Q1. What does ACG stand for? ANSWER Associated Air Balance Council
Commissioning Group.
Q2. What does CxA stand for? ANSWER Certified Commissioning
Authority.
Q3. What is the primary role of the CxA? ANSWER To lead, plan,
coordinate, and manage commissioning teams on behalf of the building
owner.
Q4. What is commissioning? ANSWER A quality-oriented process for
achieving, verifying, and documenting that the performance of facilities,
systems, and assemblies meets defined objectives and criteri ANSWER
Q5. What does OPR stand for? ANSWER Owner's Project
Requirements.
Q6. What does BOD stand for? ANSWER Basis of Design.
Q7. What does CFR stand for? ANSWER Current Facility Requirements
(used in Existing Building Commissioning).
Q8. What is the purpose of the OPR? ANSWER To document the
owner's functional requirements for the facility, systems, and equipment.
Q9. Who develops the OPR? ANSWER The owner, with assistance from
the design team and Cx ANSWER
Q10. What is the Basis of Design (BOD)? ANSWER A document that
records the concepts, calculations, decisions, and product selections used
to meet the OPR.
Q11. What standard defines the commissioning process for
buildings? ANSWER ASHRAE Guideline 0-2013, The Commissioning
Process.
,Q12. What is ASHRAE Standard 202-2013? ANSWER Commissioning
Process for Buildings and Systems — a normative standard for
commissioning.
Q13. What is ASHRAE Guideline 1.1-2007? ANSWER HVAC&R
Technical Requirements for the Commissioning Process.
Q14. What is re-commissioning? ANSWER Commissioning of a building
or system that was previously commissioned.
Q15. What is retro-commissioning? ANSWER The application of the
commissioning process to existing buildings that were not previously
commissioned.
Q16. What is ongoing commissioning? ANSWER A continuous process
of monitoring, analyzing, and optimizing building performance after
occupancy.
Q17. What is the difference between CxA and CxP? ANSWER CxA
(Commissioning Authority) is ACG's term; CxP (Commissioning Provider)
is BCxA's term. Both refer to the commissioning leader.
Q18. What is the CxA's relationship to the owner? ANSWER The CxA
is an independent agent working on behalf of the owner.
Q19. Can a CxA work for a contractor or manufacturer? ANSWER No
— ACG requires CxAs to be independent of general contractors, installing
contractors, and equipment manufacturers.
Q20. What is the Better Buildings Workforce Guidelines (BBWG)?
ANSWER A U.S. DOE program that developed certification schemes for
building commissioning professionals.
Q21. Is the CxA certification ANAB-accredited? ANSWER Yes.
Q22. Is the CxA exam open book or closed book? ANSWER Closed
book.
Q23. How many questions are on the CxA exam? ANSWER 125
multiple-choice questions (as of the 2026 Candidate Handbook).
Q24. How long is the CxA exam? ANSWER 4 hours and 15 minutes,
plus a 10-minute break.
Q25. What calculator is permitted during the CxA exam? ANSWER A
scientific, non-programmable calculator.
, SECTION 2: MANAGING COMMISSIONING PROJECTS (Q26–Q70)
Q26. What percentage of the CxA exam covers Managing
Commissioning Projects? ANSWER 18%.
Q27. What is the CxA's role during project kickoff? ANSWER To
facilitate the commissioning kickoff meeting, establish communication
protocols, and review the commissioning scope with the team.
Q28. What should be included in a commissioning kickoff meeting
agenda? ANSWER Roles and responsibilities, communication plan,
schedule, OPR review, and issue resolution process.
Q29. What is a commissioning scope of work? ANSWER A document
defining the systems to be commissioned, the commissioning activities to
be performed, and the deliverables.
Q30. Who approves the commissioning scope? ANSWER The owner.
Q31. What is the CxA's responsibility regarding the project budget?
ANSWER To manage the commissioning budget and report any variances
to the owner.
Q32. What is a commissioning schedule? ANSWER A schedule that
integrates commissioning activities with the overall construction
schedule.
Q33. When should the commissioning schedule be developed?
ANSWER During the pre-design or early design phase.
Q34. What is a risk assessment in commissioning? ANSWER An
evaluation of potential risks to the commissioning process and
development of mitigation strategies.
Q35. What is the CxA's role in risk assessment? ANSWER To identify
risks that could affect system performance verification and recommend
mitigation.
Q36. What is stakeholder reporting? ANSWER Regular communication
to the owner and project team about commissioning progress, issues, and
status.
Q37. How often should the CxA issue commissioning status reports?
ANSWER Typically monthly or as defined in the commissioning plan.
Commissioning Group.
Q2. What does CxA stand for? ANSWER Certified Commissioning
Authority.
Q3. What is the primary role of the CxA? ANSWER To lead, plan,
coordinate, and manage commissioning teams on behalf of the building
owner.
Q4. What is commissioning? ANSWER A quality-oriented process for
achieving, verifying, and documenting that the performance of facilities,
systems, and assemblies meets defined objectives and criteri ANSWER
Q5. What does OPR stand for? ANSWER Owner's Project
Requirements.
Q6. What does BOD stand for? ANSWER Basis of Design.
Q7. What does CFR stand for? ANSWER Current Facility Requirements
(used in Existing Building Commissioning).
Q8. What is the purpose of the OPR? ANSWER To document the
owner's functional requirements for the facility, systems, and equipment.
Q9. Who develops the OPR? ANSWER The owner, with assistance from
the design team and Cx ANSWER
Q10. What is the Basis of Design (BOD)? ANSWER A document that
records the concepts, calculations, decisions, and product selections used
to meet the OPR.
Q11. What standard defines the commissioning process for
buildings? ANSWER ASHRAE Guideline 0-2013, The Commissioning
Process.
,Q12. What is ASHRAE Standard 202-2013? ANSWER Commissioning
Process for Buildings and Systems — a normative standard for
commissioning.
Q13. What is ASHRAE Guideline 1.1-2007? ANSWER HVAC&R
Technical Requirements for the Commissioning Process.
Q14. What is re-commissioning? ANSWER Commissioning of a building
or system that was previously commissioned.
Q15. What is retro-commissioning? ANSWER The application of the
commissioning process to existing buildings that were not previously
commissioned.
Q16. What is ongoing commissioning? ANSWER A continuous process
of monitoring, analyzing, and optimizing building performance after
occupancy.
Q17. What is the difference between CxA and CxP? ANSWER CxA
(Commissioning Authority) is ACG's term; CxP (Commissioning Provider)
is BCxA's term. Both refer to the commissioning leader.
Q18. What is the CxA's relationship to the owner? ANSWER The CxA
is an independent agent working on behalf of the owner.
Q19. Can a CxA work for a contractor or manufacturer? ANSWER No
— ACG requires CxAs to be independent of general contractors, installing
contractors, and equipment manufacturers.
Q20. What is the Better Buildings Workforce Guidelines (BBWG)?
ANSWER A U.S. DOE program that developed certification schemes for
building commissioning professionals.
Q21. Is the CxA certification ANAB-accredited? ANSWER Yes.
Q22. Is the CxA exam open book or closed book? ANSWER Closed
book.
Q23. How many questions are on the CxA exam? ANSWER 125
multiple-choice questions (as of the 2026 Candidate Handbook).
Q24. How long is the CxA exam? ANSWER 4 hours and 15 minutes,
plus a 10-minute break.
Q25. What calculator is permitted during the CxA exam? ANSWER A
scientific, non-programmable calculator.
, SECTION 2: MANAGING COMMISSIONING PROJECTS (Q26–Q70)
Q26. What percentage of the CxA exam covers Managing
Commissioning Projects? ANSWER 18%.
Q27. What is the CxA's role during project kickoff? ANSWER To
facilitate the commissioning kickoff meeting, establish communication
protocols, and review the commissioning scope with the team.
Q28. What should be included in a commissioning kickoff meeting
agenda? ANSWER Roles and responsibilities, communication plan,
schedule, OPR review, and issue resolution process.
Q29. What is a commissioning scope of work? ANSWER A document
defining the systems to be commissioned, the commissioning activities to
be performed, and the deliverables.
Q30. Who approves the commissioning scope? ANSWER The owner.
Q31. What is the CxA's responsibility regarding the project budget?
ANSWER To manage the commissioning budget and report any variances
to the owner.
Q32. What is a commissioning schedule? ANSWER A schedule that
integrates commissioning activities with the overall construction
schedule.
Q33. When should the commissioning schedule be developed?
ANSWER During the pre-design or early design phase.
Q34. What is a risk assessment in commissioning? ANSWER An
evaluation of potential risks to the commissioning process and
development of mitigation strategies.
Q35. What is the CxA's role in risk assessment? ANSWER To identify
risks that could affect system performance verification and recommend
mitigation.
Q36. What is stakeholder reporting? ANSWER Regular communication
to the owner and project team about commissioning progress, issues, and
status.
Q37. How often should the CxA issue commissioning status reports?
ANSWER Typically monthly or as defined in the commissioning plan.
