- What This Cheat Sheet Covers (and What It Doesn't)
- The Exam at a Glance
- Fees, Retakes and Renewal Numbers
- Eligibility Checklist Before You Can Sit
- The 12 Domains in One Page
- The Job Plan Sequence to Memorize
- Facilitation, Team Dynamics and VM Programs
- Recent Changes That Trip Up Old Study Notes
- A Domain-Based Review Order
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The written exam allows three hours, no reference materials, and requires 75% to pass.
- Initial application including the exam costs US$500 for members and US$1,000 for nonmembers.
- Two retakes are allowed within one year; a third failed attempt requires a new application and fee.
- The separate CVS Part 2 live-facilitation exam was eliminated on September 3, 2025.
What This Cheat Sheet Covers (and What It Doesn't)
This page is a compact review of the Certified Value Specialist (CVS) credential issued by SAVE International, formerly the Society of American Value Engineers. It concerns Value Methodology (VM): the structured, team-based approach to improving value by analyzing function, cost and performance. If you arrived looking for a different credential that happens to share the same three letters, this is not the right page. For background on the name itself, see What Does CVS Stand For? and What Is CVS Certification?.
Use this sheet as a final-week refresher or as a map for deciding what to study first. For a fuller preparation plan, pair it with the CVS Study Guide, and for deeper treatment of each content area see the complete guide to all 12 CVS content areas.
The Exam at a Glance
| Item | What to Know |
|---|---|
| Delivery | Kryterion/Webassessor, at a testing center or through live remote proctoring |
| Language and format | English; multiple-choice or similar question types |
| Time for answers | Three hours |
| Sign-in and instructions | A separate 15-20 minutes under the 18th-edition manual |
| Reference materials | Not allowed |
| Passing score | 75% per the current exam page |
| Question count and pass rate | Not verified from official sources |
Two cautions deserve emphasis. First, the 70% criterion that appears in the 18th-edition manual belongs to the separate Communicate VM application assessment, which reviews evidence from a qualifying study. It is not an alternative passing line for the written exam. The written exam requires 75%. Our CVS passing score breakdown explains the distinction in more detail.
Second, you will see articles quoting a pass rate or an exact question total. Neither has been verified from SAVE's published material, so treat any such figure with suspicion. What the data does and does not support is covered in CVS Pass Rate: What the Data Shows.
Remote Proctoring Requirements
- A computer that meets the testing requirements
- A working webcam and microphone
- Reliable internet
- A secure testing setup, since no reference materials are permitted
Because the exam is closed-book, the cheat-sheet approach only works if you convert it into memory. Terminology, phase sequence and the logic of each phase must be recallable without prompts.
Fees, Retakes and Renewal Numbers
| Item | SAVE Member / Qualifying Government | Nonmember |
|---|---|---|
| Initial application, including the exam | US$500 | US$1,000 |
| Second or later submission after a rejected application | US$250 | US$500 |
| Renewal (every four years) | US$400 | US$1,200 |
| VMF2A self-paced course | US$200 | US$250 |
The member rate for government employees requires managing an active agency value program. VMF2B tuition is set by the instructor, so budget separately for it. Renewal fees are subject to transition proration for renewals from January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2026. For a full breakdown of what these costs add up to, see the CVS certification cost guide, and for the value side of the equation read Is the CVS Certification Worth It?
Retake Rules
- Two exam retakes are permitted within one year.
- A third failed attempt requires a brand-new CVS application and fee.
- A rejected application is a separate event from a failed exam, with its own reduced resubmission fee.
Eligibility Checklist Before You Can Sit
You do not simply register for this exam. Applications go through the CVS Certification Application Portal, and requested evidence is reviewed before examination eligibility is granted. The core prerequisites are:
- VMA in good standing (the Value Methodology Associate credential).
- Completed VMF2 training, or its replacement pair, VMF2A plus VMF2B.
- An approved application and affidavit.
- Ethics acceptance.
- Demonstrated competence.
Experience Numbers From the Manual
- 160 practice PDUs across at least six studies
- 24-56 eligible PDUs per study
- Actual phase-facilitation experience
- Facilitation training of 24 PDUs, including at least 16 live and at most eight prerecorded
Because experience hours are verified before you ever see the exam, start documenting studies early. The CVS requirements guide walks through qualification in more depth, and CVS training covers the course route.
The 12 Domains in One Page
The twelve headings below reproduce SAVE's unweighted core-competency framework. They are twelve competency areas, not twelve independently weighted exam sections: no official percentage weights are published. The framework distinguishes CVS objectives from prerequisite VMA foundations, and the CVS exam applies both. That means you cannot skip fundamentals on the assumption that they were "covered" at the associate level.
Domain 1: Value Methodology
The foundation: what VM is and why it works.
- Value as a relationship between function, performance and cost
- Why function-based thinking differs from simple cost cutting
- The multidisciplinary team as an essential element
Domain 2: Value Methodology Job Plan
The structured sequence that governs a study.
- Phase order and the purpose of each phase
- How the job plan adapts to different study types and timeframes
Domain 3: Preparation Phase
Work done before the team convenes.
- Defining scope, objectives and constraints
- Selecting team members and gathering data
- Logistics and stakeholder alignment
Domain 4: Information Phase
Building a shared understanding of the study subject.
- Collecting and reviewing cost, performance and project data
- Clarifying the client's needs and priorities
Domain 5: Function Analysis Phase
The heart of the methodology.
- Defining functions with active verb and measurable noun
- Organizing functions logically (for example, with a FAST diagram)
- Relating functions to cost to find where value opportunities lie
Domain 6: Creativity Phase
Generating many alternatives for performing functions.
- Separating idea generation from judgment
- Using structured creativity techniques
- Quantity first; evaluation comes later
Domain 7: Evaluation Phase
Screening and ranking the ideas generated.
- Applying criteria to sort and prioritize ideas
- Selecting which ideas advance to development
Domain 8: Development Phase
Turning selected ideas into supportable proposals.
- Technical and cost backup
- Life-cycle considerations and risk
- Documenting enough detail for decision makers
Domain 9: Presentation Phase
Communicating recommendations to decision makers.
- Structuring a persuasive, evidence-based presentation
- Reporting results clearly
Domain 10: Implementation Phase
Moving approved recommendations into practice.
- Decision, action and follow-through
- Tracking what was accepted and realized
Domain 11: VM Facilitation and Team Dynamics
Leading people through the methodology.
- Managing group behavior and conflict
- Keeping a team on the job plan
- Virtual-facilitation objectives (note that the framework attaches a resources-to-be-provided footnote to these)
Domain 12: VM Programs
Value work at the organizational level.
- Establishing and sustaining a value program
- Policies, integration and measuring program results
For more on how these areas interact and how heavily to lean on each, see the 12 content areas guide. If you want a gauge of difficulty before committing study time, read How Hard Is the CVS Exam?
The Job Plan Sequence to Memorize
Domains 3 through 10 map directly onto the phases of the job plan. If you remember nothing else, memorize the order and the one-line purpose of each phase:
| Phase | Core Question It Answers |
|---|---|
| Preparation | What are we studying, and who and what do we need? |
| Information | What do we know about the project, its costs and its constraints? |
| Function Analysis | What must the item do, and where does the cost sit against those functions? |
| Creativity | How else could each function be performed? |
| Evaluation | Which ideas are worth pursuing? |
| Development | How do we turn those ideas into supported proposals? |
| Presentation | How do we convey the recommendations to decision makers? |
| Implementation | How do approved recommendations actually get carried out? |
Key Takeaway
Scenario questions often test whether an activity belongs in the current phase. If a team is debating which ideas are best during brainstorming, that is evaluation leaking into creativity. Ask yourself which phase's purpose the described behavior actually serves.
Facilitation, Team Dynamics and VM Programs
Candidates with strong technical backgrounds sometimes underweight Domains 11 and 12 because they feel softer than function analysis. That is a mistake for two reasons. First, SAVE eliminated the separate CVS Part 2 live-facilitation exam on September 3, 2025, stating that the new exam addresses all core competencies including facilitation. Facilitation judgment is now assessed inside the written exam rather than in a live session. Second, VMF2B practical training remains distinct from certification testing, so completing the live course does not substitute for knowing the material.
What to Be Ready For
- Choosing a facilitator response to a dominant participant, a silent one, or a team drifting off the job plan
- Recognizing how team composition and dynamics affect study results
- Distinguishing a one-off study from a standing organizational VM program
- Understanding what makes a value program durable: policy support, integration into project processes and measurement of outcomes
Those who work in public agencies or large owners should pay particular attention to program-level thinking, since that is where value roles often sit. For where credential holders actually work, see CVS jobs, and for earnings context see the CVS salary guide.
Recent Changes That Trip Up Old Study Notes
Several things changed in 2025 and 2026, and notes written earlier can mislead you. Check each of these against your materials:
- Part 2 is gone. The live-facilitation exam was eliminated on September 3, 2025. Ignore any plan that budgets time or money for it.
- Two training routes are recognized. SAVE's March/April 2026 update accepts both the former VMF2 course and the new route: VMF2A (roughly eight hours of self-paced learning) followed by VMF2B (at least 24 hours of live study-performance training). These are course hours, not exam hours.
- The core competencies were refreshed. The October 1, 2025 edition supersedes the January 1, 2025 edition, so older domain outlines may not match.
- Applications run through a portal. Evidence is reviewed before you are cleared to take the exam.
- A 19th manual edition is being prepared. Until it is published, the 18th edition and the current issuer pages govern.
Renewal Snapshot
Certification renews every four years. The renewal requirement is built from PDUs:
- 160 VM Activities PDUs
- 56 Learn VM PDUs, including eight live Function Analysis and eight live Facilitation PDUs
- 16 VM Society Service and Promotion PDUs
Begin logging activity right after you certify rather than scrambling in year four. The live Function Analysis and Facilitation PDUs in particular require scheduling around available sessions.
A Domain-Based Review Order
Because the exam is unweighted and closed-book, sequence your review so that foundations are fresh when you reach the phases that depend on them. One workable order:
Foundations and Job Plan
- Domains 1 and 2: value definition and phase sequence
- Build a one-page phase chart from memory and check it
Front-End Phases
- Domains 3, 4 and 5: preparation, information and function analysis
- Spend extra time on function definition and function-to-cost relationships
Idea-to-Recommendation Phases
- Domains 6, 7, 8 and 9: creativity, evaluation, development, presentation
- Practice spotting phase-boundary violations in scenarios
People, Programs and Practice Exam
- Domains 10, 11 and 12: implementation, facilitation and programs
- Take a timed run on the practice test and revisit weak areas
Function analysis gets extra attention because every later phase builds on it. Facilitation and programs go last, when you can read scenarios through the lens of the whole job plan. For a longer-horizon version of this plan, see the CVS Study Guide, and check CVS exam dates and scheduling to work backward from your testing window.
Frequently Asked Questions
The current exam page requires 75% to pass. The 70% figure in the 18th-edition manual applies to the separate Communicate VM application assessment, not the written exam.
You have three hours for answers, plus a separate 15-20 minutes for sign-in and instructions. No reference materials are allowed, whether you test at a center or through live remote proctoring.
No. SAVE eliminated the separate CVS Part 2 live-facilitation exam on September 3, 2025, stating that the new exam addresses all core competencies including facilitation. VMF2B practical training remains a separate requirement from certification testing.
Two retakes are permitted within one year. If you fail a third time, you must submit a new CVS application and pay the fee again.
No official percentage weights are published for the core-competency framework. The twelve headings are an unweighted framework, so study all of them, including the VMA foundations the CVS exam also applies.