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Exam Information
Official specifications published by ASQ
Exam Format
258 min
165
550/750
Professional
Registration
$550 USD
Prometric or online proctoring
English, Korean, Mandarin
Validity
3 years
Earn 18 recertification units (RUs) within 3-year period; Retake the CRE exam
CRE Exam Topics and Domains
CRE is organized into 5 weighted domains.
1
Reliability Fundamentals
19.33%
Leadership Foundations
Benefits of reliability engineeringInterrelationship of safety, quality, and reliabilityReliability engineer leadership responsibilitiesReliability engineer role and responsibilities in the product lifecycleProject management in reliability engineeringFunction of reliability in engineeringEthics in reliability engineeringSupplier reliability assessmentsPerformance monitoring
- Describe the value that reliability has on achieving company goals and objectives
- Describe the relationship of and distinguish between reliability and quality
- Describe how to be a reliability champion by influencing program decisions
- Describe how the reliability engineer influences the product lifecycle
- Apply key practices in requirements management, use Gantt charts, and understand CPM
- Describe how reliability techniques apply best practices in engineering
- Identify appropriate ethical behaviors for a reliability engineer
- Explain how supplier reliability impacts the overall reliability program
- Describe the importance of performance monitoring in maintaining compliance
Reliability Foundations
Basic reliability terminologyDrivers of reliability requirements and targetsCorrective and preventive action (CAPA)Root cause analysisProduct lifecycle engineering stagesEconomics of product maintainability and availabilityCost of poor reliabilityQuality triangleSix Sigma methodologiesSystems engineering and integration
- Clarify fundamental reliability terms and metrics including MTTF, MTBF, MTTR, availability
- Describe drivers of reliability requirements including customer, regulatory, and safety factors
- Evaluate situations for corrective and preventive actions and assess CAPA effectiveness
- Assess root cause analysis using fishbone diagrams, 5 whys, and 8D
- Examine how lifecycle stages affect reliability and associated costs
- Describe cost tradeoffs in maintainability and availability
- Describe financial and non-financial costs of poor reliability
- Describe the quality triangle relationship to reliability
- Describe how Six Sigma and lean principles support reliability
- Comprehend relationship between reliability and systems engineering
2
Risk Management
16.67%
Identification
Risk management techniquesRisk assessmentTypes of risk
- Use risk management tools to identify, document, and monitor risks
- Employ qualitative, quantitative, and semi-quantitative risk assessment techniques
- Examine various types of operational, strategic, financial, cyber, and analytical risks
Analysis
Fault tree analysis (FTA)Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA)Common mode failure analysisHazard analysisRisk matrixSystem safety
- Use FTA to evaluate potential failures and prioritize corrective actions
- Define and distinguish between FMEA, FMECA, FFMEA, and UFMEA
- Describe common mode failure and its effect on risk
- Explain how hazard analysis informs development
- Apply risk matrices for likelihood and severity assessment
- Identify and prioritize safety-related issues from multiple data sources
Mitigation
Risk mitigation planning and standards
- Identify appropriate risk mitigation plans integrating ISO 31000 and ISO 55000
- Assess risk control plans for safety, liability, and regulatory compliance
- Distinguish between ALARP, ALARA, and ALAP reliability goals
3
Probability and Statistics for Reliability
23.33%
Basic Concepts
Basic statisticsBasic probability conceptsProbability distributionsProbability functionsSampling plans for statistics and reliability testingStatistical process control (SPC) and capability studiesConfidence and tolerance intervals
- Define basic statistical terms and apply sampling and central limit theorem
- Apply probability concepts including independence, mutual exclusion, and conditional probability
- Analyze reliability data using appropriate statistical distributions
- Assess probability functions (CDF, PDF, hazard) and their applications
- Use theories, tables, and formulas for sample size determination
- Apply SPC, capability studies, and control charts to reliability
- Compute and interpret confidence and tolerance intervals for reliability
Data Management
Sources and uses of reliability dataTypes of dataData collection methodsData summary and reportingFailure analysis methodsFailure reporting, analysis, and corrective action system (FRACAS)
- Analyze sources of reliability data and their advantages/limitations
- Evaluate and distinguish diverse data types and align analysis tools accordingly
- Identify and select appropriate data collection methods
- Analyze collected data, select graphical representations, and present findings
- Diagnose failures using diverse failure analysis tools and techniques
- Identify FRACAS elements and demonstrate closed-loop process importance
4
Reliability Planning, Testing, and Modeling
23.33%
Planning
Reliability test strategiesEnvironmental factors and use conditionsFailure consequenceFailure criteriaTest environment
- Evaluate and develop suitable test strategies for product development phases
- Analyze environmental factors and use conditions affecting products
- Describe failure consequences and their role in acceptance criteria
- Establish failure criteria from customer and system requirements
- Evaluate test environments and formulate decisions based on results
Testing
Accelerated life testsStress screeningQualification / demonstration testingDegradation (wear-to-failure) testingSoftware / firmware reliabilitySoftware testing
- Describe purpose, advantages, and limitations of accelerated life tests
- Evaluate stress screening methods including ESS, HASS, and burn-in
- Evaluate qualification and demonstration testing approaches
- Evaluate degradation testing methodology
- Understand software/firmware reliability concepts and models
- Understand software testing methods for reliability assurance
Modeling
Reliability block diagrams and modelsPhysics of failure and failure mechanismsFailure modelsReliability prediction methodsDesign prototyping
- Generate and analyze reliability block diagrams for various system configurations
- Identify potential failure mechanisms and their underlying physical processes
- Select appropriate failure models (Arrhenius, S-N, Coffin-Manson)
- Explain reliability prediction methods including Monte Carlo, Markov, and ML
- Describe prototyping advantages/limitations and digital twin correlation
5
Lifecycle Reliability
17.33%
Reliability Design Techniques
Design evaluation techniques (validation and verification)Stress-strength analysisDesign of experiments (DOE)Reliability optimizationHuman factorsDesign for X (DFX)Design for Reliability (DfR)
- Explain how V&V techniques assess design reliability at various lifecycle stages
- Apply stress-strength analysis to calculate probability of failure
- Develop and interpret DOE including full/fractional factorial with ANOVA
- Employ strategies to enhance reliability under constraints
- Describe human factors relationship to reliability engineering
- Apply DFX techniques for manufacturability, testability, and maintainability
- Apply DfR using FEA for design robustness and fault tolerance
Parts and Systems Development
Materials, components, equipment, and software selection techniquesParts standardization and system simplification
- Apply derating, COTS, and SOA techniques for material and component selection
- Describe importance of standardization and simplification
- apply RCM
Maintainability
Maintenance strategiesPreventive maintenance (PM) analysisCorrective maintenance analysis
- Develop maintenance plans incorporating predictive and other strategies
- Define PM tasks, determine optimum intervals, and identify PM ineffectiveness
- Describe and apply corrective maintenance analysis elements
How do I earn this certification?
Passing CRE earns the Certified Reliability Engineer (CRE) certification. It sits in the Reliability Engineering / Quality track.
Practice with Precision
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How to study for this exam?
The most effective way to prepare for CRE is by using the PlanetCert Simulator to practice questions and review detailed explanations.
What's changed on this exam?
Current Status
- ACTIVE
- Last content update: 2025-01-01
Updates
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Data Analysis AI is now explicitly listed as a tool for deeper reliability data analysis
- Machine Learning for Reliability Prediction Machine learning and neural networks are now listed alongside traditional prediction methods like Monte Carlo and Markov analysis
- Digital Twins Digital twins and damage modeling are now covered under prototype result correlation
- Internet of Things (IoT) Data IoT is now listed as a reliability data source alongside traditional sources
- Cybersecurity Risk Cybersecurity risks are now explicitly recognized as a risk type for reliability engineers
- Cox Proportional Hazard Model Cox proportional hazard model added as an analysis tool for reliability data
Who should take this exam?
8 years of on-the-job experience in one or more areas of the CRE Body of Knowledge
3 of those years must be in a decision-making position
Full-time, paid role required
- Experience in reliability management, prediction, testing, or failure analysis
- Background in probability and statistics
- Familiarity with design for reliability techniques