CPCT/A Exam Pass Rate, Format & Study Guide

The NHA test plan lists 100 scored items plus 20 pretest items with an exam time of two hours, and the NHA CPCT/A page says you take the exam at your school, at a PSI testing center or through live remote proctoring. The NHA candidate handbook (updated October 5, 2026) reports scores on a scaled range of 200 to 500, with a scaled score of 390 or higher passing; pretest questions do not count toward the score. The NHA test plan sets five areas by number of scored items: Patient Care 45, Compliance, Safety, and Professional Responsibility 20, Infection Control 11, Phlebotomy 14 and EKG 10.

The CPCT/A is an NHA credential for patient care technicians and assistants who provide basic patient care and may also perform phlebotomy and EKG tasks.

Patient care technician and patient care assistant students and healthcare workers preparing for the NHA CPCT/A exam.

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.

The NHA candidate handbook describes a 30-day wait after a failed attempt, three attempts in total with at least 30 days between them, and a one-year wait for each repeated failure after the third attempt; you re-register and pay the full exam price for each retake. Check the current handbook before you rebook.

NHA scores the exam on a scaled range of 200 to 500, weighting questions by difficulty, and a scaled score of 390 or higher passes. Because of that weighting there is no fixed percent-correct cut, so the portal mock shows 70 percent only as a rough self-check. Format: 100 scored questions plus 20 pretest questions in two hours; the portal mock has 100 questions in 100 minutes, the same pace. No official pass rate is available for this exam, so none is quoted here.

The NHA test plan lists 100 scored items plus 20 pretest items with an exam time of two hours, and the NHA CPCT/A page says you take the exam at your school, at a PSI testing center or through live remote proctoring. The NHA candidate handbook (updated October 5, 2026) reports scores on a scaled range of 200 to 500, with a scaled score of 390 or higher passing; pretest questions do not count toward the score. The NHA test plan sets five areas by number of scored items: Patient Care 45, Compliance, Safety, and Professional Responsibility 20, Infection Control 11, Phlebotomy 14 and EKG 10. 100 scored questions plus 20 pretest questions · two hours · scaled score 200-500, passing 390 · school, PSI test center or live remote proctoring. NHA scores the exam on a scaled range of 200 to 500, weighting questions by difficulty, and a scaled score of 390 or higher passes. Because of that weighting there is no fixed percent-correct cut, so the portal mock shows 70 percent only as a rough self-check.

• Patient Care45%
• Compliance, Safety, and Professional Responsibility20%
• Infection Control11%
• Phlebotomy14%
• EKG10%

The content outline spreads questions across 5 areas: Patient Care (45.0%); Compliance, Safety, and Professional Responsibility (20.0%); Infection Control (11.0%); Phlebotomy (14.0%); EKG (10.0%).

NHA lists two routes: a high school diploma or GED (or one scheduled within 18 months) plus a patient care technician training or education program completed within the last five years, or a high school diploma or GED plus supervised patient care technician work experience of one year within the last three years or two years within the last five. The candidate handbook has the full eligibility rules.

The exam fee is paid to NHA when you schedule and is not stated on the CPCT/A page; each retake is a new registration at the full price. Renewal every two years needs 10 continuing education credits and a recertification fee.

NHA states that certifications must be renewed every two years with 10 continuing education credits and a recertification fee, and that an expired certification can be reinstated within one year; confirm the current rules on nhanow.com.

Start with the heaviest areas of the content outline: Patient Care (45.0%); Compliance, Safety, and Professional Responsibility (20.0%); Phlebotomy (14.0%). Then work through the remaining areas, and finish with timed full-length practice runs of 100 questions in one sitting.

NHA has announced an updated CPCT/A exam for January 13, 2027 with minimal impact on exam topics and content areas, and says anyone who fails in the 30 days before that date retests on the new exam. The test plan used here is the current 2018 job analysis plan; check nhanow.com for the new test plan before you book a date after launch.