NCCAOM Acupuncture (ACPL) Exam Pass Rate, Format & Study Guide

The NCBAHM handbook (updated May 2026) says the Acupuncture with Point Location exam is given in English in a computer adaptive format: 100 multiple-choice questions with a 2.5-hour time limit, where each answer determines the next question and you cannot skip questions or return to earlier ones. Scaled scores range from 1 to 99 with 70 designated as the passing score; they are not the percentage of questions answered correctly, and because each candidate sees a unique set of questions the scaled score allows the same passing standard to apply to everyone. The ACPL content outline in force from September 1, 2026 (based on the 2024 job analysis) has four domains: Acupuncture Point Location 15 percent, Safety for Acupuncture Practice 15, Treatment Planning 40 and Treatment Techniques 30.

NCBAHM is the national certification body for acupuncture and herbal medicine; its examinations are used by state boards in many states as part of licensure, so confirm what your state requires.

Acupuncture students and graduates preparing for the Acupuncture with Point Location exam for NCBAHM certification.

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 NCBAHM handbook says candidates who are unsuccessful 1 to 4 times must wait 45 calendar days after their last attempt before retaking the same examination module, and that candidates have five opportunities to pass an examination; check the NCBAHM website for the current attempt limits.

NCBAHM reports a scaled score from 1 to 99 and sets 70 as the passing score. Because the exam is adaptive there is no fixed number of correct answers, so the portal mock shows a percent score only as a rough self-check. Format: the real exam is adaptive with 100 questions in 2.5 hours; the portal mock is a fixed set of 100 questions in 150 minutes, so it matches the length and pace but not the adaptive selection. No official pass rate is available for this exam, so none is quoted here.

The NCBAHM handbook (updated May 2026) says the Acupuncture with Point Location exam is given in English in a computer adaptive format: 100 multiple-choice questions with a 2.5-hour time limit, where each answer determines the next question and you cannot skip questions or return to earlier ones. Scaled scores range from 1 to 99 with 70 designated as the passing score; they are not the percentage of questions answered correctly, and because each candidate sees a unique set of questions the scaled score allows the same passing standard to apply to everyone. The ACPL content outline in force from September 1, 2026 (based on the 2024 job analysis) has four domains: Acupuncture Point Location 15 percent, Safety for Acupuncture Practice 15, Treatment Planning 40 and Treatment Techniques 30. 100 multiple-choice questions · computer adaptive format · 2.5 hours · English only · scaled score 1-99, 70 passes · Pearson VUE test centers. NCBAHM reports a scaled score from 1 to 99 and sets 70 as the passing score. Because the exam is adaptive there is no fixed number of correct answers, so the portal mock shows a percent score only as a rough self-check.

• Acupuncture Point Location15%
• Safety for Acupuncture Practice15%
• Treatment Planning40%
• Treatment Techniques30%

The content outline spreads questions across 4 areas: Acupuncture Point Location (15.0%); Safety for Acupuncture Practice (15.0%); Treatment Planning (40.0%); Treatment Techniques (30.0%).

Eligibility, the exam modules required for the acupuncture certification and the application steps are set out in the NCBAHM Candidate Preparation Handbook. The ACPL is one of the NCBAHM exam modules, listed with Foundations of Oriental Medicine, Biomedicine and Chinese Herbology.

The NCBAHM handbook does not list fees. Each retake after the 45-day wait is a new registration, so confirm the current fee schedule on the NCBAHM website.

NCBAHM sets renewal and continuing education requirements for its certifications, and state licensing requirements are set by each state; check the NCBAHM website and your state board.

Start with the heaviest areas of the content outline: Treatment Planning (40.0%); Treatment Techniques (30.0%); Acupuncture Point Location (15.0%). Then work through the remaining areas, and finish with timed full-length practice runs of 100 questions in one sitting.

NCBAHM announced updated content outlines based on its 2024 job analysis that take effect September 1, 2026; this guide uses the Candidate Preparation Handbook updated May 2026 and the content outline effective on that date.