Auditing

The ASQ Certified Pharmaceutical GMP Professional (CPGP) certification validates an individual’s deep understanding and application of Good Manufacturing Practices within the pharmaceutical industry. This credential signifies a professional's expertise in regulatory requirements, quality systems, and operational controls essential for producing safe and effective pharmaceutical products. Earning the CPGP is crucial for quality professionals, auditors, and regulatory specialists aiming to demonstrate their mastery of global GMP principles and elevate their impact in the highly regulated pharmaceutical landscape. This advanced guide delves into the core components of the CPGP exam, offering insights into its structure, syllabus, benefits, and strategic preparation to empower candidates for success.

Updated on 19 September 2026. What’s new: CMDA exam fees corrected, and the syllabus moved to ASQ's 2026 Body of Knowledge.

To earn the ASQ Certified Medical Device Auditor (CMDA) certification, you need five years of relevant experience (one in a decision-making role, with degree waivers), then pass one open-book exam of 145 multiple-choice questions in 258 minutes with a score of 550/750. From the November 2026 testing window, ASQ tests the new 2026 CMDA Body of Knowledge, so study from the 2026 BoK.

Want to see how ready you are today? Take a timed CMDA practice exam built on the same 145-question format.

The medical device industry runs on evidence. Every design decision, supplier approval, sterilization cycle and complaint investigation has to be documented, reviewed and defensible in front of a regulator or a notified body. The people who test whether that evidence holds up are auditors, and the ASQ CMDA credential is the one that proves an auditor understands both the auditing craft and the medical device rules behind it.

This guide takes you from the first question, whether you are eligible, to the last one, what to do in the exam room. It covers the exam facts, what changed in the 2026 Body of Knowledge, what each of the five domains asks of you, a preparation plan, the mistakes that cost candidates the most marks, and how the credential helps your career.

Updated on 21 September 2026. What’s new: CQA exam fees corrected to $450, $550 and $350 for retakes, and the syllabus updated to ASQ's 2026 Body of Knowledge.

You have been running internal audits for six years, your manager has started saying you should have the CQA after your name, and the ASQ application page is open on your screen with three different fees on it. Is the credential worth the money and the paperwork, and if it is, what do you actually read first? For anyone who audits for a living the answer to the first question is yes, and the answer to the second is the 2026 Body of Knowledge, not a textbook.

That order matters more than most candidates expect. The ASQ Certified Quality Auditor exam is an open-book test built from a published outline, which means the outline tells you what to buy, what to read closely and what to leave alone. This guide keeps the seven resources that matter, puts them in the order a working auditor should use them, and ties each one to the domain it is supposed to cover.

Is the ASQ CQA certification worth the fee and the experience it demands?

The ASQ Certified Quality Auditor credential makes a narrow and useful claim on your behalf: that you can plan an audit, select the right criteria, gather objective evidence, group observations into findings that survive challenge, and follow corrective action through to closure. That is a different skill from knowing a quality management system well. Plenty of excellent quality engineers make poor auditors, and the CQA exists precisely to separate the two.

Preparing for the CQA, ASQ Certified Quality Auditor certification exam requires dedication, strategic planning, and effective study methods. This certification demonstrates your understanding of audit principles and your ability to conduct quality audits effectively. To help you succeed, we have compiled a guide that includes valuable study tips overview of the CQA certification, and five reasons to solve practice exam questions to significantly enhance your preparation. Let's dive into these strategies to ensure you are scoring enough on your practice exams and ready to ace the CQA certification exam.

Who Is A CQA?

The Certified Quality Auditor is an expert in the standards and principles of auditing, as well as the methods for examining, questioning, evaluating, and reporting on a quality system to identify its strengths and weaknesses. They assess every aspect of a quality system and determine how well it complies with industrial management standards and quality evaluation and control systems.

Eligibility to Become A CQA:

• 8 Years of on-the-job experience in one or more of the areas of the Certified Quality Auditor Body of Knowledge.

• 3 Years of on-the-job experience must be in a "Decision-making" position.

• Candidates must have worked in a full-time, paid role.