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Exam Overview
Thecertifiedcasemanager(Ccm®)Examination
The CCM exam is developed and administered by the Commission for Case Manager Certification, which certifies case managers across practice settings, including hospitals, health plans, workers' compensation, rehabilitation, behavioral health, and community agencies. Passing the exam, together with meeting the Commission's licensure or education and employment experience requirements, earns the CCM credential, also called Board-Certified Case Manager. The credential shows that a case manager has the knowledge to coordinate quality, cost-effective care for clients and their support systems.
Exam Pattern
The CCM exam is a computer-based test of 180 multiple-choice questions. 150 are scored (operational) questions, and 30 are unscored pretest questions that the Commission is evaluating for future forms. Pretest questions are mixed in with scored questions and look exactly like them, so treat every question as if it counts. Throughout the exam, questions have either three or four answer options, and you can mark questions to review before you finish.
You have 3 hours to answer the questions within a 3.5-hour appointment that also covers check-in, a tutorial, and a short survey. The exam is divided into two sections with one scheduled 10-minute break between them, during which the exam clock pauses. You may test at a Pearson VUE test center or online through Pearson's OnVUE remote-proctored platform, during one of the three testing windows each year: April, August, and December.
The Six Content Domains
The 150 scored questions follow the Commission's current exam blueprint, which organizes case management knowledge into six domains. Care Management is the largest domain; together with Psychosocial Concepts and Support Systems and Ethical, Legal, and Practice Standards, it accounts for more than two-thirds of the scored questions.
Scoredquestionsbydomain(150Total)
| Domain | RepresentativeTopics |
|---|---|
| CareManagement | Caseload selection needs assessment client-centered care plans case management , , , |
| models costcontainment levelsofcareandcaresettings transitionsofcare medication , , , , | |
| management populationhealth palliativeandhospicecare advancecareplanning , , , | |
| ReimbursementMethods | Paymentmethodologies managedcareandACOs utilizationmanagement Medicare , , , , |
| Medicaid SSDIandSSI privateandemployerbenefits TRICAREandVAbenefits financial , , , , | |
| resources coding negotiation , , | |
| PsychosocialConceptsandSupport | Behavioralhealthandsubstanceuse behaviorchangeandmotivationalinterviewing crisis , , |
| Systems | intervention abuse and neglect trauma-informed care capacity assessment support , , , , |
| systems socialdeterminantsofhealth culture healthliteracy , , , | |
| QualityandOutcomesEvaluation | Accreditationstandards qualityindicatorsourcessuchasHEDISandCMSmeasures , , |
| andMeasurements | performance improvement methods analytics and predictive modeling data reporting cost- , , , |
| benefit analysis value-based care , | |
| RehabilitationConceptsand | Adaptivetechnology functionalcapacity rehabilitationlevelsofcare jobaccommodation life , , , , |
| Strategies | careplanning vocationalrehabilitationandworkers'compensation rehabilitationprogram , , |
| types | |
| Ethical Legal andPractice , , | Ethicalprinciples refusalofservices legislationsuchastheADA HIPAA EMTALA FMLA , , , , , , |
| Standards | andtheNoSurprisesAct compliance mandatoryreporting documentation standardsof , , , , |
| practice advocacy professional well -being , , |
Scoring and Passing Requirements
Only the 150 scored questions count toward your result, and there is no penalty for a wrong answer, so answer every question. The passing score is set by a panel of experts using the modified Angoff method, in which each expert judges how likely a minimally competent case manager is to answer each question correctly. Because exam forms differ slightly in difficulty, a statistical procedure called equating adjusts for those differences, and scaling converts the number of correct answers to a uniform score scale. The number of correct answers needed to pass can therefore vary slightly from form to form, and your result depends only on your own performance.
A preliminary pass or fail result appears on screen when you finish, and the Commission sends official results by email afterward. Candidates who do not pass receive feedback for each domain, rated proficient, marginal, or deficient, to guide further study.
The current blueprint has six domains. Care Management and Reimbursement Methods are separate domains, and newer topics such as transitions of care, advance care planning, trauma-informed care, social determinants of health, health literacy, and the No Surprises Act appear by name. Expect a blend of three-option and four-option questions throughout the exam.
Eligibility Requirements
To sit for the exam you must meet a licensure or education requirement, meet an employment experience requirement, and agree to the Commission's Code of Professional Conduct. Experience must be acceptable case management employment: case management must make up at least 20% of your work time, and you must perform the essential activities of case management with direct client contact across the continuum of care. Internships, preceptorships, and volunteer work do not count.
Licensure or Education (one of these)
Employment Experience (one of these)
A current, active, unrestricted license or certification in a health or
12 months of full-time case management experience supervised
human services discipline (for example, RN, LCSW, or CRC), or a
by a Board-Certified Case Manager; or 24 months of full-time
baccalaureate or graduate degree in a health or human services
case management experience; or 12 months of full-time
field from an accredited institution.
experience as a supervisor of individuals who provide case management. Part-time experience is prorated.
Exam at a Glance
| ExamAspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Administeredby | CommissionforCaseManagerCertification(theCommission) |
| Format | Computer-based; a blend of three-option and four-option multiple-choice questions |
| Questions | 180total:150scoredand30unscoredpretestquestions |
| Time | 3 hours of testing within a 3 .5 -hour appointment; two sections with one 10 -minute break (clock |
| paused) | |
| Domains | Care Management 30% · Psychosocial Concepts and Support Systems 20% · Ethical , Legal , and |
| PracticeStandards18%·ReimbursementMethods12%·QualityandOutcomesEvaluationand | |
| Measurements10%·RehabilitationConceptsandStrategies10% | |
| Scoring | ModifiedAngoffpassingstandardwithequatingandscaling;domainfeedback(proficient marginal , , |
| deficient)forcandidateswhodonotpass | |
| Testingwindows | April August andDecember withanapplicationperiodthatclosesabouttwomonthsbeforeeach , , , |
| window | |
| Delivery | PearsonVUEtestcentersoronlinethroughOnVUEremoteproctoring |
| Fees | US$235nonrefundableapplicationfeeplusUS$195examinationfee(US$430total) |
| Retakes | Oneretakeinthenexttestingwindowperapplication(US$195retakefee);afterthat anew , |
| application | |
| Renewal | Every5years:80hoursofapprovedcontinuingeducation including8hoursofethics orretakingthe , , |
| exam |
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