- What This Cheat Sheet Covers
- The One-Glance Credential Snapshot
- Levels, Papers, and Passing Marks
- Fees and Registration Mechanics
- Information Systems Core: Six Topics to Know
- IT Consulting: Five Topics to Know
- What Is Not Verified (Read This Before You Plan)
- A Short CITC-Specific Allocation Plan
- Who Benefits From the Credential
- Quick-Answer FAQ
- CITC here means Certified IT Consultant from ICCP, built from separate papers, not one combined exam.
- Assistant papers run 60 minutes at 50% passing; Practitioner is 90 minutes at 50%; Master is 90 minutes at 70%.
- Basic Professional Exam Purchase is listed at USD 1050; Basic Foundational Exam Purchase at USD 498.
- This sheet covers 11 headings: six Information Systems Core topics plus five IT Consulting topics.
What This Cheat Sheet Covers
This page is a compact review sheet for the Certified IT Consultant (CITC) credential offered through ICCP. It condenses the facts that are actually published, flags the ones that are not, and maps the 11 preparation headings you should be able to explain without notes. If you want the long-form version of any section, the CITC study guide and the complete guide to all 11 CITC content areas go deeper.
One identity note up front: several unrelated credentials share the acronym CITC. Everything below refers only to Certified IT Consultant. If you want a plain-language primer on the name itself, see What Is CITC? and What Does CITC Stand For?.
The One-Glance Credential Snapshot
| Item | What Is Published |
|---|---|
| Credential | Certified IT Consultant (CITC), offered by ICCP |
| Products | Professional and foundational exam products |
| Issuer route | IT Consulting plus either Information Systems Core or Business Technology Management Core |
| Professional routes | Also show a third specialization examination |
| Structure | Separate papers and levels, not one combined CITC examination |
| Ethics | Adherence is required |
| Levels listed | Assistant (foundational); Practitioner, Master, Principal, Executive (professional) |
The single most useful mental model: CITC is not a one-sitting test. It is a route assembled from papers, and the papers you sit depend on the level you choose. If you are still orienting yourself, What Is CITC Certification? explains the credential at a higher level.
Levels, Papers, and Passing Marks
This is the part of the cheat sheet worth memorizing exactly. The published figures differ by level, so mixing them up is an easy mistake.
| Level | Type | Paper Length | Passing Mark | Experience |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assistant | Foundational | 60 minutes each | 50% | None stated beyond published facts |
| Practitioner | Professional | 90 minutes each | 50% | Minimum two years |
| Master | Professional | 90 minutes each | 70% | Minimum four years |
Reading the table correctly
Three details trip candidates up.
- Times are per paper. There is no single aggregate timer for the whole credential.
- The jump from Practitioner to Master changes two things at once: the passing mark rises from 50% to 70% and the experience floor doubles from two to four years.
- The issuer states that foundational holders must take extended exams to move to higher levels, so Assistant is a stepping stone rather than a shortcut.
The Executive exception
The Executive level is different in kind: it uses a written assignment with no exam requirement for that level, and its workshop field still shows an unfinished placeholder. Do not carry that exception over to the exam-based Assistant, Practitioner, or Master routes. If your target is one of those three, the paper-based facts above are the ones that apply.
For a closer look at what the thresholds mean in practice, the CITC passing score article breaks down the marks, and How Hard Is the CITC Exam? discusses where candidates tend to struggle. If you are checking whether you qualify to sit a given level, start with CITC requirements.
Fees and Registration Mechanics
Two purchase prices are published for the current program:
- Basic Professional Exam Purchase: USD 1050
- Basic Foundational Exam Purchase: USD 498
What is not established here: current CITC-specific renewal fees or credits, and the named delivery vendor. Plan your budget around the two published purchase figures and confirm anything else directly with ICCP before paying. The CITC certification cost breakdown goes into how to think about the total outlay, and CITC exam dates covers the scheduling side.
Information Systems Core: Six Topics to Know
The preparation scope on this site selects the Information Systems Core option (rather than Business Technology Management Core) paired with IT Consulting. The six core headings below come from the published outline topics. They are an unweighted preparation list, not an official weighted blueprint.
Domain 1: Information Systems Core: Information Systems
The foundation layer. Be ready to explain what an information system is, its components, and how it supports an organization.
- Be able to define the components of an information system in your own words.
- Connect systems to the business processes they serve.
Domain 2: Information Systems Core: Data and Information Management
How data is stored, organized, governed, and turned into usable information.
- Distinguish data from information.
- Know why data quality and governance matter to a client engagement.
Domain 3: Information Systems Core: Enterprise Architecture
How an organization's systems, data, and technology fit together as a coherent whole.
- Understand architecture as a planning discipline, not just a diagram.
- Be able to explain how architecture decisions affect long-term flexibility.
Domain 4: Information Systems Core: IT Infrastructure
The hardware, networks, and platforms underneath applications.
- Know the main infrastructure building blocks and how they interact.
- Be ready to discuss infrastructure trade-offs a consultant would raise with a client.
Domain 5: Information Systems Core: IS Project Management
Planning, executing, and controlling information systems projects.
- Understand scope, schedule, cost, and risk as they apply to IS work.
- Link project management to the consulting-engagement topics later in the sheet.
Domain 6: Information Systems Core: Systems Analysis & Design
Turning business needs into a designed solution.
- Know the flow from requirements gathering through analysis to design.
- Be able to explain why poor requirements undermine a whole project.
IT Consulting: Five Topics to Know
The second paper is where the credential's identity lives. These five headings are what make this a consultant's certification rather than a general IT one, so give them real weight even though the outline is unweighted.
Domain 7: IT Consulting: Consulting Function
What a consultant does, the role a consultant plays, and how consulting differs from in-house IT work.
- Be able to articulate the value a consultant brings to a client.
- Understand the boundaries of the role.
Domain 8: IT Consulting: Consulting Work Acquisition
How consulting engagements are found, pursued, and won.
- Know the stages from identifying an opportunity to agreeing on an engagement.
- Understand how proposals and positioning support winning work.
Domain 9: IT Consulting: Consulting Work Management
Running an engagement once it is won: planning, delivery, and control.
- Connect this directly to IS Project Management from the core paper.
- Be ready to discuss managing scope and expectations mid-engagement.
Domain 10: IT Consulting: Client Management
Building and maintaining the relationship that makes engagements succeed and repeat.
- Know how communication, trust, and expectation-setting shape outcomes.
- Understand how to handle disagreement without damaging the relationship.
Domain 11: IT Consulting: Ethical Guidelines and Professional Standards
The conduct expected of a Certified IT Consultant. Because ethics adherence is a stated requirement of the credential, treat this as more than a reading exercise.
- Understand confidentiality, conflicts of interest, and honest representation of your capabilities.
- Be able to reason through an ethical dilemma, not just recite a rule.
Key Takeaway
The six core topics and five consulting topics are a preparation scope, not a weighted blueprint. No topic weights or largest domain are verified, so do not trust any source that claims "Domain X is 30% of the exam." Cover all 11 headings and let your own weak spots, not a rumored percentage, decide where you spend extra time.
What Is Not Verified (Read This Before You Plan)
A good cheat sheet is honest about its gaps. The following are not established in the reviewed public sources, so do not plan around any specific number you see elsewhere:
- The exact question count and the scored versus unscored split
- The item format of the papers
- The candidate pass rate
- The named delivery vendor and exam conditions
- Current CITC-specific renewal fees and credits
- The content of the Business Technology Management core option and of any third specialization
That last point matters for scope. This sheet covers the Information Systems Core plus IT Consulting combination only. If your route uses the Business Technology Management core or a third specialization paper, those outlines are separate and are not claimed here. For the pass-rate question specifically, see what the CITC pass rate data shows, which explains why a precise figure is not available.
A Short CITC-Specific Allocation Plan
Generic scheduling advice is everywhere, so here is the one version tied to this credential's structure. The logic is sequencing: the core topics feed the consulting topics, so learn the foundations first. The allocation below is editorial, not an official weighting, and you can compress or stretch it to fit your timeline.
Information Systems and Data Management
- Domain 1 and Domain 2: the vocabulary everything else builds on.
Architecture and Infrastructure
- Domain 3 and Domain 4: how the pieces fit and what they run on.
Project Management and Analysis & Design
- Domain 5 and Domain 6: the delivery disciplines you will reuse in the consulting paper.
The Consulting Lifecycle
- Domain 7 through Domain 9: function, acquisition, and management of work.
Clients and Ethics, Then Review
- Domain 10 and Domain 11, followed by a full pass through all 11 headings.
Because Assistant papers allow 60 minutes and the professional papers allow 90, build your practice around explaining concepts clearly rather than racing a clock you cannot verify. When you are ready to test yourself, work through questions on the CITC practice test site and revisit any heading where your explanation feels shaky. A full set of practice questions is the fastest way to find which of the 11 headings needs another pass.
Who Benefits From the Credential
The credential's content points to its natural audience: people who advise organizations on information systems rather than only operate them. The consulting headings (acquiring work, managing work, managing clients, and professional standards) describe independent consultants and members of consulting practices, while the core headings describe the technical and project grounding those roles rely on.
No salary figures are published in the sources reviewed here, so be skeptical of any precise earnings claim. For a qualitative discussion, see the CITC salary guide, CITC jobs, and the ROI analysis of whether CITC is worth it. Training options are covered in CITC training.
Quick-Answer FAQ
Several. The credential is built from separate papers and levels, not a single combined CITC examination. The route uses IT Consulting plus either Information Systems Core or Business Technology Management Core, and professional routes also show a third specialization paper.
Assistant papers are 60 minutes each at 50% passing. Practitioner papers are 90 minutes each at 50% passing with a minimum of two years of experience. Master papers are 90 minutes each at 70% passing with a minimum of four years of experience.
The program lists Basic Professional Exam Purchase at USD 1050 and Basic Foundational Exam Purchase at USD 498. These are distinct routes, not member and nonmember prices. Renewal fees are not verified here.
The exact question count, scored versus unscored split, and item format are not established in the reviewed sources. Confirm paper details with ICCP rather than relying on an unsourced number.
No. The Executive level uses a written assignment with no exam requirement for that level. That exception does not apply to the exam-based Assistant, Practitioner, or Master routes.