A passing grade on the exam rewards the participant with a five-year accreditation time period.
Renewal is easy.
Upon renewal, the 5-year clock restarts. The answer may depend upon the propensity for acquiring CEUs. If you foresee attending any training courses for which CEUs are likely to be offered and you already possess the 80 CEUs required for reaccreditation, you may wish to renew early so that the upcoming course CEUs can be used for the next renewal period. CEUs, in excess of the required 80, are non-transferrable between renewal periods. Upon renewal the CEU count starts from zero.