CSA Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass

The Number: 70% and What It Means in Questions

The passing score for the Content Server Administrator certification is 70%. OpenText administers the exam, which today appears in its catalog as the 5-0156 OpenText Content Management Administrator Certification Exam. The test contains 60 multiple-choice and true/false questions, so 70% translates into a simple target: you need to answer roughly 42 of the 60 questions correctly. If OpenText's scoring were to weigh questions unequally, the percentage is still the published threshold, but planning around 42 correct answers gives you a concrete, conservative goal.

That arithmetic matters for how you prepare. With 60 questions and a 70% bar, you can miss up to about 18 questions and still pass. For a technical administrator exam, that is a meaningful margin, but it is not generous enough to ignore an entire domain. A candidate who skips a 12% domain outright has already surrendered roughly seven questions' worth of material, which eats more than a third of the total error budget.

What the Passing Score Is Not

Because several unrelated credentials share the "CSA" acronym, passing-score information found through casual searching is often wrong for this exam. The 70% figure here belongs specifically to the OpenText Content Server Administrator track. Cutoffs, question counts, and fees from any other credential do not apply, and importing them leads to bad planning. If you are unsure which credential a source is describing, check whether it mentions OpenText, Content Server, or the 5-0156 exam code.

It is also worth separating the score from two other numbers that people often conflate with it:

• The 90-minute test timer governs how long you have to complete the exam in a single sitting. It is not related to the score threshold.
• The 60-day access period mentioned in OpenText's general certification policy describes how long you have after launching an exam purchase. It is a separate rule from the 90-minute clock and does not give you extra time during the test itself.

If you want to understand how the score translates into real-world difficulty, our complete CSA difficulty guide walks through what the questions feel like, and the CSA pass rate article explains why no verified public pass-rate figure should be treated as authoritative.

Exam Format Behind the Score

The format is straightforward but unforgiving in one respect: the exam is web-based, delivered on the OpenText Learning Platform, and must be completed in one session. You cannot pause and resume. That means your 90 minutes are continuous, and any interruption is your problem. Plan a quiet window, stable connectivity, and a machine you trust before you start.

Ninety minutes for 60 questions works out to about 90 seconds per question. For true/false items that is plenty; for scenario-style multiple-choice questions about configuration behavior, it is comfortable but not lavish. If you find yourself spending three minutes on one item, flag it mentally and move on, since every question counts equally toward the 42 you need.

One caution: this article does not assert whether the exam is open-book, because the available policy material does not state an exam-specific open-book rule. Prepare as though you will rely entirely on what you have learned.

Domain Math: Where Your Points Come From

The published exam topics and their weights total 100%, and they are far from evenly distributed. Understanding the distribution is the single most useful thing you can do with the passing score, because it tells you which areas can rescue you and which can sink you. For a deeper treatment of each area, see our complete guide to all six CSA content areas.

The question counts above are straightforward conversions of the published weights against a 60-question exam; treat them as planning estimates rather than guaranteed counts, since the exact distribution on any given form can vary slightly.

Naming: Content Server Administrator vs. Content Management Administrator

You will see two names in circulation, and understanding why prevents confusion when you register. OpenText currently catalogs the exam as the 5-0156 OpenText Content Management Administrator Certification Exam, within its Content Management (Extended ECM) family. Meanwhile, the Content Suite learning path retains Content Server Administrator training terminology, and OpenText's former Content Server Administrator badge page now redirects to the current Content Management Administrator badge. They refer to the same certification lineage.

What this is not is equally important. It is not the 5-0159 Business Administrator exam, not the 5-5412 Content Manager Administrator credential, and not any Documentum, Dimensions CM, or ServiceNow administrator certification. If your preparation materials mention any of those, you are studying the wrong thing. For background on the acronym and the credential's identity, our overview articles on what CSA certification is and what CSA stands for clear up the terminology.

Fees, Attempts, and Retake Rules

The passing score only matters if you understand what a failed attempt costs you. Each purchase of the exam includes one attempt. If you do not pass, any subsequent attempt must be purchased separately at the US$500 fee, excluding applicable taxes. For a full pricing picture, including optional training, see the CSA certification cost breakdown.

The retake timing rules are specific:

• Second attempt: no waiting period. You can purchase and retake immediately.
• Third and later attempts: at least 14 days must pass before you can sit the exam again.

This structure has a practical implication. Because a second attempt has no cooling-off period, a failed first attempt can actually serve as a diagnostic: you will know which topic areas surprised you, and you can address them quickly. But with each attempt costing US$500, treating the first sitting as a free trial run is an expensive strategy. The better approach is to arrive prepared and treat the first attempt as the real one.

There is also an optional, much larger commitment: the 5-0162 Administrator Certification Bootcamp is a separate 10-day training, project, and exam program priced at US$9,000 excluding taxes. It is not the standalone exam fee and is not necessary just to sit the 5-0156 exam.

A Domain-Weighted Preparation Schedule

Rather than a generic study plan, build your schedule around the weights above. The reasoning is simple: front-load the domains that can make or break the 70% threshold, and use the final week for the smaller ones and for full-length review. For a broader walkthrough, see our CSA study guide for passing on the first attempt.

Whatever pace you choose, the point is to let the domain weights dictate your hours. If your practice scores in System Administration sit below 70%, delay the exam; strength in the smaller domains cannot compensate.

After You Pass: Validity and Renewal

Once you clear the 70% bar, the certification is valid for three years. Renewal works differently depending on timing:

• Renewing before expiry: available at a 50% discount from the list price.
• Renewing after expiry: requires taking the current examination at the standard fee.

Because the exam is revised over time, the version you sit for renewal will reflect the current content rather than the one you originally passed. That makes early renewal both cheaper and lower risk. If you are weighing whether the credential justifies the investment of time and money, our ROI analysis of the CSA certification and the CSA salary guide lay out the career context, and the CSA jobs overview covers the kinds of roles that value the credential.

Frequently Asked Questions