CGSS Exam Information and Outline
Certified Global Sanctions Specialist
Syllabus Update Checked on: November 6, 2026
CGSS Exam Syllabus & Study Guide
Before you start practicing with our exam simulator, it is essential to understand the
official CGSS exam objectives. This course outline serves as your roadmap.
The information below reflects the 2026 syllabus defined by
ACAMS.
Below are complete topics detail with latest syllabus and course outline, that will help you good knowledge about exam objectives and topics that you have to prepare. These contents are covered in questions and answers pool of exam.
- Exam Format
- 100 multiple-choice and multiple-select questions
- Duration: 175 minutes
- Domain 1: Sanctions Frameworks and Governance
- Purpose and types of sanctions: comprehensive, targeted, sectoral, secondary
- UN Security Council sanctions regimes
- US (OFAC, BIS export controls), EU, UK (OFSI) and other national regimes
- Ownership and control rules (e.g., OFAC 50% rule)
- Licensing, exemptions and enforcement
- Domain 2: Building a Sanctions Compliance Program
- Management commitment and governance
- Sanctions risk assessment
- Internal controls: screening customers, transactions and trade
- Testing and auditing
- Training
- Domain 3: Detecting and Investigating Sanctions Evasion Techniques
- Front companies, shell companies and nominee structures
- Shipping and maritime evasion: AIS manipulation, ship-to-ship transfers
- Trade-based evasion and transshipment
- Use of cryptoassets and alternative payment systems
- Investigations, escalations, blocking/rejecting and reporting
- Domain 4: Sanctions Compliance Case Studies
- Enforcement actions and lessons learned
- Applying sanctions knowledge to real-world scenarios