ISC2, the nonprofit that awards the CISSP, has closed applications for the pilot exam of its planned AI security certification and says it will notify selected volunteers later in November 2026. The pilot is capped at 3,000 candidates, who will sit a free, 160-item exam at Pearson Professional Centers between mid-December 2026 and January 24, 2027. In an update dated November 6, 2026, ISC2 also opened a call for volunteers to help set the passing standard in 2027.

The credential does not exist yet in operational form. ISC2 describes it as under development, and it has not announced a final name, a price or a launch date. Its own pages say the certification is expected to become operational in 2027, and only if the pilot phase succeeds.

Where the program stands

ISC2 began publicly building the certification in July 2026. It published the pilot exam outline on October 26, 2026, the opening day of its Security Congress, and set November 4, 2026 as the deadline for the volunteer interest form. That deadline has passed, so the pilot is no longer open to new applicants.

According to the program page, more than 12,000 people from over 150 countries expressed interest, more than 9,000 have taken part in development work, and a job task analysis survey drew more than 1,100 responses. ISC2 says it will pick pilot candidates based on professional experience and how close they live to an eligible test center.

The November 6 update describes the next step: a standard-setting workshop, planned as a two-and-a-half-day event in 2027, where volunteers help decide the score a candidate needs to pass.

What the pilot exam looks like

  • 160 multiple-choice items in a linear format, with a three-hour limit that includes optional breaks.
  • Candidates cannot skip an item and return to it later.
  • Delivery is in person only, in English only, at ISC2-authorized Pearson Professional Centers. It is not offered online or at Pearson Authorized Test Centers, and ISC2 says it cannot provide testing accommodations for the pilot.
  • There is no fee to take it. A valid ISC2 account is required, but membership is not.
  • No scores or domain-level feedback are given. Pass or fail results post to the candidate's ISC2 dashboard 8 to 12 weeks after the pilot period ends.
  • ISC2 says the testing window may be shortened or extended depending on participation, and unused pilot authorizations will not carry over to the operational exam.

The six domains and their weights

The published outline splits the exam into six areas:

  • AI concepts and security fundamentals: 10 percent
  • AI governance, ethics, risk and compliance: 17 percent
  • AI data management, privacy and model security: 19 percent
  • Secure AI architecture, engineering, and identity and access management: 18 percent
  • Secure AI operations and incident response: 19 percent
  • AI threats, testing and lifecycle management: 17 percent

Nearly three quarters of the weight falls on data and model protection, architecture, operations and threat testing. The fundamentals domain carries the smallest share. ISC2 offers no official course for the pilot and points candidates to the outline and its list of suggested references.

Proposed experience requirement

ISC2 lists the experience rule as proposed. A candidate would need four years of cumulative, paid, full-time work in cybersecurity or AI-related fields. At least two of those years must be in cybersecurity, and at least one year must cover two or more of the six exam domains. A related bachelor's or master's degree can count for one year, and no more than one year can be waived. Part-time work and internships may count.

Holders of an active CISSP, ISSAP, ISSEP, ISSMP, CCSP or CSSLP would meet the whole experience requirement through that credential. Holding an ISC2 certification is not required to take the exam.

Passing the pilot is not the same as being certified. A candidate who passes still has to meet the experience requirement and complete ISC2's endorsement process. ISC2 says those who do will be among the first to hold the credential.

What is still undecided

ISC2 has not set the certification's name, exam price, ongoing maintenance requirements or operational launch date. It says it expects the annual maintenance fee to match the rest of its portfolio, which is U.S. $135, but that figure is not final. All of those details are to be announced after the pilot, if the program moves ahead.

What to check next

If you submitted the interest form by November 4, watch for a selection notice in late November and for registration instructions, which ISC2 says open in mid-November for selected candidates. Do not book a Pearson appointment through any channel other than the one in that notice. If you missed the pilot, read the exam outline and the domain weights on the ISC2 program page now, compare them against your own work history under the proposed experience rule, and check back after January 24, 2027 for the operational launch details.

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