You can only schedule your testing date, time and location AFTER YOU HAVE RECEIVED your Scheduling Permit. Scheduling Permits will be issued once a month, beginning in spring, to candidates that have completed their applications in the preceding months.

The exam is offered at testing centers across the world. To find your preferred location, please click here. NOTE: This link is only to help you determine the most convenient location to take the exam – the other options are not active at this time..

United States, Canada and Puerto Rico
Computer–based delivery of the exam is provided by Prometric at approximately 300 testing centers located in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Please visit Prometric´s website to help you determine the most convenient location to take the exam.
Countries other than U.S./Canada.
When you register to take the exam, you will have the option to choose an exam location other than the U.S./Canada. Fees to take the exam in countries other than U.S./Canada will be displayed and charged accordingly.

1. Request Special Test Accommodations on your registration form.
2. Complete, sign and submit originals of the Request for Testing Accommodations Form. Click here.
3. Document your need for accommodations. Click here for Guidelines for Disabilities
4. Submit the appropriate qualified professional evaluator´s report. An original, on the evaluator´s & letterhead, signed by the evaluator is required. Copies are not accepted. Please refer to the link above for the Guidelines for Disabilities.

The registration fee is not refundable but it is deferrable. The international exam fee is not refundable.

• All sections of the registration form are complete
• You have e–submitted your registration form
• You have paid
• You have received a confirmation e–mail that NBPHE has received your application

NBPHE encourages all candidates to discuss support o f their voluntary certification in the core sciences of public health with their employers. NBPHE can accept payments via employer credit card or check.

• 15 minutes – Tutorial*
• Four 1 hour Exam Sections (with approximately 50 questions in each section)
• 15 minutes of break time – To be taken between exam sections

Each of the one hour exam sections is exactly that – one hour. Once you begin an exam section you have one hour to answer questions in that section and then the section will time out and you will no longer be able to answer questions in that section. Once you move to the next section, you will not be able to return to the previous section. While completing each exam section you may skip and later return to a question. The exam is well marked to show which questions you have skipped. When you get to the end of a section, if you have not answered all questions, you will receive a warning that all questions have not been answered. Unanswered questions will be easy to identify as they have identifying marks next to them.

*NOTE about Tutorial: Please see the Sample Exam available above. The Sample Exam / Exam Software Tutorial Module is very similar to the tutorial you will see in the first 15 minutes of the exam. This software tutorial module gives you the opportunity to become familiar with the functionality of the software used for the exam as well as a sampling of the types of questions on the exam.

There will be a clock on your testing screen to inform you how much time remains of your 4.5 hours. You will get a two minute warning before the end of each section. The exam clock will not stop during breaks, so it is important for candidates to monitor how many exam sections remain, in relation to the overall session time remaining, to ensure they do not exceed the allotted or accumulated break time.
See also – What Do I Need to Be Admitted to the Testing Center on the Day of The Exam?

• Total score for the entire exam;
• Separate scores for each of the 5 core competencies;
• Separate score for all cross–cutting competencies combined; and
• Whether the examinee´s score is sufficient for certification

The exam software tutorial module includes eighteen sample exam questions. These 18 sample questions are embedded in a software tutorial module you can download from the link below. This tutorial allows candidates to become familiar with the functionality of the test software used for the CPH exam. This tutorial is almost identical to the first 15 minute module that precedes the exam at the testing center on exam day. Becoming familiar with this tutorial may save you time and increase your comfort level on exam day.

To download the Sample Exam and software tutorial module click here. Follow the directions in the dialog box that appears on your screen, or click here for instructions in advance.

NOTE about Tutorial: This software is not compatible with Apple or Windows Vista operating platforms. For those with these platforms we provide a PDF of the sample exam questions click here. NBPHE strongly advises, if at all possible, to download the software tutorial module rather than simply viewing the PDF of the sample questions. We encourage this so you may experience the software that will be at the testing center when you take the exam.

NBPHE is aware of a number of organizations who have expressed interest in producing a study guide for the certification exam. NBPHE is not involved in the development of these products and has not shared the contents of the examination with any organizations. Click here to find other study guides.

1. Your original Scheduling Permit (the bright orange paper), which has your CIN (Candidate Identification Number) printed on it, and
2. One form of unexpired, government–issued identification (such as a driver´s license or passport) that includes both your photograph and signature. Your name as it appears on your Scheduling Permit must EXACTLY match your name as it appears on the identification you present at the testing center.

NOTE: You should arrive at the Prometric Testing Center 30 minutes before your scheduled testing time on your scheduled exam date. If you arrive late, you may not be admitted. If you arrive more than 30 minutes after your scheduled testing time, you will not be admitted.

ALL of your personal belongings, food and beverages must be placed in a small, designated locker outside the testing room. Pagers and cellular telephones must be turned off before placing them in the locker.

Deferred registration forms are put on hold until registration opens for the following exam cycle – usually on or about September 1. Deferred candidates will need to “re-apply for deferred exam” through their Personal NBPHE Portal.

Registration Fee Deferral
Provided all requirements for deferral are met, registration fees can only be applied to the exam cycle following the initial registration.

If you do not show up for your testing appointment or do not make a testing appointment and have not notified NBPHE in writing of your request for a deferral at least 10 days in advance of the first exam day of the current exam cycle you forfeit your exam fee. Registration fees are not refundable. International exam fees may not be deferred and are not refundable.

• As of summer 2009, candidates will be permitted to wear medical face masks during their exams if they choose, after inspection and a photograph of the candidate is taken without the mask. Prometric states, "Although the Centers for Disease Control have communicated that the wearing of masks is only minimally effective in virus prevention, wearing them does seem to be providing peace of mind to some people. We have therefore decided to allow candidates to wear medical face masks during their exams if they choose. Please note that Prometric reserves the right to require every candidate wearing a mask to temporarily remove it for inspection prior to being allowed in the testing room. Candidates will also be required to remove it to have their photograph taken. Only then will they be allowed in the test room. Prometric will not provide masks to candidates who request them." When the state of public health emergency is lifted, Prometric will resume their standard operating procedure and not allow an examinee to wear a mask in the testing room without prior approval from the test-sponsoring organization and NBME.
• a. As an added precautionary measure, Prometric Test Center Administrators have been instructed to clean and disinfect workstations/keyboards/mice after each administration. If desired, a candidate could ask the Prometric Test Center Administrator to wipe the keyboard clean at the start of the exam. Please note that such a request could only be accommodated after all other candidates are checked- in, so as to not delay other candidates.

Log on to your Personal NBPHE Portal through NBPHE Online Services. Under Your Pending Application APP#xxxx Deferral Requested. Then look under CURRENT ACTION ITEMS to re-apply for deferred exam.

Payments can be made online by credit card or check between September 1 and December 15, 2009. After the December 15 deadline, the full registration fee will be required to take the 2010 exam.

Being a part of a profession implies commitment to ongoing professional development, and public health is a rapidly changing field. The NBPHE´s MOC process is consistent with what other professions do to maintain their licenses, certifications, or credentials. The NBPHE will meet the industry standards for maintaining a voluntary certification. The NBPHE is working towards the ultimate goal of achieving accreditation by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). NCCA accredited certifications include a variety of medical, nursing, counseling, and physical training professions. For a list, visit http://www.credentialingexcellence.org/NCCAAccreditation/AccreditedCertificationPrograms/tabid/120/Default.aspx

The NCCA´s standards on recertification state that "The certification program must require periodic recertification" and "The certification program must demonstrate that its recertification requirements measure or enhance the continued competence of certificants." See http://www.credentialingexcellence.org/NCCAAccreditation/StandardsInterpretations/tabid/93/Default.aspx

The NBPHE’s five member organizations are pioneering the first “pre-approved” CPHCE. They are listed at http://www.nbphe.org/relatedLinks.cfm

To nominate another organization to be a provider of CPHCE, please Contact Us at http://www.nbphe.org/contact.cfm and provide a contact person or website for the organization.