CSS001 Exam Information and Outline
Certified Sanctions Specialist
CSS001 Exam Syllabus & Study Guide
Before you start practicing with our exam simulator, it is essential to understand the official CSS001 exam objectives. This course outline serves as your roadmap, breaking down exactly which technical domains and skills will be tested. By reviewing the syllabus, you can identify your strengths and focus your study time on the areas where you need the most improvement.
The information below reflects the latest 2026 course contents as defined by ACSS. We provide this detailed breakdown to help you align your preparation with the actual exam format, ensuring there are no surprises on test day. Use this outline as a checklist to track your progress as you move through our practice question banks.
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 Code: CSS001
Exam Name: ACSS Certified Sanctions Specialist (CSS)
Number of Questions: 106
Time Allotted: 3 hours
Question Format: Multiple choice
Passing Marks/Score: Not publicly disclosed by ACSS.
Delivery: Proctored exam at testing centers across the globe
- SANCTIONS REGIME TYPES, GOALS, PROHIBITIONS AND EFFECTS
- Articulate the definition and di erent types of economic/financial/trade sanctions regimes in order to be able to implement a sanctions compliance program.
- Describe the history and reasons why sanctions exist.
- Identify and describe the common prohibitions (facilitations), and common exemptions contained within sanctions regimes.
- Understand how to measure e ectiveness of sanctions and unintended consequences of sanctions.
- SANCTIONS IMPOSERS AND TARGETS
- Understand the UN Security Council Sanctions architecture and mandate.
- Know how to read a UN Security Council Resolutions imposing a new sanctions regime.
- Understand the UN Security Council sanctions designation criteria for targets and the delisting process.
- Understand the EU sanctions/restrictive measures architecture and mandate.
- Know the di erent EU Sanctions Regimes.
- Articulate the main US agencies involved in sanctions, the roles they play in its enforcement, and its extraterritorial reach
- Identify and assess key other (UK, Australia, Japan, Canada) unilateral sanctions imposers and their regimes.
- SANCTIONS EVASION: TYPOLOGIES AND SCHEMES
- Articulate typologies and schemes set up to evade sanctions in the financial industry.
- Articulate typologies and schemes set up to evade sanctions in other industries such as maritime shipping, commercial insurance and others.
- ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS OF A RISK BASED SANCTIONS COMPLIANCE PROGRAM IN DIFFERENT INDUSTRY SETTINGS
- Management Commitment
- Obtain senior management commitment to and support of an organization’s risk-based sanctions compliance program.
- Designing and Implementing a Sanctions Risk Assessment in Di erent Industry Settings
- Identify customer/product/geography related sanctions risks inherent within the applicable industry.
- Conduct and maintain a sanctions risk assessment for clients and customers, products and services, supply chain, intermediaries, counter-parties, transactions and geographic locations.
- Internal Controls: Policies and Procedures
- Develop policies and procedures based on industry leading practices.
- Analyze new government policies and regulatory and enforcement developments.
- Designated Sanctions O cer and Sta ng
- Hire and oversee appropriate personnel with the right level of professional skills.
- Communication and Training
- Conduct training and develop awareness for stakeholders.
- Advise organization stakeholders.
- Supervise line-level personnel to ensure application of procedures using operational instructions and guidelines.
- ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY AND LIST SCREENING
- Articulate general principles, concepts and fundamental pillars behind screening and the di erent ways that sanctions screening can take place
- Develop, implement, maintain watch list screening tools
- Evaluate and hire list screening vendors
- OTHER OPERATIONAL ISSUES CONTRIBUTING TO AN EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT SANCTIONS COMPLIANCE PROGRAM
- Assist with resolution of standard and complex cases
- Obtain, manage or review licenses that authorize particular transactions that may otherwise be prohibited by the sanctions
- Reference how to use contractual clauses and warranties, drafting contractual clauses o ering additional protection in higher risk situations and dealing with contractual obligations when sanctions impact on a party’s ability to perform.
- Know the options and risks of outsourcing certain sanctions compliance tasks to freight forwarders and other business partners or third-party agents in order to streamline operations
- Reference how the sanctions program interacts and intersects with other related compliance areas (e.g. trade controls, anti-money laundering, anti-bribery & corruption)
- Critically evaluate the forces in business environment that cause sanctions compliance dilemmas.
- ENFORCEMENT AND CONDUCTING OR SUPPORTING INVESTIGATIONS INTO SANCTIONS VIOLATIONS
- Articulate law enforcement agencies’ role in investigating sanctions violations and know how they coordinate in order to investigate potential sanctions violations or support the investigation process.
- Engage with government agencies.
- Understand the various government stakeholders in the sanctions regimes applicable to your company
- Internally investigate potential/historical violations of sanctions related laws or policies utilizing modern techniques including document review, data analysis, interviews, and external resources where necessary.