- CASIP is issued by McAfee Institute and covers 16 tested content modules, from OSINT foundations to privacy law.
- The exam is a closed-book, three-hour, online-proctored test with a 70% passing score.
- Exam-only registration costs $450 for one attempt and a one-year license; the bundled training package is $2,997.
- Eligibility runs on a sliding scale: bachelor's with no experience, associate degree with two years, or high school diploma with three years.
What Is CASIP, Exactly?
CASIP stands for Certified All-Source Intelligence Professional, a credential issued by McAfee Institute for analysts and investigators who synthesize information across multiple collection disciplines - human sources, signals, open-source data, imagery, and more - into a single coherent intelligence picture. The "all-source" part of the name is not marketing fluff; it reflects a real distinction in the intelligence field between analysts who specialize in one discipline (say, SIGINT alone) and those trained to fuse multiple disciplines into actionable assessments.
If you landed here searching for a different "CASIP," note that this article - and everything else on this site - refers specifically to the McAfee Institute credential described above. Every fact, fee, and domain name in this piece comes from that program's published materials, not from any other certification that happens to share the acronym.
For a broader breakdown of what the letters mean and how the name is used across the industry, see our companion pieces on CASIP Meaning and What Does CASIP Stand For?
Who Issues CASIP and Why It Exists
McAfee Institute publishes and administers CASIP as part of its catalog of investigative and intelligence certifications. The program is built around a defined course curriculum, and the certification exam is described by the Institute as board-aligned - meaning the final exam draws on the material taught in the associated coursework rather than an independently published, third-party blueprint.
That distinction matters for how you prepare. The published course structure gives you a strong preview of what the exam covers, but it is not the same thing as an official, weighted exam blueprint with percentage breakdowns per topic. Any domain weighting you see in study materials, including on this site, is editorial guidance based on the course structure - not an official statement from McAfee Institute. For a full accounting of what's known and unknown about the exam's structure, read our CASIP Exam Domains 2026 guide.
The 16 CASIP Domains You'll Be Tested On
The public CASIP curriculum is organized into 18 modules. The first (orientation) and the last (the final board exam itself) are not content domains - they bookend the material. That leaves 16 substantive domains that make up the tested scope of the certification:
Domain 1: The Foundation of OSINT
Core terminology, legal boundaries, and the role open-source intelligence plays inside the broader intelligence cycle.
Domain 2: The Intelligence Cycle
Planning, collection, processing, analysis, and dissemination - the backbone process referenced throughout the rest of the course.
Domain 3: Intelligence Collection Disciplines
A survey of HUMINT, SIGINT, OSINT, GEOINT, and MASINT as distinct but interconnected collection methods.
Domain 4: Setting Up a Lab & Virtual Machine
Building an isolated, safe research environment before conducting live online investigations.
Domain 5: OSINT Browser Configuration
Hardening and configuring browsers for anonymous, secure open-source research.
Domain 6: Open Source Intelligence Research
Practical techniques for locating, verifying, and documenting publicly available information.
Domain 7: Advanced OSINT Research
Deeper search operators, metadata analysis, and cross-referencing techniques for complex targets.
Domain 8: SOCMINT
Social media intelligence gathering, platform-specific investigative methods, and source verification.
Domain 9: Mobile Apps OSINT
Extracting intelligence value from mobile application data and metadata.
Domain 10: OSINT and SOCMINT Recon and Intelligence
Combining reconnaissance techniques across open web and social platforms into unified findings.
Domain 11: GEOINT (Geospatial Intelligence)
Interpreting maps, imagery, and location data to support analytical conclusions.
Domain 12: HUMINT (Human Intelligence)
Elicitation, source handling considerations, and the human dimension of intelligence collection.
Domain 13: (SIGINT) Signals Intelligence
Fundamentals of intercepted communications and signal-based intelligence collection.
Domain 14: (MASINT) Measurement and Signature Intelligence
Technical, sensor-derived intelligence and how it complements other collection disciplines.
Domain 15: Critical Thinking
Analytical reasoning, cognitive bias mitigation, and structured analytic techniques.
Domain 16: Privacy and Data Protection
Legal and ethical boundaries around collecting, storing, and reporting on personal data.
For a domain-by-domain study plan and how to sequence these topics efficiently, see the CASIP Study Guide 2026. It's worth stressing again that this list reflects issuer course-preparation topics, not a confirmed exam blueprint with weighting - a nuance we unpack fully in the exam domains guide.
Exam Format, Timing, and Delivery
The CASIP final exam is delivered online through a proctoring service (McAfee Institute's guidance points to ProctorU), which means you can sit for it remotely rather than traveling to a testing center. Key mechanics candidates should plan around:
- Time limit: three hours to complete the exam.
- Passing score: 70%.
- Delivery: closed-book.
- Question types: true/false, multiple-choice, and scenario-based items.
The scenario-based questions are the part most candidates underestimate. Rather than asking you to define a term, these items place you inside a short investigative situation and ask what you would do next, or which collection discipline is best suited to the problem. That format rewards candidates who understand how the intelligence cycle and the collection disciplines interact in practice, not just their definitions in isolation. Our CASIP difficulty guide breaks down why the scenario format changes how you should study, and the CASIP Passing Score guide walks through exactly what a 70% threshold means for how many questions you can afford to miss.
Key Takeaway
Because the exam is closed-book with a hard three-hour limit, memorization alone won't carry you through the scenario-based items - you need to practice applying domain concepts to short investigative situations, not just recall definitions.
Eligibility Paths and Verification
CASIP is not open to anyone willing to pay the exam fee. McAfee Institute publishes three eligibility paths, each combining education level with relevant experience:
| Education Level | Required Experience |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 0 years |
| Associate degree | 2 years |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 3 years |
Qualifying experience is defined broadly to include investigations, law enforcement, criminal justice, military service, or comparable intelligence responsibilities. Candidates should expect eligibility verification and professional-suitability requirements as part of the application process rather than simple self-certification. For the full mechanics of documenting your background and what counts as qualifying experience, see CASIP Requirements 2026.
Fees, Licensing, and Renewal
CASIP pricing is structured around separate components, and understanding the split helps you budget accurately:
- Exam-only fee: $450, which includes one exam attempt and a one-year exam license.
- Full training package: $2,997, which bundles the coursework with the exam license.
- Training program scope: 65 instructional hours, 60 earned CPE credits, and lifetime access to the course content - figures that are separate from the exam license and certification validity period.
- Renewal: every two years, at a cost of $125, with evidence of continuing education (CPE) required.
Notice that the exam license (one year) and the certification's renewal cycle (two years) are different clocks - the license governs how long you have to sit for and pass the exam after purchasing it, while renewal governs how long your earned certification stays active once you've passed. Candidates who buy the exam-only option and then let the one-year license lapse without testing will need to repurchase access. For a full cost comparison across both paths, see CASIP Certification Cost 2026, and for testing windows and scheduling logistics, check the CASIP Exam Dates 2026 guide.
Who Actually Hires CASIP Holders
Because CASIP explicitly targets all-source analytical work rather than a single niche discipline, it tends to appeal to professionals moving between or across investigative fields - law enforcement analysts transitioning into intelligence-focused roles, military personnel translating collection experience into civilian analyst positions, corporate security and fraud investigation teams, and OSINT-focused researchers who need a credential that validates fusion analysis rather than one narrow skill. The eligibility paths described above (military, law enforcement, criminal justice, or comparable experience) are a strong signal of the hiring pool the Institute designed this credential for.
If you're weighing whether the credential translates into concrete job opportunities in your market, our CASIP Jobs overview and CASIP Salary Guide 2026 dig into how the certification is used on resumes and job postings. And if you're still deciding whether the investment is justified relative to your career goals, the CASIP ROI analysis lays out the tradeoffs without inventing numbers that aren't published.
How to Approach Preparation
Because the exam blends true/false, multiple-choice, and scenario-based questions across 16 domains in a closed-book, three-hour window, the most effective prep sequences move from foundational to applied. A simple way to think about sequencing:
Foundations
- Domain 1 (OSINT Foundation), Domain 2 (Intelligence Cycle), and Domain 3 (Collection Disciplines) - these underpin every later domain
Technical & Tool-Based Domains
- Lab setup, browser configuration, OSINT/SOCMINT research, mobile app OSINT, and GEOINT - hands-on domains best learned by doing, not just reading
Human, Signals, and Analytical Domains
- HUMINT, SIGINT, MASINT, Critical Thinking, and Privacy/Data Protection - tie these back to scenario practice since they lean heavily on judgment calls
Generic study techniques like timed practice blocks or spaced repetition flashcards can help, but only if you apply them to CASIP-specific material - for example, timing yourself on scenario-style questions to simulate the three-hour exam window, rather than generic timers unrelated to the content. For a structured, week-by-week plan built specifically around these 16 domains, the CASIP Study Guide 2026 is the more detailed resource. To pressure-test your readiness, our CASIP Cheat Sheet 2026 condenses the must-know facts from every domain onto a single page, and you can run through timed scenario questions on our CASIP practice test platform to get comfortable with the exact question styles before exam day.
Key Takeaway
Sequence your study from foundational domains (intelligence cycle, collection disciplines) toward applied and judgment-heavy domains (HUMINT, critical thinking, privacy) so scenario-based questions feel familiar rather than abstract.
If you want data-backed context on how candidates generally perform, rather than anecdotal claims, our CASIP Pass Rate 2026 article walks through what's actually publicly known versus what's speculation. And if you're comparing this specific credential against similarly named programs before committing time and money, start with our disambiguation pieces: What Is A CASIP?, What Does CASIP Mean?, and What Is CASIP Certification? - all of which stay focused strictly on the McAfee Institute program described here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Certified All-Source Intelligence Professional, a credential issued by McAfee Institute. This site's content refers exclusively to that program, not any other credential using the same acronym.
The public course curriculum includes 16 tested content modules, from OSINT foundations and the intelligence cycle through GEOINT, HUMINT, SIGINT, MASINT, critical thinking, and privacy and data protection. Orientation and the final exam module itself are excluded from that count.
No. McAfee Institute's exam guidance describes the CASIP final exam as closed-book, delivered online through proctoring, with a three-hour time limit and a 70% passing score.
The exam-only option is $450, which includes one attempt and a one-year exam license. A full training package that bundles coursework with the exam license costs $2,997.
No single degree is required. Eligibility can be met with a bachelor's degree and no experience, an associate degree plus two years of qualifying experience, or a high school diploma plus three years of qualifying experience in investigations, law enforcement, criminal justice, military, or comparable intelligence roles.