Certification directory

Credential rankings

Authority Index scorecards across cloud, finance, compliance, accounting, and security. Compare AWS, Azure, and GCP side-by-side; drill into any program for bucket-level detail and metrics we are still collecting.

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Vendor

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Showing 59 programs · Professional tier

Rank			Domain
01	CFA Program (Chartered Financial Analyst) FINANCEPREMIUMTOP SIGNAL	CFA Institute	Finance & investments	PROFESSIONAL	82	$3,050–3,750	63% match · est.
02	AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional (SAP-C02) CLOUDPREMIUMTOP SIGNAL	AWS	Cloud & infrastructure	PROFESSIONAL	81	$300	79% match · est.
03	AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional (DOP-C02) CLOUDPREMIUMTOP SIGNAL	AWS	Cloud & infrastructure	PROFESSIONAL	80	$300	78% match · est.
04	Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) SECURITYPREMIUM	ISC2	Security & privacy	PROFESSIONAL	80	$599	82% match · est.
05	Financial Risk Manager (FRM) FINANCEPREMIUMTOP SIGNAL	GARP	Finance & investments	PROFESSIONAL	80	$650–1,200	70% match · est.
06	Google Cloud Professional Machine Learning Engineer CLOUD	Google Cloud	Cloud & infrastructure	PROFESSIONAL	80	$200	83% match · est.
07	Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305) CLOUDPREMIUMTOP SIGNAL	Microsoft Azure	Cloud & infrastructure	PROFESSIONAL	80	$165	85% match · est.
08	Uniform CPA Examination ACCOUNTINGPREMIUMTOP SIGNAL	AICPA	Accounting & tax	PROFESSIONAL	80	$1,000–1,500	73% match · est.
09	AWS Certified Security – Specialty (SCS-C02) CLOUDPREMIUM	AWS	Cloud & infrastructure	PROFESSIONAL	79	$300	85% match · est.
10	Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) COMPLIANCEPREMIUMTOP SIGNAL	ACAMS	Compliance & financial crime	PROFESSIONAL	79	$1,595–2,495	81% match · est.
11	Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) SECURITYPREMIUMTOP SIGNAL	ISC2	Security & privacy	PROFESSIONAL	79	$749	78% match · est.
12	Google Cloud Professional Cloud Security Engineer CLOUD	Google Cloud	Cloud & infrastructure	PROFESSIONAL	79	$200	85% match · est.
13	Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer CLOUDPREMIUM	Google Cloud	Cloud & infrastructure	PROFESSIONAL	79	$200	87% match · est.
14	Microsoft Azure DevOps Engineer Expert (AZ-400) CLOUDPREMIUMTOP SIGNAL	Microsoft Azure	Cloud & infrastructure	PROFESSIONAL	79	$165	83% match · est.
15	NVIDIA-Certified Professional: Agentic AI (NCP-AAI Pro) AI/MLPREMIUM	NVIDIA	AI & data	PROFESSIONAL	79	$200	87% match · est.
16	NVIDIA-Certified Professional: Generative AI LLMs (NCP-GENL) AI/MLPREMIUM	NVIDIA	AI & data	PROFESSIONAL	79	$200	88% match · est.
17	Portfolio Management Professional (PfMP®) PROGRAMPREMIUM	PMI	Program management	PROFESSIONAL	79	$800–1,000	73% match · est.
18	Professional Cloud Architect CLOUDPREMIUM	Google Cloud	Cloud & infrastructure	PROFESSIONAL	79	$200	84% match · est.
19	Project Management Professional (PMP®) PROGRAMPREMIUM	PMI	Program management	PROFESSIONAL	79	$555–675	83% match · est.
20	CAIA Charter (Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst) FINANCEPREMIUM	CAIA Association	Finance & investments	PROFESSIONAL	78	$2,890–3,190	72% match · est.
21	Certified Global Sanctions Specialist (CGSS) COMPLIANCEPREMIUM	ACAMS	Compliance & financial crime	PROFESSIONAL	78	$1,495–2,395	86% match · est.
22	Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) SECURITYPREMIUMTOP SIGNAL	ISACA	Security & privacy	PROFESSIONAL	78	$575–760	79% match · est.
23	Disciplined Agile Senior Scrum Master (DASSM™) PROGRAM	PMI	Program management	PROFESSIONAL	78	$499–599	92% match · est.
24	Enrolled Agent (EA) ACCOUNTINGPREMIUMTOP SIGNAL	IRS	Accounting & tax	PROFESSIONAL	78	$600–800	90% match · est.
25	Financial Modeling & Valuation Analyst (FMVA®) FINANCEPREMIUMTOP SIGNAL	CFI	Finance & investments	PROFESSIONAL	78	$497–847	88% match · est.
26	Google Cloud Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer CLOUD	Google Cloud	Cloud & infrastructure	PROFESSIONAL	78	$200	86% match · est.
27	Google Cloud Professional Cloud Network Engineer CLOUD	Google Cloud	Cloud & infrastructure	PROFESSIONAL	78	$200	84% match · est.
28	PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP®) PROGRAMPREMIUM	PMI	Program management	PROFESSIONAL	78	$435–495	90% match · est.
29	PMI Certified Professional in Managing AI (PMI-CPMAI™) AI/MLPREMIUM	PMI	AI & data	PROFESSIONAL	78	$555–675	88% match · est.
30	PMI Construction Professional (PMI-CP™) PROGRAMPREMIUM	PMI	Program management	PROFESSIONAL	78	$555–675	86% match · est.
31	PMI Project Management Office Certified Professional (PMI-PMOCP™) PROGRAM	PMI	Program management	PROFESSIONAL	78	$555–675	87% match · est.
32	PMI Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP®) PROGRAM	PMI	Program management	PROFESSIONAL	78	$520–670	86% match · est.
33	Program Management Professional (PgMP®) PROGRAMPREMIUM	PMI	Program management	PROFESSIONAL	78	$800–1,000	75% match · est.
34	Risk and AI (RAI™) Certificate AI/MLPREMIUMTOP SIGNAL	GARP	AI & data	PROFESSIONAL	78	$525–750	87% match · est.
35	Accredited ACH Professional (AAP) COMPLIANCE	NACHA	Compliance & financial crime	PROFESSIONAL	77	$995–1,295	93% match · est.
36	Accredited Payments Risk Professional (APR) COMPLIANCEPREMIUM	NACHA	Compliance & financial crime	PROFESSIONAL	77	$995–1,295	92% match · est.
37	Advanced in AI Audit (AAIA™) AI/MLPREMIUM	ISACA	AI & data	PROFESSIONAL	77	$575–760	82% match · est.
38	Advanced in AI Security Management (AAISM™) AI/MLPREMIUMTOP SIGNAL	ISACA	AI & data	PROFESSIONAL	77	$575–760	81% match · est.
39	Artificial Intelligence Governance Professional (AIGP) AI/MLPREMIUMTOP SIGNAL	IAPP	AI & data	PROFESSIONAL	77	$649–799	90% match · est.
40	Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) COMPLIANCE	ACFE	Compliance & financial crime	PROFESSIONAL	77	$450–500	90% match · est.
41	Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) SECURITYPREMIUMTOP SIGNAL	ISACA	Security & privacy	PROFESSIONAL	77	$575–760	80% match · est.
42	Certified Information Privacy Professional/Europe (CIPP/E) SECURITY	IAPP	Security & privacy	PROFESSIONAL	77	$649–799	91% match · est.
43	Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) CLOUDPREMIUMTOP SIGNAL	Kubernetes / CNCF	Cloud & infrastructure	PROFESSIONAL	77	$395	85% match · est.
44	Certified Management Accountant (CMA) ACCOUNTING	IMA	Accounting & tax	PROFESSIONAL	77	$1,000–1,400	75% match · est.
45	Certified Payments and Fraud Prevention Professional (CPFPP) COMPLIANCEPREMIUM	Merchant Risk Council	Compliance & financial crime	PROFESSIONAL	77	$500–700	87% match · est.
46	Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM) COMPLIANCEPREMIUMTOP SIGNAL	American Bankers Association	Compliance & financial crime	PROFESSIONAL	77	$1,895–2,295	78% match · est.
47	Financial Planning & Analysis Professional (FPAP) FINANCEPREMIUM	CFI	Finance & investments	PROFESSIONAL	77	$497–847	93% match · est.
48	PCI Professional (PCIP) COMPLIANCEPREMIUM	PCI SSC	Compliance & financial crime	PROFESSIONAL	77	$495–595	90% match · est.
49	PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA®) PROGRAM	PMI	Program management	PROFESSIONAL	77	$405–555	88% match · est.
50	PMI Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP®) PROGRAM	PMI	Program management	PROFESSIONAL	77	$520–670	85% match · est.
51	Professional Risk Manager (PRM) FINANCEPREMIUM	PRMIA	Finance & investments	PROFESSIONAL	77	$1,100–1,400	82% match · est.
52	Sustainability and Climate Risk (SCR®) Certificate FINANCEPREMIUM	GARP	Finance & investments	PROFESSIONAL	77	$525–750	86% match · est.
53	Certified Financial Planner (CFP) FINANCE	CFP Board	Finance & investments	PROFESSIONAL	76	$925–1,200	79% match · est.
54	Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) SECURITY	IAPP	Security & privacy	PROFESSIONAL	76	$550–650	92% match · est.
55	Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) SECURITY	ISACA	Security & privacy	PROFESSIONAL	76	$575–760	79% match · est.
56	Certified Payments Professional (CPP) COMPLIANCE	ETA	Compliance & financial crime	PROFESSIONAL	76	$450–550	94% match · est.
57	Commercial Banking & Credit Analyst (CBCA®) FINANCE	CFI	Finance & investments	PROFESSIONAL	76	$497–847	94% match · est.
58	FinTech Industry Professional (FTIP®) FINANCE	CFI	Finance & investments	PROFESSIONAL	76	$497–847	94% match · est.
59	Databricks Certified Machine Learning Professional AI/ML	Databricks	AI & data	PROFESSIONAL	75	$200	85% match · est.

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How to read these metrics

Rankings columns

Authority Index: Structural bucket scores (identity, logistics, difficulty, curriculum, market signal, outcomes) plus a small sentiment layer from verified holders. Hard filters (e.g., unproctored, dormant issuer) cap the maximum score.
Structural score: Editorial assessment of registry presence, proctoring, pass-rate difficulty, curriculum fit, employer signal, and stated ROI — independent of community reviews.
Market signal: Higher values indicate stronger hiring-market and job-posting signal for this credential. Used inside the structural score, not a standalone hiring guarantee.
Exam vs reality gap: When verified holder reviews exist, gap reflects blueprint match, surprise narratives, and study-hour deltas. Without reviews we show an editorial estimate (~) from official pass rates and study load — not holder-verified.
Holder reviews: Only reviews from credential holders who completed verification are counted. Sentiment aggregates and verified gap scores unlock at n≥5 published reviews.
Exam cost: Ranges reflect list exam fees; training bundles, retakes, and membership dues may add materially — especially for multi-part finance and compliance programs.
Prep duration: Editorial planning estimate for working professionals (~8–12 hrs/week). Your timeline varies with prior experience and retakes.
Difficulty: Combines issuer-reported pass rates (when available) with typical study hours. Low pass rates and long prep windows indicate rigorous filters.

Gap values marked Est. are editorial estimates from pass rates and study load until verified holder reviews publish. Review counts show published holder narratives only.