How to pass the AIGP
A practical guide to the IAPP Artificial Intelligence Governance Professional (AIGP) exam. It explains what the exam tests, how to study and how to review common mistakes. Reviewed against current IAPP materials and primary sources.
What the AIGP actually tests
The AIGP certifies that you can help an organisation build and run responsible AI governance. It is broad, spanning technology, ethics, risk and law. The effective February 2026 IAPP Body of Knowledge uses four published domains. Our free guide teaches the same material through eight learning modules, each cross-referenced to those domains:
- Foundations of AI: what AI is, the intelligence ladder (ANI to ASI), the OECD classification, and how machines learn.
- AI impacts and responsible AI: harms and bias taxonomies, the OECD principles, and trustworthy AI.
- Governance and risk management: roles, governance structures, risk frameworks and standards such as the NIST AI RMF and ISO/IEC 42001.
- AI regulation: the EU AI Act risk tiers and obligations, and emerging laws worldwide.
- How existing laws apply to AI: privacy, intellectual property, liability and anti-discrimination.
- Governing AI development: the AI life cycle, planning, data, testing and documentation.
- Governing AI deployment: monitoring, post-market oversight and incident response.
- The vocabulary every candidate is expected to recognise on sight.
The exam format
The AIGP is a multiple-choice exam of 100 questions. The exam-style question set is built to the same blueprint, and the current IAPP certification FAQ lists 2 hours 45 minutes (165 minutes) of testing time. The independent practice set follows the public Body of Knowledge. Confirm the current format and scoring on the IAPP certification FAQ before you book.
A study plan that works
- Weeks 1 to 2, build the map. Read the notes module by module so you can place every concept, especially the EU AI Act structure and the four roles (provider, deployer, importer, distributor).
- Weeks 3 to 4, drill. Move to questions. After each module, answer practice questions and read every explanation, including the ones you got right.
- Week 5, spaced review. Let the spaced-repetition schedule resurface weak spots across all four published domains and eight learning modules.
- Final week, simulate. Sit the full exam-style question set under timed conditions and review every miss.
Where people lose marks
- ANI versus AGI versus ASI. If a scenario describes a deployed real-world system, the answer is narrow AI; AGI and ASI do not yet exist.
- The EU AI Act. Know the risk tiers (unacceptable, high, limited, minimal) and which obligations attach to which role.
- Bias and harms taxonomies. Be able to tell computational, cognitive and societal bias apart, and individual from group and societal harms.
- Frameworks. Do not confuse the NIST AI RMF, the OECD principles and ISO/IEC 42001; know what each is for.
- Reading too fast. Many items turn on a single qualifying word. Slow down on the stem.
How this site helps
The study notes are free and structured for active recall, with the exam-critical wording highlighted. The practice question bank includes the exam-style question set plus the module question sets, each with a worked explanation, marked automatically and scheduled for spaced review. Your progress syncs across your devices.
Frequently asked questions
Is the AIGP hard?
How long should I study for the AIGP?
Do I need a technical or coding background for the AIGP?
What does the AIGP cover?
Are these notes enough on their own?
Sources and study method
This independent study material uses the current published AIGP outline, active recall, spaced retrieval and scenario practice. Read the full method. Current sources are identified in the article.
Frequently asked questions
Is the AIGP hard?
It is broad rather than deep. It spans AI fundamentals, ethics, harms, governance, risk and law. Use structured study and practice questions to connect those areas.
How long should I study for the AIGP?
IAPP recommends at least 30 hours. Spread the work across the four published domains, then adapt the calendar to your prior knowledge and weekly time.
Do I need a technical or coding background for the AIGP?
No. The AIGP is a governance certification. You need to recognise key concepts (for example ANI versus AGI, supervised versus unsupervised learning) but you are not asked to build models.
What does the AIGP cover?
The IAPP body of knowledge spans the foundations of AI, AI impacts and responsible AI, governance and risk management, AI regulation including the EU AI Act, how existing laws apply to AI, and governing AI across development and deployment.
Are these notes enough on their own?
They support study across the current published outline and pair with exam-style practice. AI law changes, so check current primary sources.