- ▸ SAP has scrapped traditional multiple-choice exams in favour of open-book, performance-based practical assessments.
- ▸ You can use SAP Help Portal, SAP Learning, SAP Community, and SAP Joule during the exam — just like on a real project.
- ▸ Already live: SAP Generative AI Developer (C_AIG), SAP Business Data Cloud (C_BCBDC), SAP BTP Solution Architect, SAP Build Developer.
- ▸ SAP SuccessFactors Incentive Management (C_THR70): full rollout targeted by end of Q1 2026 — verify current format on learninghub.sap.com before booking.
- ▸ Certifications now require annual renewal via a "stay certified" assessment.
What actually changed
For the better part of two decades, SAP certification meant memorising enough to survive a timed multiple-choice paper. Dumps sites thrived. Candidates who had never touched a live SAP system passed. And everyone in the industry knew it.
That model is over. Starting late 2025 and rolling out across the full portfolio through Q1 2026, SAP has replaced traditional MCQ exams with performance-based, practical, open-book assessments. The shift is genuine — not a surface rebranding. The format, the resources allowed, and what you're actually being tested on have all changed.
SAP describes the move as "reimagining certification in the age of AI" — and the timing is not a coincidence. When AI tools can answer any factual question in seconds, testing factual recall is pointless. The only thing worth certifying is whether someone can actually do the work.
Two exam formats — and what each one looks like
The new practical exams come in two types. Different certifications use different formats, and some use both.
You are placed inside a live SAP system simulation and given practical tasks to complete within a time limit. Configure components, troubleshoot errors, build solutions, run queries — exactly as you would on a real client project.
- → Timeboxed: typically 2 hours
- → Real SAP environment, not screenshots
- → Graded on outcome, not method
You are given a business scenario and respond to questions from an AI avatar — or submit a video response. Tests decision-making, solution design, and your ability to communicate technical choices in a business context.
- → AI avatar interaction or video response
- → Tests reasoning, not just recall
- → Used for SuccessFactors certifications
The portal may show a 24-hour window for your assessment — that is an access window, not the exam duration. The actual exam is 2 hours. Don't let the 24-hour label lull you into a false sense of time comfort.
What "open book" actually means
Open book in the SAP context is more specific than it sounds. SAP has defined which resources are permitted during the exam:
Certifications already on the new format
SAP has confirmed these are already live in the practical exam format:
| Certification | Code | Exam Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAP Generative AI Developer | C_AIG_2511 | System-based simulation + open book lab | Live |
| SAP Business Data Cloud | C_BCBDC | Scenario-based with AI avatar | Live |
| SAP BTP Solution Architect | P_BTPA_2408 | System-based simulation | Live |
| SAP Build Developer | C_LCNC_2405 | System-based simulation | Live |
| RISE with SAP Methodology | C_RISE_2025 | Scenario-based | Live |
| SAP SuccessFactors Incentive Management | C_THR70_2505 | Scenario-based assessment | Verify on SAP |
What this means for the C_THR70 — SAP SuccessFactors Incentive Management
This is the one most of you are here for. SAP's stated target was to complete the full portfolio transition by end of Q1 2026. The C_THR70_2505 (SAP SuccessFactors Incentive Management and Embedded Analytics) is included in that portfolio.
Officially, the C_THR70 is moving to a scenario-based assessment format. Rather than answering isolated MCQ recall questions ("what are the pipeline stages?"), you are presented with a business scenario and asked to make implementation decisions, troubleshoot configurations, and explain your reasoning — just as you would on a real client engagement.
SAP's rollout has been phased and timelines have shifted. Before booking the C_THR70, confirm the current format at learninghub.sap.com or the SAP Training and Certification site. The exam page will explicitly state whether it is the new practical format or the legacy MCQ format.
What the Generative AI Developer exam actually felt like
For those wondering what "practical" means in practice — one candidate's first-hand account from January 2026 described the C_AIG exam as: "a thoughtfully curated, time-boxed lab rather than a memory test."
Instead of proving you can recall definitions, you prove you can build and reason under time constraints with real tooling. The difficulty was described as fair, the open-book access to SAP documentation was genuinely useful (not just theoretical), and the hands-on format was preferred overwhelmingly over traditional MCQ.
That's a meaningful data point for what's coming to the SuccessFactors track.
Annual renewal: certifications are no longer permanent
The format change comes with a structural change to certification validity. SAP certifications now expire after 12 months and require a "stay certified" annual assessment to remain active.
This is a significant shift from the old model where a cert earned in 2019 was still technically valid in 2024. The annual renewal is designed to keep certified professionals current with each product release cycle — relevant for SuccessFactors IM, which ships quarterly updates.
How to prepare for the new format if you're targeting C_THR70
The good news: if you have real implementation experience, the new format plays to your strengths. Here's how to prepare specifically for a scenario-based practical exam:
Scenario questions test whether you understand why a configuration works, not just what it's called. If you've been using exam dumps to prepare, stop. That approach will fail in a practical format — a dump tells you the answer, not the reasoning behind it.
Open book only helps you if you can find what you need quickly. Know where the SAP SuccessFactors IM documentation lives, how to navigate the pipeline stage docs, and where to find configuration guides. Fumbling through help.sap.com for 20 minutes in a 2-hour exam is a real risk.
The cert prep interview questions on this site are built specifically for this. Scenario-based questions — "a client's pipeline is producing incorrect credits for split-territory reps, what do you investigate first?" — are far better preparation than flashcard-style MCQ practice.
If you haven't configured a pipeline, run a test close, or set up a plan component in a sandbox, the practical format will expose that gap immediately. There is no substitute for hands-on system time. SAP Learning Hub offers access to sandboxes — use them.
The bigger picture
This change is overdue. The SAP certification ecosystem was built for a world where information was scarce and the ability to recall facts had value. That world is gone. AI tools answer factual questions faster than humans can retrieve them from memory.
The consultants who will be hardest to replace are those who can take a business problem, identify the right configuration approach, explain the trade-offs, and make it work inside the system. That's exactly what the new exam format tests.
For ICM practitioners with real project experience, this is good news. The playing field just shifted decisively toward people who have actually done the work.
The scenario questions on this site are built for practical exam thinking
The interview and cert prep sections include scenario-based questions that mirror the new exam format — not MCQ dumps, but real decision-making scenarios from SAP ICM implementations.