If you need help studying for the Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (CMQ/OE) exam or just want some more information about what the test is like, you’ve come to the right place.
Click below to take a free CMQ/OE practice test!
What’s on the CMQ/OE Exam?
How to Register
CMQ/OE Exam Scores
Retaking the Exam
FAQs
Exam Eligibility
Before you can register to take the CMQ/OE exam, you’ll have to rack up a minimum of 10 years of experience in one of the CMQ/OE Body of Knowledge areas.
However, depending on what your most recent level of education is, you can knock off one or more years from the 10-year requirement:
- Technical/trade school diploma: 1 year waived
- Associate degree: 2 years waived
- Bachelor’s degree: 4 years waived
- Master’s degree or doctorate: 5 years waived
If you meet these requirements, you’re set to begin the registration process!
What’s on the CMQ/OE Exam?
First, let’s talk about the questions on the exam. There are 180 multiple-choice questions total, but only 165 of the questions will count toward your score. Why is that?
Unscored Questions
The 15 unscored questions on the exam are called “pretest” questions. These are added to the exam to determine if they’re good enough questions to add to future versions of the test.
The trick is that you won’t have any way of knowing which questions are scored and which ones are pretest. They will appear just like the scored questions throughout the test.
Levels of Complexity
Each question on the exam falls under one of the following levels of complexity:
These questions ask you to remember or recognize facts, definitions, principles, materials, and more.
💡 Understand
These questions ask you to understand regulations, reports, descriptions, diagrams, and more.
🛠️ Apply
These questions test your knowledge of when and how to apply certain formulas, ideas, principles, procedures, and more.
These questions ask you to analyze information and break it down to its basic parts.
⚖️ Evaluate
These questions ask you to compare proposed ideas and solutions to specific criteria/standards.
🧩 Create
These questions ask you to create patterns/structure from parts of data sets.
The cool part about this exam is that it’s open-book! There are some regulations surrounding what you can bring, but you can sleep easy knowing that you’ll have some assistance as you take the test.
Let’s take a closer look at the different sections of the exam.
1. LEADERSHIP
28 questions
- Organizational structures
- Roles and responsibilities of leaders and managers
- Change management
- Leadership techniques
- Empowerment
- Types of teams
- Stages of team development
- Team-building techniques
- Team roles and responsibilities
- Team performance and evaluation
- ASQ Code of Ethics
2. STRATEGIC PLAN DEVELOPMENT AND DEPLOYMENT
22 questions
- Strategic planning models
- Risk analysis
- Market forces
- Stakeholder analysis
- Technology
- Internal capability analysis
- Legal and regulatory factors
- Tactical plans
- Resource allocation and deployment
- Organizational performance measurement
- Quality in strategic deployment
3. MANAGEMENT ELEMENTS AND METHODS
31 questions
- Principles of management
- Management styles and theories
- Interdependence of functional areas
- HR management
- Financial management
- Risk management
- Knowledge management
- Communication techniques and abilities
- Interpersonal skills
- Communications in a global economy
- Communications and technology
- Project management basics
- Project planning and estimation tools
- Measuring and monitoring project activity
- Project documentation
- Quality planning, deployment, and documentation
- Quality systems effectiveness
- Quality management standards
- Performance excellence models
- Quality philosophies
4. QUALITY MANAGEMENT TOOLS
30 questions
- The seven classic quality tools
- Basic management and planning tools
- Process improvement tools
- Innovation and creativity tools
- Cost of quality
- Process goals
- Process analysis
- Lean tools
- Theory of constraints
- Basic statistical use
- Sampling
- Statistical analysis
- Measurement systems analysis
- Trend and pattern analysis
- Process variation
- Process capability
- Reliability terminology
5. CUSTOMER-FOCUSED ORGANIZATIONS
21 questions
- Customer identification and segmentation
- Customer relationship management
6. SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
17 questions
- Supplier selection and approval
- Supplier risk management
- Supplier communications
- Supplier performance and improvement
- Supplier certification, partnerships, and alliances
- Supplier logistics and material acceptance
7. TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
16 questions
- Training plans
- Training needs analysis
- Training materials, development, and delivery
- Training effectiveness and evaluation
How to Register
Once you’ve ensured that you meet all of the eligibility requirements, you can register for the exam.
To get started, you’ll need to submit an application on the ASQ website. The application will ask you for your contact information and any documentation to prove your eligibility (among other things).
When you submit the application, you’ll also need to submit the testing fee, which is $568. If you’re an ASQ member, you will only have to pay $468.
CMQ/OE Study Guide and Flashcards
Get practice questions, detailed study lessons, and complex subjects broken down into easily understandable concepts.
CMQ/OE Exam Scores
The test is scored using a scaled scoring method. Here’s how it works:
You will need a score of 550 to pass the test.
The reason your raw score is converted to a scaled score is because everyone who takes the test is given a slightly different set of questions. Since everyone has a different arrangement of questions, and because some questions are harder than others, converting your raw score to a scaled score ensures a more even playing field.
Retaking the Exam
If you didn’t get a passing score on your first try, that’s okay! You can retake the test after a 45-day waiting period.
Keep in mind that you will have to pay the full testing fee every time you retake the test.
FAQs
How many questions are on the CMQ/OE exam?
The exam contains 180 questions.
What is the time limit for the CMQ/OE exam?
The exam is timed at 4 hours and 18 minutes.
What is the passing score for the CMQ/OE exam?
You’ll need to get a score of at least 550 to pass.
How much does the CMQ/OE exam cost?
The exam fee is $568.