CFVT Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling

Why There Is No Fixed 2026 Exam Calendar

Candidates searching for "CFVT exam dates 2026" often expect a published list of quarterly testing windows with registration cutoffs, like many commercial certification programs. The credential this site covers works differently. The International Association for Identification (IAI), through its Forensic Video Examiner Certification Board, administers testing, and the program as documented in the Forensic Certification Management Board Operations Manual does not present a public, fixed calendar of national exam dates.

Instead, your timeline is driven by three things you control and one you coordinate: when your application is complete, when you can arrange a Board-approved proctor for the written examination, how quickly you finish the practical parts once they are released to you, and the dates your proctor can make available. That makes "scheduling" less about picking a seat in a testing center and more about sequencing a multi-step process well.

For the broader picture of what you need before you can even apply, see our guide to CFVT requirements, eligibility, and prerequisites.

Which Credential These Dates Apply To

The acronym "CFVT" is shared by more than one credential in the forensic video world, so it is worth pinning down exactly what this article covers. Everything here concerns the IAI examiner certification in forensic video, the one listed on the IAI's Forensic Video Certification page and its official examiner roster. The IAI's current operations manual (section 8.6) refers to the credential as Certified Forensic Video Examiner (CFVE), which is consistent with its roster. "CFVT" is not established as the IAI's official abbreviation, so you should not advertise it that way on a resume or in testimony.

The timing rules, fees, and exam structure below do not apply to LEVA's Certified Forensic Video Technician or Certified Forensic Video Analyst credentials, which are separate programs from a separate issuer (see leva.org/certification for those). If you are still sorting out terminology, our explainers on what CFVT stands for and what CFVT certification is walk through the naming overlap.

The Application-to-Certification Timeline

The IAI path has distinct phases, and each one has its own clock. Here is the sequence as defined in the manual and prerequisites text:

Notice that the only phase with a hard, externally proctored sitting is Part 1. Everything after it is a take-home format with a deadline rather than a seat time. That structure should shape how you pick your calendar dates.

Scheduling the Proctored Written Exam (Part 1)

Part 1 must be taken under a Board-approved proctor. The exam is closed-book, runs three hours, and consists of 100 multiple-choice questions. You need 75% to move on to the practical parts. Because the proctor is Board-approved rather than a generic testing vendor, the scheduling conversation happens as part of your application and eCert workflow rather than through an open online booking engine.

Practical scheduling considerations

• Proctor availability is your bottleneck. Line up a Board-approved proctor early, before you pick a target date, so you are not forced to compress your final review.
• Block a clean three-hour window. The 100 questions leave roughly 1.8 minutes per item, which is comfortable for recall questions but tight for scenario items on compression, metadata, or photogrammetry.
• Avoid scheduling Part 1 right before a case deadline or court date. Passing Part 1 starts a clock for the practical parts, so you want your calendar clear afterward as well.

To gauge how much prep time the written portion deserves, read how hard the CFVT exam is and the breakdown of the passing score requirements.

The 30-Day Practical Window (Parts 2 and 3)

This is the single most important date constraint in the whole process. After you pass Part 1, you receive two unproctored practical parts, and they share a 30-day completion window. Part 2 asks 22 questions about supplied video files and requires 85%. Part 3 requires you to examine, compare, and/or evaluate four supplied video files and submit processed media and/or expert reports, also at an 85% standard.

Resources may be used for the practical parts, but every response must be your sole original work. That is a meaningful distinction: you can reference your tools, standards documents, and notes, but you cannot collaborate, outsource, or reuse another examiner's output.

How to protect the 30 days

• Assign the first few days to triage: open every supplied file, document hash values and container details, and note which files will need conversion or repair.
• Reserve the largest block for Part 3, since report writing and processed-media export take longer than answering Part 2's questions.
• Leave a final buffer for QC. A report that contradicts your own documented method is easy to avoid and costly to fix after submission.

Because Part 3 expects processed media and/or expert reports, it rewards candidates who already work in a documented, repeatable workflow. Our complete guide to all 22 content areas maps each task heading to what you should be able to demonstrate.

Timing Your Prerequisites Before You Apply

Most candidates lose months not on the exam but on eligibility. The application requires one year of experience and 120 approved training hours, of which 96 must be specifically in forensic video. It also requires two recommendation letters, two different additional references, and a signed certification agreement.

Training acceptance and recency follow sections 7.1.3.2 and 8.9 of the manual, and the certification chair has discretion on older training. The IAI also publishes a list of previously approved forensic video classes (a dated document, revised in August 2026), but you should observe course-specific restrictions rather than assuming all listed hours are interchangeable. Some courses count toward initial certification, some toward recertification, and the forensic-video-specific hours carry their own limits. Course approval is not an endorsement of any provider or product.

If you are still choosing courses, our overview of CFVT training explains how to evaluate options against the approved-class list.

Fees, Payment, and Filing Mechanics

Applications run through the IAI's eCert system. The fee structure is the same across three situations: initial certification, recertification, and retest each cost $300 for IAI members or $400 for nonmembers. Division-only membership does not qualify you for the member rate, which is an easy detail to miss when budgeting.

Because a retest carries a full fee, the cost of an unprepared first attempt is real. Spreading your study across the domains before you apply is cheaper than paying again. For a complete budget including training and study materials, see the certification cost breakdown.

Renewal Dates and the 14-Day Recert Exam

Certification is valid for up to five years, and renewal has its own date logic. A recertification application may be filed no earlier than 12 months before your expiration date, so the effective filing window is the final year of your cycle. Renewal requires:

• 80 professional-development credits earned within the preceding five years
• A completed application and the recertification fee ($300 member / $400 nonmember)
• An unproctored 10-question multiple-choice examination, completed within 14 days, with 80% required to pass

The renewal examination is mandatory for applications submitted on or after January 1, 2026, so anyone renewing this year should expect it. Because the exam is unproctored but timed by a 14-day completion window, treat it as a scheduled task rather than something to squeeze in after you submit.

Planning Backward From Your Target Date

Once you understand the process, scheduling becomes a backward-planning exercise. Pick the month you want to be certified, then work back through the 30-day practical window, the Part 1 sitting, and your application and prerequisites. A study plan keyed to the specific task areas works better than generic review.

The reading list is prescribed by the manual: How Video Works (second edition, entire text), the proposed framework for digital video authentication, the forensic image enhancement framework (chapters 1-4), the MPEG-4 authentication paper (chapters 1 and 4-6), and the designated SWGDE references on acquisition, processing, formats and compression, comparison, FFmpeg, photogrammetry, content and time-based analysis, the glossary, and error mitigation. Stick to the prescribed editions rather than substituting newer publications. For a full preparation plan, see the CFVT study guide and the one-page cheat sheet. When you are ready to test yourself, use the CFVT practice tests.

Source-Version Trap: Verify the Manual Revision

One scheduling-adjacent risk deserves its own warning. The operations manual is revised periodically, and different URLs can serve different revisions. The dated C27 text (revised October 1, 2026, document FCMB-01-2020-C27) is the reference for the requirements in this article, available through the IAI's operations manual and prerequisites pages. During research, the video-specific alias page returned an older C26 copy for one version, and public renderings of the manual can retain older revision footers.

• Check the document identifier and revision date on whatever copy you are reading.
• Use the master manual and prerequisites links rather than assuming an alias is current.
• If a fee, window, or eligibility number differs between copies, confirm directly with the issuer before acting.

Planning against a stale copy could mean misjudging the renewal rules or the practical-window length, both of which are date-sensitive.

Frequently Asked Questions