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Exam Overview
Thenhacertifiedphlebotomytechnician(Cpt)Exam
The Certified Phlebotomy Technician exam is the certification exam of the National Healthcareer Association (NHA). It measures the knowledge an entry-level phlebotomy technician needs to collect, handle, and process specimens safely and accurately. Its content comes from the NHA's job analysis of practicing phlebotomy technicians and is organized into five domains in the CPT test plan. Many employers prefer or require certification, and several states that license phlebotomists accept national certification as part of their requirements.
Exam Pattern
The exam contains 120 multiple-choice questions: 100 scored items and 20 pretest items that are being tried out for future exams. Pretest items are mixed in with the scored items and are not identified, so every question deserves your best effort. You have 2 hours to complete the exam, about 1 minute per question. Each question has one best answer, and there is no penalty for an incorrect answer, so answer every question.
| Domain | ScoredItems | WhatItCovers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 SafetyandCompliance . | 26(26%) | Workplacesafetyregulations operationalstandards HIPAA scopeof , , , |
| practiceandethics qualitycontrol bloodbornepathogensandexposure , , | ||
| control precautionsandPPE emergencyresponse CPRandfirstaid , , , , | ||
| incidentreporting | ||
| 2 PatientPreparation . | 20(20%) | Communicationandculturalsensitivity ordersandrequisitions patient , , |
| identification consent insuranceandbillingbasics testrequirements , , , , | ||
| specialconsiderations positioning siteselection EHRdocumentation , , , | ||
| 3 RoutineBloodCollections . | 28(28%) | Equipmentselectionandchecks tourniquetandsitepreparation , , |
| venipuncturetechnique orderofdraw complications dermal(capillary) , , , | ||
| puncture post-procedure care labeling , , | ||
| 4 SpecialCollections . | 12(12%) | Bloodcultures assistingwithspecialcollections newbornscreening , , , |
| blood donation pediatric volumes non-blood specimens point-of -care , , , | ||
| testing tolerancetests bloodalcohol drugscreening , , , | ||
| 5 Processing . | 14(14%) | Centrifuging aliquoting storageandtransport specimenintegrity chain , , , , |
| ofcustody clinicalresearchprotocols laboratoryinformationsystems , , , | ||
| criticalvalues resultdistribution recollection , , |
Eligibility
Candidates must have a high school diploma or equivalent (or expect to earn one within 12 months) and meet one of two pathways. Both pathways require documentation of at least 30 successful venipunctures and 10 capillary sticks performed on live individuals.
| Pathway | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Trainingprogram | Successfulcompletionofaphlebotomytrainingprogramwithinthelast5years |
| Workexperience | Oneyearofsupervisedworkexperienceinphlebotomywithinthelast3years ortwoyearswithinthelast , |
| 5years |
Scoring
NHA reports a scaled score from 200 to 500, and a scaled score of 390 or higher passes. Scaling makes scores comparable across different versions of the exam, so the number of questions you must answer correctly can differ slightly from one version to another; there is no fixed percentage to aim for. Only the 100 scored items count. The score report shows performance in each domain, which is useful for planning further study if a retake is needed.
Exam at a Glance
| ExamAspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Credential | CertifiedPhlebotomyTechnician(CPT) awardedbytheNationalHealthcareerAssociation , |
| Questions | 120 multiple-choice questions: 100 scored and 20 unscored pretest items |
| Time | 2hours |
| Testingoptions | PSItestingcenters liveremoteproctoring(online) oratanapprovedschooloremployertestingsite , , |
| Identification | A current government-issued photo ID with signature , |
| Calculator | A built-in calculator is provided in the exam; personal calculators are not allowed |
| Scoring | Scaledscore200–500;390orhigherpasses |
| Results | Preliminaryresultsareavailablerightawayatschooltestingsitesandwithinabout48hoursforPSI |
| andremoteexams | |
| Registrationandfee | CreateanaccountandapplythroughtheNHAwebsite;thecurrentexamfeeislistedontheNHAsite |
| Retakes | Waitatleast30daysbetweenattempts;afterthreeunsuccessfulattempts waitoneyearbefore , |
| testingagain;afeeappliestoeachattempt | |
| Renewal | Every2years with10continuingeducationcreditsandarenewalfee , |
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