- ▸ SAP scrapped MCQ exams — replaced with open-book, performance-based practical assessments.
- ▸ During the exam you can use SAP Help Portal, SAP Learning, SAP Community, and SAP Joule — just like on a real project.
- ▸ C_THR70_2505 (SAP Incentive Management) is now live as a scenario-based practical assessment.
- ▸ Certifications now require annual renewal — up to 4 attempts per 12-month window.
- ▸ Exam dumps are dead. Real implementation experience now has a decisive advantage.
What changed — and why
For two decades, SAP certification meant memorising enough to survive a timed MCQ paper. Dumps sites thrived. Candidates who had never touched a live system passed. Everyone in the industry knew it.
Starting late 2025 and rolling across the portfolio through Q1 2026, SAP replaced MCQ exams with performance-based, open-book practical assessments. The timing is deliberate: when AI answers factual recall questions in seconds, testing recall is pointless. The only thing worth certifying is whether someone can actually do the work.
Two exam formats — click to expand
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 — exactly as you would on a real client project.
- Duration: typically 2 hours (the portal may show 24 hours — that is the access window, not the exam)
- Environment: real SAP system simulation, not screenshots
- Graded on: outcome produced, not method used
- Open book: SAP Help Portal, SAP Learning accessible throughout
You are given a business scenario and must 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.
- Format: AI avatar interaction or video response submission
- Tests: reasoning and implementation judgement, not answer recall
- C_THR70 specific: presented with ICM implementation scenarios — configuration choices, troubleshooting, trade-off decisions
- Open book: SAP documentation accessible — but questions don't ask you to look things up
What "open book" actually permits
SAP has defined exactly which resources are allowed during the exam. Knowing where to find things fast matters — fumbling through documentation for 20 minutes in a 2-hour exam is a real risk.
Documentation is a reference during the exam, not the answer. Questions test your ability to make decisions — not retrieve facts.
Certifications now on the new format
| Certification | Code | Exam Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAP Generative AI Developer | C_AIG_2511 | System simulation + open book lab | Live |
| SAP Business Data Cloud | C_BCBDC_2505 | Scenario-based with AI avatar | Live |
| SAP BTP Solution Architect | P_BTPA_2408 | System-based simulation | Live |
| SAP Build Developer | C_LCNC_2406 | System-based simulation | Live |
| RISE with SAP Methodology | C_RISME | Scenario-based | Live |
| SAP Incentive Management | C_THR70_2505 | Scenario-based assessment | Live |
Verify before booking C_THR70. SAP's rollout has been phased. Before booking, confirm the current format at learninghub.sap.com — the exam page will state explicitly whether it is the new practical format.
Annual renewal — certifications are no longer permanent
SAP certifications now require annual renewal via a "stay certified" assessment — up to 4 renewal attempts per 12-month window. This replaces the old model where a cert earned in 2019 was still technically valid in 2024. For SAP Incentive Management, which ships quarterly updates, staying current actually matters.
C_THR70 prep — tick off as you go
Scenario-based exams reward real implementation experience. If you have it, this format plays to your strengths. If you've been relying on dumps, they won't help here.
The bottom line
This change is long overdue. The old format certified people who were good at memorising — not necessarily good at the work. The new format is better for clients, better for the industry, and better for practitioners with real implementation depth.
For ICM consultants with genuine project experience, this is a decisive advantage. The playing field just shifted toward people who have actually done the work.
Scenario questions built for practical exam thinking
The cert prep and interview sections include real ICM decision scenarios — not MCQ dumps. Built for the format that's now live.