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M5 Certification
Lead. Decide. Command.
Commanders lead under pressure. This is the highest domain-level certification at CDA Institute. The exam is not a test. It is a multi-day evaluation combining an oral board, a live-fire crisis simulation, and the 96-hour capstone. 50% of your score comes from lab performance. Commanders do not just know security; they lead it.
600
Arena Points Per Mission
85%
Passing Score
Multi-day
Exam Duration
Commander
CDArmy Tier Unlocked
Multi-day evaluation. Day 1: Oral board with a panel of CDA instructors covering strategic security leadership, program design, and domain expertise. Day 2: 8-hour live-fire crisis simulation where you serve as incident commander. Days 3 to 6: 96-hour capstone project (design a complete security program for a 500-person organization). Final day: Capstone defense presentation. Lab/simulation performance is 50% of the total score.
85%
Passing Score
Multi-day
Duration
50%
Lab Weight
Complete all courses in a domain at this level to sit for the certification exam.
Commander is the highest domain-level certification. Earn it in all six domains to achieve the Eagle Standard.