- What Is the CAS Certification?
- Who Governs the CAS Credential
- Prerequisites and Eligibility
- Exam Format and Registration Mechanics
- The Four CAS Exam Domains
- Cost Breakdown
- Passing Score and Scoring
- Renewal and Maintaining the Designation
- Who Hires CAS-Certified Professionals
- Building a Domain-Focused Study Plan
- Frequently Asked Questions
- CAS is issued through ECFC's Flexible Compensation Institute, not a third-party testing vendor.
- The exam has 75 multiple-choice questions, a 3-hour limit, and a 60% minimum to pass.
- The indexed course-and-exam package runs $574 for members and $1,024 for non-members; retakes cost $90.
- Candidates get exam access within 120 days of purchase and must hold a prerequisite COBRA credential first.
What Is the CAS Certification?
The Certified COBRA Administration Specialist (CAS) credential is a specialized designation for benefits professionals who manage COBRA continuation coverage, including the more advanced scenarios that generalist COBRA administration doesn't typically cover - mergers, acquisitions, retiree transitions, and overlap with other federal benefits laws. The issuer styles the designation "COBRA Administration Specialist," while O*NET lists it under the "Certified" name used throughout this site and in most candidate-facing materials.
Unlike broad HR or benefits certifications, CAS is narrowly scoped: it exists to validate that someone can handle the edge cases of COBRA compliance that create the most liability for employers. If you're searching for a plain-language definition first, our companion pages on What Is CAS? and CAS Meaning cover the terminology before you dive into exam mechanics here.
Who Governs the CAS Credential
CAS is administered by the Employers Council on Flexible Compensation (ECFC) through its Flexible Compensation Institute (FCI). Testing is conducted online directly through ECFC/FCI; no external testing vendor has been verified as part of the current process. That matters for scheduling expectations: there isn't a third-party test-center network to coordinate with, which simplifies logistics but also means candidates rely on ECFC's own portal for registration, exam access, and score reporting.
For a deeper dive into acronym confusion and how this designation differs from similarly-named credentials in other industries, see What Does CAS Stand For? and What Is A CAS?.
Prerequisites and Eligibility
CAS is not an entry-level credential. Before you can sit the exam, ECFC requires:
- A prerequisite COBRA credential (completed before pursuing CAS)
- Payment and completion of the four-session CAS study course
- Passing the CAS examination itself
The study course also yields 6 continuing education units on its own, separate from any renewal CE requirement. Degree requirements, minimum work-hour requirements, or reference/endorsement requirements beyond the prerequisite credential have not been verified, so don't assume additional hidden gatekeeping - but also don't skip the prerequisite credential step, since it's a hard requirement before exam access is granted.
A full walkthrough of each eligibility step, including how the prerequisite credential interacts with the four-session course, is available in our CAS Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify guide.
Exam Format and Registration Mechanics
The CAS exam, per ECFC's current certification FAQ, consists of 75 total questions delivered in multiple-choice format, with a 3-hour time limit. The split between scored and unscored items has not been disclosed, so treat every question on the exam as if it counts. Older issuer badge criteria referencing 100 questions reflect a prior version and should not be relied on - the current designation and FAQ pages both support the 75-question figure.
Once you've purchased the course-and-exam package, you have a window to actually sit the exam: the current CAS designation page allows examination access within 120 days of purchase. Older third-party guidance citing a 30-day window reflects outdated information and is not the rule currently published by ECFC. Details on open-book policy, calculator use, proctoring, and whether the exam is adaptive have not been independently verified, so confirm these directly with ECFC before exam day rather than assuming a format based on other certifications.
Key Takeaway
Register with your 120-day access window in mind - build your study schedule backward from that deadline rather than treating it as an open-ended timeline.
For a full breakdown of scheduling logistics and how the access window interacts with course completion, see CAS Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.
The Four CAS Exam Domains
CAS content is organized around four domains that reflect the issuer's four-session study course. These are issuer-course preparation topics rather than a publicly weighted, official blueprint - no verified percentage breakdown exists for how heavily each domain is tested, so treat any specific percentage you see elsewhere as editorial estimation, not fact.
Domain 1: COBRA: Mergers and Acquisitions
Covers how COBRA obligations shift when companies merge, get acquired, or spin off divisions - including which entity becomes the "successor employer" for continuation coverage purposes.
- Identifying which party inherits COBRA notice and coverage duties after a corporate transaction
Domain 2: COBRA: Alternative Coverage and Retiree Issues
Focuses on how COBRA interacts with retiree health plans, severance-linked coverage, and other alternative continuation arrangements that don't follow the standard active-employee model.
- Distinguishing retiree coverage obligations from standard qualifying-event COBRA rights
Domain 3: COBRA and Other Laws
Tests how COBRA compliance intersects with other federal benefits and employment statutes, requiring candidates to reason across overlapping legal frameworks rather than COBRA in isolation.
- Recognizing where COBRA rules are modified or superseded by interaction with other applicable law
Domain 4: COBRA Case Studies
Applies the first three domains to realistic administrative scenarios, testing judgment and application rather than rote definitions.
- Working through multi-step compliance scenarios that combine several COBRA rules at once
Because these domains build on each other - case studies in Domain 4 often draw on concepts from Domains 1 through 3 - sequencing your review matters. Our CAS Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 4 Content Areas breaks down each domain's likely topics in more depth, and How Hard Is the CAS Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 discusses which domains tend to challenge candidates most.
Cost Breakdown
CAS pricing is structured as a course-and-exam package rather than a standalone exam fee. According to the indexed pricing:
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Course-and-exam package (ECFC member) | $574 |
| Course-and-exam package (non-member) | $1,024 |
| Retake exam | $90 |
| Renewal (member, per 3-year cycle) | $150 |
| Renewal (non-member, per 3-year cycle) | $300 |
These figures do not include the prerequisite COBRA credential, which carries its own separate cost. Current checkout pricing could not be independently re-verified at the time of this review because ECFC blocked direct retrieval, so treat the indexed figures as the best available reference and confirm final totals on ECFC's registration page before paying. For a line-by-line breakdown of what's included in the package versus what's billed separately, see CAS Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
Passing Score and Scoring
Candidates need at least 60% correct to pass the CAS exam, based on the current ECFC certification FAQ. The exact split between scored and unscored questions among the 75 total has not been disclosed publicly, and candidate pass rates are not publicly released by ECFC. That means you won't find a verified pass-rate statistic for CAS - any number you encounter claiming otherwise should be treated skeptically.
See CAS Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass for more on how the 60% threshold is applied, and CAS Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows for context on what is and isn't publicly known about candidate outcomes.
Renewal and Maintaining the Designation
CAS certification is valid for 3 years before renewal is required. There's a notable discrepancy in ECFC's own published materials here worth flagging directly: the current CAS designation page states a renewal requirement of six CE units per three years, while the current ECFC certification FAQ states twelve. No dated supersession between the two pages has been verified, so the accurate renewal-credit figure should be confirmed directly with ECFC rather than assumed from either page alone.
Renewal fees, by contrast, are consistently listed on the current CAS designation page as $150 for members and $300 for non-members per three-year cycle. Keep in mind that the 6 CE units earned from completing the initial study course are a separate figure from whatever ongoing renewal CE requirement ultimately applies - don't conflate the course's one-time CE credit with your recurring renewal obligation.
Who Hires CAS-Certified Professionals
CAS is most relevant to professionals who already work in benefits administration and need to demonstrate specialized competency in the harder edges of COBRA compliance - situations like corporate mergers, retiree coverage disputes, and multi-law compliance conflicts. Typical employers and functions include:
- Third-party COBRA administrators handling multi-employer compliance
- In-house benefits and HR teams at employers undergoing M&A activity
- Insurance brokers and consultants advising employer clients on continuation coverage
- Compliance specialists who need to reason across COBRA and overlapping federal benefits law
Because the credential targets the more complex scenarios rather than day-to-day COBRA notice processing, it tends to signal readiness for escalated case handling rather than entry-level administration. For a broader look at where CAS fits into career paths and earning potential, see CAS Jobs and CAS Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis. If you're still weighing whether the time and cost investment makes sense for your role, Is the CAS Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 walks through the tradeoffs.
Building a Domain-Focused Study Plan
Because CAS content follows four sequential domains tied to a four-session course, the most efficient prep schedule mirrors that structure rather than a generic review calendar. Given the 120-day access window, a domain-by-domain pace keeps you from cramming Domain 4's case studies - which draw on all three prior domains - at the last minute.
Domain 1 Foundations
- Study mergers-and-acquisitions COBRA obligations and successor-employer rules
Domain 2 Deep Dive
- Work through alternative coverage and retiree-issue scenarios
Domain 3 Cross-Law Review
- Map where COBRA intersects with other federal benefits statutes
Domain 4 Application
- Practice full case-study scenarios combining Domains 1-3
Within each week, techniques like spaced repetition on terminology and short focused review blocks can help retention, but the scheduling logic itself should always come back to the domain sequence above, not a generic weekly template. For a more detailed first-attempt strategy, see CAS Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt, and practice applying domain knowledge under timed conditions using the full-length simulations on our CAS practice test platform before exam day.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. CAS specifically requires a prerequisite COBRA credential before you can even enroll, and its four domains focus on advanced scenarios - mergers, retiree coverage, cross-law conflicts, and case studies - rather than foundational COBRA administration.
The current ECFC certification FAQ lists 75 total multiple-choice questions with a 3-hour time limit. Older sources citing 100 questions reflect a previous version and shouldn't be used for current prep.
A minimum of 60% is required to pass, per ECFC's current certification FAQ. The scored-versus-unscored breakdown of the 75 questions is not disclosed.
The indexed course-and-exam package is $574 for ECFC members and $1,024 for non-members, with a $90 retake fee. This does not include the cost of the required prerequisite COBRA credential, and current checkout totals should be confirmed directly on ECFC's site.
CAS is valid for 3 years. Renewal fees are $150 (member) or $300 (non-member). ECFC's own pages disagree on the CE requirement - the designation page states six units per three years while the FAQ states twelve - so confirm directly with ECFC before your renewal deadline.