- CVS here means Certified Value Specialist, awarded by SAVE International for applying the value methodology (VM) job plan.
- The written exam is closed-book, runs three hours, and requires 75% to pass per the current exam page.
- Eligibility needs VMA in good standing, VMF2 training (or VMF2A plus VMF2B), and 160 practice PDUs across at least six studies.
- The separate CVS Part 2 live-facilitation exam was eliminated September 3, 2025; facilitation is now covered in the single exam.
What CVS Means on This Site
The acronym CVS is shared by several unrelated credentials and organizations. On this site, CVS means Certified Value Specialist and nothing else. It is a professional certification issued by SAVE International, the organization originally founded as the Society of American Value Engineers. If you arrived looking for a different credential that happens to share the letters, the details below will not apply to it.
Certified Value Specialist signals that a practitioner can plan, lead and document value studies using the formal value methodology. It is not an entry-level exam you can sit after a weekend of reading. It is a credential that sits at the end of a pipeline of training, documented project experience and an approval process. For related naming questions, see our explainers on what CVS stands for and the meaning of CVS.
The Discipline Behind the Credential
Value methodology is a structured, team-based approach to improving the value of a project, product or process. Rather than simply cutting cost, practitioners examine what an item must do, express that as functions, and then look for alternatives that deliver the required performance at better overall value. The work follows a defined job plan with phases, and it depends heavily on a trained facilitator who can run a multidisciplinary team through those phases.
That orientation shapes the exam. You are not memorizing product trivia; you are demonstrating command of the job plan, the logic of function analysis, and the people skills needed to lead a workshop. The credential covers value methodology broadly, whether the studies occur in construction, manufacturing, infrastructure or public-sector programs.
Who Issues It and Who Pursues It
SAVE International administers the certification program and publishes the Value Methodology Core Competencies framework (effective October 1, 2025) that defines what a certified practitioner should know. The exam itself is delivered through Kryterion/Webassessor, either at a testing center or by live remote proctoring, in English, using multiple-choice or similar item formats.
The people who pursue the credential are typically value engineers, value managers, project and program managers, design professionals, and public-agency staff who run or oversee value studies. Some work in consulting firms that sell value studies to owners; others sit inside agencies that require or favor certified facilitators. For a look at how the credential shows up in the labor market, read CVS jobs, and for the financial angle see the CVS salary guide and the ROI analysis.
The Twelve Competency Headings
The exam scope derives from SAVE's core-competency framework, which this site reproduces as twelve headings. An important caveat: these are twelve competency headings, not twelve independently weighted exam domains. SAVE publishes no official percentage weights for them, and the framework's matrix distinguishes objectives specific to CVS from prerequisite VMA foundations that the CVS exam also applies. Treat the list as a map of what is fair game, not a blueprint of question counts. A fuller walk-through lives in our complete guide to all 12 content areas.
Domains 1 and 2: Value Methodology and the Job Plan
The conceptual foundation. You must understand what value means in this context, the principles that separate VM from ordinary cost reduction, and how the job plan organizes a study from start to finish.
- The relationship between function, performance and cost
- How each phase feeds the next and what each hands forward
- Why the sequence is followed rather than improvised
Domains 3 and 4: Preparation and Information Phases
Studies succeed or fail before the workshop begins. Preparation covers scoping, team selection, logistics and data requests; the Information phase covers gathering and validating the facts the team will rely on.
- Defining study scope, objectives and constraints
- Choosing and briefing team members and stakeholders
- Collecting cost, performance and background data
Domains 5 and 6: Function Analysis and Creativity Phases
The intellectual heart of VM. Function analysis converts a physical item into verb-noun statements of what it must do, then organizes them so the team can see where value is being won or lost. The Creativity phase then generates many alternative ways to perform those functions.
- Writing and classifying functions, and structuring them logically
- Linking functions to cost to find high-leverage targets
- Running idea generation that separates creating from judging
Domains 7, 8 and 9: Evaluation, Development and Presentation
Ideas are screened, ranked, developed into proposals with supporting data, and then communicated to decision-makers. These phases test your judgment about evaluation criteria and your ability to document and present a defensible recommendation.
- Screening and ranking alternatives against agreed criteria
- Building proposals with enough substance to be decided on
- Presenting results to those who can approve them
Domains 10, 11 and 12: Implementation, Facilitation and VM Programs
The final three headings widen the lens. Implementation concerns getting approved proposals actually adopted. Facilitation and team dynamics covers leading groups, managing conflict and keeping a workshop productive. VM Programs addresses how organizations institutionalize value work over time.
- Tracking proposals through to adoption and capturing results
- Facilitation techniques, including virtual-facilitation objectives
- Building and sustaining organizational VM programs
Note that SAVE's framework flags its virtual-facilitation objectives with a resources-to-be-provided footnote, so you should check current issuer materials for any supporting resources rather than assuming they exist. Our one-page CVS cheat sheet condenses the phase-by-phase essentials.
How the Written Exam Works
The written exam is delivered by Kryterion/Webassessor and is closed-book: no reference materials are allowed. Candidates get three hours to answer, with a separate 15 to 20 minutes for sign-in and instructions under the 18th-edition manual. Questions are multiple-choice or similar formats, and the language of delivery is English.
Remote candidates need the required computer, webcam, microphone, reliable internet and a secure testing setup, and the session is live-proctored. If you prefer a controlled environment, the testing-center option avoids home-network risk.
| Exam Feature | What the Issuer States |
|---|---|
| Delivery | Kryterion/Webassessor; testing center or live remote proctoring |
| Language and format | English; multiple-choice or similar |
| Time allowed | Three hours for answers, plus 15 to 20 minutes for sign-in and instructions |
| Reference materials | None allowed |
| Passing score | 75% per the current exam page |
| Question total | Official count not verified |
| Candidate pass-rate statistics | Not verified |
The Road to Eligibility
This is where the CVS differs sharply from many certifications: you do not simply register and test. You apply first, and an approved application is what opens exam eligibility. Current applications go through the CVS Certification Application Portal, where requested evidence is reviewed before you are cleared to examine.
Core prerequisites
- VMA (Value Methodology Associate) status in good standing
- Completed VMF2 training, or its replacement pair VMF2A and VMF2B
- An approved application and affidavit
- Acceptance of the ethics requirements
- Demonstrated competence
Practice experience
The manual requires 160 practice PDUs earned across at least six studies, with 24 to 56 eligible PDUs counted per study, plus actual phase-facilitation experience. Facilitation training itself requires 24 PDUs, of which at least 16 must be live and no more than eight prerecorded. The Communicate VM assessment then evaluates evidence drawn from a qualifying study.
Foundation and training
- Hold VMA in good standing
- Complete VMF2, or VMF2A then VMF2B
Build documented experience
- Accumulate 160 practice PDUs across six or more studies
- Log real phase-facilitation work
Apply and get approved
- Submit through the CVS Certification Application Portal
- Provide affidavit, ethics acceptance and requested evidence
Sit the written exam
- Schedule through Kryterion/Webassessor once cleared
The VMF2 training transition
SAVE's March/April 2026 update recognizes both the former VMF2 course and the new two-part route. VMF2A is roughly eight hours of self-paced learning, priced at US$200 for members or US$250 for nonmembers. VMF2B is at least 24 hours of live study-performance training, with tuition set by the instructor. Those are course hours, not PDUs. VMF2B practical training remains distinct from certification testing. For the full eligibility checklist, see CVS requirements, and for the training pathway, CVS training.
Part 2 is gone
Older guides describe a separate CVS Part 2 live-facilitation exam. SAVE eliminated it on September 3, 2025, stating that the new exam addresses all core competencies, including facilitation. If a source tells you to prepare for a live facilitation test, it is outdated.
Fees, Retakes and Renewal
| Item | SAVE Member / Qualifying Government | Nonmember |
|---|---|---|
| Initial application, including the exam | US$500 | US$1,000 |
| Second or later submission after rejection | US$250 | US$500 |
| Renewal (every four years) | US$400 | US$1,200 |
The member rate for government employees requires that the person manage an active agency value program. Two exam retakes are permitted within one year; a third failed attempt requires a brand-new CVS application and fee. Transition proration applies to renewals from January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2026. A more detailed view is in our pricing breakdown.
What renewal demands
Certification lasts four years. Renewal requires:
- 160 VM Activities PDUs
- 56 Learn VM PDUs, including eight live Function Analysis PDUs and eight live Facilitation PDUs
- 16 VM Society Service and Promotion PDUs
Key Takeaway
Treat certification as a four-year commitment, not a one-time event. Start logging eligible PDUs, especially the live Function Analysis and Facilitation hours, from the day you pass so renewal does not become a scramble.
Sequencing Your Preparation
Because the framework is unweighted, spread effort by how each area builds on the last rather than by guessing percentages. A reasonable CVS-specific ordering follows the job plan itself, since later phases assume you know the earlier ones:
- Weeks 1 to 2: Domains 1 and 2. Lock in value methodology principles and the job plan sequence, because every later domain references them.
- Weeks 3 to 4: Domains 3 through 5. Preparation, Information and especially Function Analysis, the area most candidates find least intuitive.
- Weeks 5 to 6: Domains 6 through 9. Creativity, Evaluation, Development and Presentation, practicing how outputs flow phase to phase.
- Weeks 7 to 8: Domains 10 through 12. Implementation, facilitation and team dynamics, and VM programs, then timed mixed review.
Since the exam is closed-book and three hours long, finish with full-length timed sessions. Drill scenario questions in our CVS practice tests to build stamina, and see the CVS study guide for a fuller plan and how hard the exam really is for calibrating expectations.
Where the Credential Gets Used
Value work appears wherever organizations want structured, defensible improvements to projects and programs. Employers include design and engineering consultancies that sell value studies, owner organizations and public agencies that commission or run them, and contractors and manufacturers that apply VM to products and processes. The credential tends to matter most for roles where you lead studies or oversee a value program, because certification evidences that you can run the job plan and facilitate a team to a standard. No specific salary or hiring figures are claimed here; for qualitative context see the salary guide and jobs overview.
For a broader orientation to the credential itself, you can also explore CVS certification and what CVS certification is, and when you are ready to test your knowledge, start with the practice exam hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
On this site CVS means Certified Value Specialist, a credential from SAVE International for practitioners of the value methodology. It is unrelated to other credentials or organizations that share the acronym.
Candidates get three hours to answer, plus a separate 15 to 20 minutes for sign-in and instructions. The current exam page requires 75% to pass. No reference materials are allowed during the test.
No. SAVE eliminated the separate CVS Part 2 live-facilitation exam on September 3, 2025, saying the new exam addresses all core competencies including facilitation. VMF2B practical training is separate from certification testing.
The initial application, including the exam, is US$500 for SAVE members or qualifying government employees and US$1,000 for nonmembers. A resubmission after rejection costs US$250 or US$500 respectively. Training fees are separate.
Two retakes are permitted within one year. A third failed attempt requires submitting a new CVS application and paying the fee again, so use your first attempts wisely.