ABTC CPTC Pass Rate, Format & Study Guide

The certifying body does not publicly publish an official pass rate for this exam. Be wary of third-party sites citing a specific number here — treat any pass-rate claim you see elsewhere for this exam as unverified.

An unsuccessful candidate must wait 90 days after a failed attempt before retesting, and any retest must be taken on a different exam form than the one already attempted. Every attempt — including retakes — requires a brand-new application and fee ($495 exam + $150 application, non-refundable), and ABTC caps candidates at three total attempts; after a third failure, you must complete 20 Category 1 CEPTCs (continuing education) before you're allowed to reapply.

ABTC reports CPTC results as pass/fail, converting your raw score (number correct) into a scaled score to account for slight difficulty differences between exam forms. The passing cut score comes from a formal standard-setting study in which a panel of certified transplant professionals rates each item against a defined 'minimally competent practitioner' benchmark, but ABTC does not publish the resulting numeric cut score or the percentage needed to pass.

The CPTC exam is 175 items (150 scored, 25 unscored pretest) in a 3-hour window, and ABTC's own examination content outline weights Donor Management as the single largest domain — about 45% of scored items — well ahead of Allocation and Recovery (~25%), Donor Identification (~20%), and Donation Process Support (~10%). Build your study schedule around donor assessment, intervention, and management protocols first, then work outward to the smaller domains.