On Monday the sales team reports a stockout on the product customers want most. On Thursday the warehouse manager asks where to put another pallet of a product nobody has ordered in months. Both problems come from the same place: a plan that did not connect demand, supply and inventory. The ASCM CPIM (Certified in Planning and Inventory Management) credential tests exactly that connection, in one 150-question exam of three and a half hours.

ASCM, the Association for Supply Chain Management, is the body formerly known as APICS, and it still uses that older name as the brand on its certifications, so a search for the old name leads to the same credential described here. This article covers what the exam looks like after the version 9.0 update, what each of the nine content areas asks, what it costs, how to prepare and what the credential does for a planning career. All exam details were checked against ASCM's own pages in September 2026.
What is the ASCM CPIM certification, and who is it for?
CPIM certifies the people who decide what gets made, bought, stored and shipped, and when. ASCM describes the program as an international standard for assessing planning and inventory skills, and it has run for more than fifty years. The subject matter covers demand and supply planning, material and capacity requirements, sales and operations planning, inventory control, detailed scheduling, distribution, quality and continuous improvement.
The credential fits anyone whose decisions move inventory. Typical candidates include: