The exam is taken in two sections; Fundamentals and Applications. You are allowed a maximum of four hours to complete each section. There is no requirement regarding when each section is taken. For example, the Fundamentals section may be taken in the morning and the Applications section taken in the afternoon. You may also wish to take the Fundamentals section on Monday and the Applications section on Friday.
The Fundamentals section consists of a large number (20 to 50 depending on the exam) basic questions designed to be answered within 2 minutes if the examinee is knowledgeable in the area of the question. The Applications section consists of a small number (2 to 4 depending on the exam) problems that are designed to simulate real world problems, like a DOE on a machine, a value stream analysis or an design robustness application.
With few exceptions, the IQF exam does not consist of a database of multiple choice questions. Questions are randomly generated based on guidelines. The examinee answers the questions with numerical values. This is done to re-create the working environment as closely as possible.
Your exam results are available immediately after the exam is completed. Simply go to IQF.org/scoreexam.asp and enter your exam codes. There is a single exam for Green Belt, Black Belt and Master Black Belt. The passing score varies by certification level as shown in the table below.
| Certification Level | Fundamentals | Applications |
| Green Belt | 50% | 0% |
| Black Belt | 60% | 50% |
| Master Black Belt | 75% | 75% |
That doesn’t mean that you become a Master Black Belt if you achieve 75% or greater on both sections of the exam. Master Black Belt certification also requires project work, teaching and mentoring.
But if you certify as a Green Belt, and later decide to become a Black Belt or Master Black Belt you will not have to re-take the exam!