The CMRP exam is organized around 5 pillars: (1) Business and Management — maintenance budgeting, KPIs, ROI calculations, reliability culture; (2) Manufacturing Process Reliability — RCM, FMEA, P-F curve, failure mode analysis; (3) Equipment Reliability — lubrication theory, vibration analysis, thermography, ultrasound, precision alignment and balancing; (4) Organization and Leadership — team management, change management, continuous improvement (Lean/TPM/Six Sigma); (5) Work Management — CMMS utilization, work order systems, maintenance planning and scheduling, spare parts management, PM/PdM optimization. Pillars 1 (Business) and 5 (Work Management) tend to trip up technicians who are strong hands-on but less experienced with metrics and planning.