- AIRA administers CDBV and schedules courses and exams in blocks rather than a single annual date.
- Part 1 registration is USD 825; Parts 2 and 3 are USD 995 each, per AIRA's course-and-exam pricing.
- Current AIRA membership dues are required before you can register for any part.
- Some approved credentials qualify candidates for a Part 1 or Part 2 waiver.
How CDBV Scheduling Actually Works
Unlike a credential with a single fixed test date each year, the Certification in Distressed Business Valuation (CDBV) is built around three separate course-and-examination parts. The Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Advisors (AIRA) administers the entire program, and it schedules each part as its own online course block that ends in a uniform written examination. There is no single "CDBV exam day" - instead, candidates work through a calendar of course offerings and register for whichever part fits their preparation stage and professional schedule.
This structure changes how you should think about "exam dates." Rather than counting down to one sitting, you are planning around three potential enrollment windows, each tied to its own course dates, its own registration cutoff, and its own fee. If you're still getting oriented on what the certification actually covers before you start locking in dates, the CDBV Certification overview and the What Is CDBV? primer are good starting points before you commit to a schedule.
2026 Testing Windows and Course Blocks
AIRA publishes its current course and examination schedule directly through its own program pages, since dates for online course blocks can shift from year to year based on instructor availability and enrollment. For 2026 planning purposes, candidates should treat the official AIRA CDBV schedule page as the single source of truth for exact start dates, course duration, and examination timing for each part.
What you can plan around with confidence is the structure: each part runs as an intensive course sequence culminating in its written exam, and the full program across all three parts offers 76 CPE credits in total. Those CPE credits reflect the educational content delivered across the courses - they are not a percentage weighting of exam content and are not a recurring renewal obligation, so don't mistake CPE volume for exam difficulty or exam length.
- Part 1 course-and-exam block covering the Bankruptcy Code's effect on valuation
- Part 2 course-and-exam block covering advanced business valuation foundations
- Part 3 course-and-exam block applying valuation concepts to bankruptcy and distressed situations
For a deeper breakdown of what's actually tested inside each of these three parts, see the CDBV Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 3 Content Areas, which maps course content to likely question emphasis.
Registration Deadlines and Fee Mechanics
Registration for each CDBV part is priced individually, and the amounts are meaningfully different depending on which part you're registering for:
| Part | Content Focus | Regular Registration Price |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1 | Bankruptcy Code impact on valuation | USD 825 |
| Part 2 | Advanced Business Valuation | USD 995 |
| Part 3 | Application to bankruptcy and distressed situations | USD 995 |
These are course-and-examination registration prices, not stripped-down exam-only fees - your registration covers access to the intensive course sequence as well as the uniform written exam for that part. Because pricing and any early-registration terms can be updated by AIRA, always confirm current amounts on the official AIRA CDBV registration page before budgeting. For a full breakdown of how these per-part costs add up across the whole certification journey, read CDBV Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
Key Takeaway
Budget for registration in three separate payments tied to three separate course dates - not one lump-sum exam fee - and confirm current pricing directly with AIRA before each enrollment.
Choosing Which Part to Sit First
Because Part 3 - Application of Business Valuation Concepts to Bankruptcy and Other Distressed Situations - explicitly builds on the Bankruptcy Code material from Part 1 and the advanced valuation foundations from Part 2, scheduling order isn't arbitrary. Most candidates plan Part 1 or Part 2 first, depending on their existing background, and reserve Part 3 for last since it's the applied, integrative exam.
If you already hold an approved valuation or insolvency credential, check whether it qualifies you for a waiver. AIRA rules allow certain approved credentials to waive Part 1 or Part 2, which can significantly compress your overall timeline and change which part you should schedule first. Review your eligibility carefully before you register - the CDBV Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify guide walks through prerequisite pathways and how waivers typically apply.
Domain 1: Understanding the Bankruptcy Code and How It Impacts Valuation of Distressed Businesses
This is the foundation most candidates schedule early, since later application questions assume fluency here.
- How bankruptcy proceedings alter valuation assumptions and standards
- Interaction between Bankruptcy Code provisions and going-concern versus liquidation premises
Domain 2: Advanced Business Valuation
Candidates without a strong valuation background should not schedule this alongside Part 3 in the same cycle.
- Advanced valuation methodology beyond introductory coursework
- Standards and premises of value applied consistently across scenarios
Domain 3: Application of Business Valuation Concepts to Bankruptcy and Other Distressed Situations
This is the capstone exam most candidates schedule last, once Parts 1 and 2 material feels solid.
- Distressed cash-flow assumptions and their effect on valuation conclusions
- Solvency analysis and bankruptcy-specific application scenarios
Part-by-Part Scheduling Considerations
Each course-and-exam block is intensive rather than self-paced, which means your scheduling decision is also a workload decision. Before selecting a course date, consider your caseload for that period - insolvency and restructuring professionals often have seasonal spikes in active engagements, and stacking a demanding intensive course on top of a heavy case period is a common reason candidates underperform.
If you're unsure how demanding the material will feel relative to other credentials you may have sat for, the How Hard Is the CDBV Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 article breaks down where candidates tend to struggle by part. And if you want context on how candidates generally perform once they sit, CDBV Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows is worth reviewing before you finalize a date, since it can influence how much runway you build into your schedule.
Building a Study Timeline Around Your Sitting
Once you've selected a course date, work backward. A simple way to structure preparation is to align weekly focus with the domain sequence rather than generic review blocks:
Bankruptcy Code Foundations
- Review Bankruptcy Code provisions most relevant to distressed valuation
- Connect Code mechanics to going-concern versus liquidation decisions
Advanced Valuation Review
- Revisit valuation premises and standards likely to appear in Part 2 or Part 3 questions
- Practice distressed cash-flow assumption scenarios
Applied Case Practice
- Work through case-based solvency and bankruptcy application problems
- Time yourself on scenario questions similar to Part 3's format
For a more granular, part-specific study plan - including how to allocate hours if you're preparing for more than one part in the same year - see the CDBV Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt. It's also worth confirming exactly what score threshold you're preparing for using CDBV Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass, since your study timeline should target mastery, not just familiarity.
Practicing scenario-based questions on our CDBV practice test platform before your registered course date is one of the most efficient ways to confirm you're ready for the applied, case-driven style of questioning used across all three parts.
Membership Requirements and Waivers
Before you can register for any part, your AIRA membership dues need to be current - this is a prerequisite AIRA enforces at registration, not an optional add-on. Build this into your scheduling timeline so a lapsed membership doesn't delay your enrollment window for a course you've already planned around.
Certification itself requires more than passing exams: AIRA also requires completion of the applicable course sequence, qualifying practical case experience, and references. That means your "exam date" planning should sit inside a broader timeline that accounts for gathering experience documentation and references well before you expect to finalize certification. The CDBV Requirements 2026 guide covers this experience and reference component in detail so it doesn't become a bottleneck after you've already passed all three parts.
If you're weighing whether the time and course fees are worth committing to given your career stage, Is the CDBV Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and CDBV Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis provide useful context before you lock in course dates and pay registration fees. Once certified, roles in restructuring advisory and distressed valuation practice groups are common next steps - see CDBV Jobs for a sense of the hiring landscape.
Key Takeaway
Confirm AIRA membership status and gather your experience references early - these prerequisites run in parallel with, not after, your exam scheduling.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. AIRA schedules Parts 1, 2, and 3 as separate online course-and-examination blocks, so candidates work with multiple enrollment windows rather than a single fixed annual date.
Regular course-and-examination registration is USD 825 for Part 1 and USD 995 each for Parts 2 and 3. These prices cover both the course sequence and the written exam for that part.
Part 3 applies concepts built in Parts 1 and 2, so most candidates schedule Part 3 last. Approved credentials may qualify for a waiver of Part 1 or Part 2, which can affect your ideal sequence.
AIRA requires current membership dues to register for any CDBV part, so a lapsed membership can delay your enrollment. Confirm your membership status before a course date approaches.
The authoritative schedule is maintained on AIRA's own CDBV program pages, since course blocks and examination timing can be updated. Always verify exact 2026 dates there before registering.