You passed the Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (CMQ/OE®) exam, and now three years have gone by. Do you have to renew? ASQ makes recertification the condition for keeping the credential, but whether you keep it is your decision.

Do you need to renew your CMQ/OE® certification?

You need to renew only if you want to keep the credential, and the choice is yours.

No law requires it and ASQ does not chase you. But the credential is not permanent. The better question is whether you still need it.

What does ASQ ask for, and when is it due?

ASQ asks for 18 recertification units, or an exam retake, at the end of every three-year cycle.

Your cycle ends on 30 June or 31 December, depending on the month you took the exam. You recertify by journal or by retaking the exam. Here is the window for the journal route:

• Opens: up to 6 months before your recertification date.
• Due: your recertification date, with a grace period of up to 60 days after it.
• After the grace period: the journal route closes and only the exam route is left. If you do not recertify, you must stop using the credential.

Rules change, so download the recertification journal and handbook from the ASQ recertification page and check the recertification FAQ.

What do the dates on a CMQ/OE® certificate mean?

ASQ certification is not annual: it runs on a three-year cycle that syncs to 30 June or 31 December, depending on the month you took the exam.

Certificates A and B: dates cropped from real certificates held by learners, with names, numbers and QR codes not shown.

ASQ states on its recertification page that your cycle syncs to one of two deadlines, based on when you originally sat for the exam: exams taken from January to June sync to 30 June, and exams taken from July to December sync to 31 December. In the certificates above, we see a pattern: Recertification due is the first 30 June or 31 December that falls three years or more after the issue date, and Expires on is one year after that.

So a certificate does not expire after one year: the first date is when you owe recertification, and the second falls a year later. This is our reading of real certificates, not an ASQ statement. Follow the dates printed on your own certificate and confirm them with ASQ.

What happens if you do not renew?

ASQ stops recognizing you as certified, and you must stop using the credential.

If you try the exam route and fail, you are decertified and must apply again as a new candidate. ASQ reviews extenuating circumstances case by case, so contact it early. A retired status (age 62 and retired from full-time work) has no unit or exam requirement.

What are CEUs and RUs, and how do you earn them?

A continuing education unit (CEU) is credit for learning or working after you are certified, and ASQ calls its version a recertification unit (RU).

You collect them throughout the three years, not at the end. In our observation, most CMQ/OE holders earn their units from three sources, using these ASQ values:

• Employment. Full-time work earns 0.3 RU a month (3.6 a year). Part-time earns 0.15 a month (1.8 a year). The maximum is 10.8 RUs. The same hours cannot count twice.
• Continuing education. Training as a learner or instructor earns 0.1 RU per hour, with no maximum. Seminars and meetings are also 0.1 per hour, and conferences and workshops are 1.0 per day.
• Certification. Passing another certification earns 2.0 RUs if it is an ASQ certification and 1.0 if it is another certification. A certificate of course completion alone does not count.

ASQ also gives credit for giving back, such as volunteering and mentoring (up to 6 RUs), and every activity must relate to the Body of Knowledge. For example:

An illustration, not a promise. Course hours vary, and ASQ decides what it accepts.

Keep your evidence from day one. After you pass, save a certificate, attendance record, receipt or employer letter for everything you do, and note the date and hours. ASQ lets you upload documents in its online portal, and the handbook explains its evidence rules.

How is CMQ/OE renewal different from PMP renewal?

Both run on three-year cycles, but the pull to renew feels different in practice.

At 3FOLD Training, PMP holders tend to renew, because the credential is widely listed in project job postings. Among our CMQ/OE learners, only a few recertify. The CMQ/OE usually serves a specific purpose, such as a promotion, a quality role or an employer requirement, and once it is served, the pull to maintain it fades.

This is our own observation, not a published statistic. If you are weighing both credentials, see our PMP certification training and the PMP eligibility guide.

What are the possible reasons not to renew?

Most reasons come down to cost, time or a credential that has already done its job.

• Your employer does not require it.
• You earned it for one goal. The purpose has been met.
• The paperwork feels heavy. Logging 18 units takes effort.
• Your career moved. Quality is no longer your focus.
• You hold other credentials.
• You are close to retirement. The retired status may suit you.

What are the possible reasons to renew?

Renewal pays off when the credential still earns you trust, jobs or progress.

• Your employer or clients ask for it.
• You work in quality or organizational excellence.
• You plan to change jobs or move up.
• You are close to the 18 units already.
• It keeps you learning.
• You want to avoid a retake.

Frequently asked questions

Where 3FOLD fits

3FOLD Training is licensed by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) in Dubai. Our CMQ/OE® exam preparation is delivered over four Sundays as live virtual instructor-led training aligned with the ASQ Body of Knowledge, with one-year Learning Management System (LMS) access, recorded videos, module-wise quizzes, mock exams, exam application guidance, one year of free retraining and a certificate of completion. We prepare you; ASQ examines and certifies, and we cannot guarantee a pass. Send your questions through the course inquiry form.