevators) carries the heaviest classroom and field-hour load, it should also anchor the most study time in the weeks leading up to your final exam date.

For a structured walkthrough of this kind of preparation, including how to sequence review sessions across all five courses, see CAT Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt. You can also run timed practice sessions on our practice test platform to get comfortable with the 150-question, three-hour format before your actual scheduled date.

Retake Windows and Reapplication Rules

If your first scheduled attempt doesn't go well, the retake rules effectively become your new "exam date" calculation:

These waiting periods run against your original 365-day authorization window, so a failed first attempt taken late in that window can leave very little runway for a second try. Plan your first exam date early rather than at the deadline's edge. For context on how scoring works and what 75 percent correct actually means question by question, see CAT Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass, and for a data-grounded look at how candidates tend to perform, review CAT Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows.

Annual Renewal Deadlines and CE Hour Tracking

Passing the exam isn't the end of your scheduling responsibilities. CAT certification runs for one year and expires every December 31. Renewal requires:

• 10 continuing education hours, including at least 1 safety hour (safety hours are capped at 3 toward the total)
• A signed Code of Ethics form
• A renewal fee of $115 for members or $210 for non-members

Up to 4 surplus continuing education hours can roll forward into the next cycle, which gives some flexibility if you front-load your learning early in the year. Because the expiration date is fixed at December 31 rather than tied to your certification anniversary, candidates who pass late in the calendar year face a much shorter first renewal cycle than those who pass in January or February - factor that into how aggressively you push to schedule your initial exam. Once certified, some technicians also pursue the CAT-S supervisor designation, available for $100 to those already CAT certified, which is worth planning into your longer-term career calendar; see CAT Jobs for how that designation tends to fit into hiring and advancement.

If you're still weighing whether the time investment across training hours, exam scheduling, and annual renewal is worthwhile relative to career outcomes, Is the CAT Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and CAT Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis address that question directly. And if you're brand new to the credential and want the full picture before diving into scheduling logistics, start with What Is CAT? or the quick-reference CAT Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts.

Frequently Asked Questions