FAQs
Most Popular Questions
- Training Program: Candidates must successfully complete a training program in the health field covered by the NHA certification exam offered by an accredited or state-recognized institution or provider.
- Military: Formal medical services training in the health field covered by the NHA certification exam offered by any branch of the U.S. Military fulfills the Training Program. Candidates whose date of graduation or completion from their training program is five years or more prior to the date of application, also must have relevant work experience as described below.
- Work Experience: Candidates must have at least one (1) year of supervised work experience in the health field covered by the NHA certification exam within the past three (3) years.
Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT) Candidates
Each candidate must be able to provide evidence that he/she has performed a minimum of:
- 30 successful venipunctures
- 10 capillary or finger sticks
These venipuncture and capillary sticks must be performed on live individuals.
Certified EKG Technician (CET) Candidates
Each candidate must be able to provide evidence that he/she has performed a minimum of:
- 10 EKGs
The EKGs must be performed on live individuals.
ExCPT Pharmacy Technician Exam Candidates (CPhT)
To be eligible to sit for the ExCPT Pharmacy Technician Exam, you must:
1. Be within no more than 60 days of successful completion of all requirements needed to obtain a high school diploma or the equivalent, such as the General Education Development test (GED) or other equivalency test recognized by the candidate’s state of residency, or diploma and official transcript reflecting equivalent education as evaluated by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers for secondary education (if documents are not in English, a translation into English from a translation service approved in the United States for legal or government documents must be available upon request).2. Successfully complete a training program or have relevant work experience as described below:
- Training Program: Candidates must satisfy at least one of the following criteria:
- Military: Formal medical services pharmacy related training offered by any branch of the US Military fulfills the training program. Candidates whose date of graduation or completion from their training program is five (5) years or more prior to the date of application, must also have relevant work experience as described below.
- Work Experience: Candidates must have completed at least 1200 hours of supervised pharmacy related work experience within any one (1) year of the past three (3) years.
How to register at PSI:
1. Log in to your existing account or create an account here.
2. Enter all required information on the following screen. Select “Registering Individually” from the “Organization Type” drop-down menu.
3. From your home page, click “Apply.” Select the exam you would like to register for by clicking on the exam name.
4. Read the attestation. Click “I Agree” if you agree with the statements.
5. Next, select whether or not you have received a high school diploma or GED.
6. If you are finished registering for exams, click “Checkout” to complete your registration. If you need to register for an additional exam, click “Register for Another Exam”.
7. After completing your registration and paying for your exam(s), you will need to contact PSI at 833-537-1330 to schedule your exam date.
Download these instructions as a PDF >
Once you have registered to test through PSI, you must take your exam within 6 months of your registration date. After 6 months, if the exam is not taken, the cost of your exam is forfeited and you must register and repurchase the exam.
If you are scheduled to graduate from an accredited high school or GED program, you may receive a provisional certification as long as you meet the following requirements:
- You must take and pass your exam no more than 12 months before you graduate.
- When applying for full certification after graduation, you must provide proof of graduation (high school diploma or GED).
Please note: Provisionally certified candidates will have a “P” associated with their certification number.
Provisional certifications expire 12 months after your exam date and cannot be renewed or reinstated. Provisional certifications may be converted to full certifications by meeting all certification eligibility requirements. Once your provisional certification is converted to a full certification, the expiration date will be based on your initial testing date. To keep your full certification valid, you must complete the standard continuing education requirements. Provisional certification is not available to candidates sitting for the ExCPT Pharmacy Technician exam.
Taking Your Exam
- Training Program: Candidates must successfully complete a training program in the health field covered by the NHA certification exam offered by an accredited or state-recognized institution or provider.
- Military: Formal medical services training in the health field covered by the NHA certification exam offered by any branch of the U.S. Military fulfills the Training Program. Candidates whose date of graduation or completion from their training program is five years or more prior to the date of application, also must have relevant work experience as described below.
- Work Experience: Candidates must have at least one (1) year of supervised work experience in the health field covered by the NHA certification exam within the past three (3) years.
Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT) Candidates
Each candidate must be able to provide evidence that he/she has performed a minimum of:
- 30 successful venipunctures
- 10 successful capillary sticks
These venipuncture and capillary sticks must be performed on live individuals.
Certified EKG Technician (CET) Candidates
Each candidate must be able to provide evidence that he/she has performed a minimum of:
- 10 EKGs
The EKGs must be performed on live individuals.
ExCPT Pharmacy Technician Exam Candidates (CPhT)
To be eligible to sit for the ExCPT Pharmacy Technician Exam, you must:
1. Be within no more than 60 days of successful completion of all requirements needed to obtain a high school diploma or the equivalent, such as the General Education Development test (GED) or other equivalency test recognized by the candidate’s state of residency, or diploma and official transcript reflecting equivalent education as evaluated by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers for secondary education (if documents are not in English, a translation into English from a translation service approved in the United States for legal or government documents must be available upon request).
2. Successfully complete a training program or have relevant work experience as described below:
- Training Program: Candidates must satisfy at least one of the following criteria:
- Military: Formal medical services pharmacy related training offered by any branch of the US Military fulfills the training program. Candidates whose date of graduation or completion from their training program is five (5) years or more prior to the date of application, must also have relevant work experience as described below.
- Work Experience: Candidates must have completed at least 1200 hours of supervised pharmacy related work experience within any one (1) year of the past three (3) years.
2. At the bottom of the page, read the terms and conditions. If you agree, click the box next to the statement, “Yes. I agree.” Then click the “Register” button.
3. Select the exam type that you would like to register for, then read the attestation on the following page. If you agree to the statements, click the “Agree” button at the bottom of the page.
4. To select your exam date, click the calendar icon to choose from any available date or choose the “First available” button. Any available exam dates will be highlighted on the calendar in blue. After choosing an exam date, click the “Continue” button.
5. Answer the two prerequisite questions by selecting the circle next to your answer. Click the “Checkout” or “Finalize Application” button to continue. To register for more exams, click the “Register for Another Exam” button.
6. Verify the details for your exam registration are correct.
Download these instructions as a PDF >
How to register at PSI:
1. Log in to your existing account or create an account here.
2. Enter all required information on the following screen. Select “Registering Individually” from the “Organization Type” drop-down menu.
3. From your home page, click “Apply.” Select the exam you would like to register for by clicking on the exam name.
4. Read the attestation. Click “I Agree” if you agree
with the statements.
5. Next, select whether or not you have received a high school diploma or GED.
6. If you are finished registering for exams, click “Checkout” to complete your registration. If you need to register for an additional exam, click “Register for Another Exam”.
7. After completing your registration and paying for your exam(s), you will need to contact PSI at 833-537-1330 to schedule your exam date.
Download these instructions as a PDF >
Once you have registered to test through PSI, you must take your exam within 6 months of your registration date. After 6 months, if the exam is not taken, the cost of your exam is forfeited and you must register and repurchase the exam.
If you are scheduled to graduate from an accredited high school or GED program, you may receive a provisional certification as long as you meet the following requirements:
- You must take and pass your exam no more than 12 months before you graduate.
- When applying for full certification after graduation, you must provide proof of graduation (high school diploma or GED).
Please note: Provisionally certified candidates will have a “P” associated with their certification number.
Provisional certifications expire 12 months after your exam date and cannot be renewed or reinstated. Provisional certifications may be converted to full certifications by meeting all certification eligibility requirements. Once your provisional certification is converted to a full certification, the expiration date will be based on your initial testing date. To keep your full certification valid, you must complete the standard continuing education requirements. Provisional certification is not available to candidates sitting for the ExCPT Pharmacy Technician exam.
We offer exams through NHA-affiliated schools, through PSI, a third-party testing administrator, and Live Remote Proctoring (LRP).
If you are not currently enrolled at an NHA partner school or employer, you will take your exam at a PSI Testing Center or through LRP.
- Online Exam at your institution: bring a current government-issued photo ID.
- Paper Exam at your institution: bring a current government-issued photo ID and two number 2 pencils.
- Online Exam at PSI: bring a current government-issued photo ID. Please note: the name on your photo ID must match the name you are registered under exactly.
2. Click the ‘My Applications tab located on the left side of the screen.
3. Click the square calendar icon to the right of the exam that you would like to reschedule.
4. Select your desired exam date by clicking the coinciding line, then click the ‘Continue’ button (see above).
5. Verify the exam details (date, time, location, etc.) for your new exam date.
6. If everything is correct, click the ‘Ok’ button.
Download these instructions as a PDF >
- If you don’t pass your exam, you are allowed a second and third attempt to successfully pass the exam, with a waiting period of a minimum of 30 days between each examination attempt.
- After your third attempt, you must wait 12 months between attempts.
Getting Your Exam Results and Certificate
- Online Exams at an institution: Results are available immediately after your test.
- Paper/Pencil Exams at an institution: Results will be available within 48 business hours of being received by NHA.
- Online Exams at PSI: Results will be available within 48 business hours of your exam.
Certifications, certification wallet cards and score results are confidential and are provided directly to candidates.
Confidential information is not disclosed without the student’s permission.Information that is not considered confidential and may be shared with schools or employers includes certification status, certification number and the current status of a certification. NHA provides your institution with reporting that summarizes the pass rate of your students along with state and national average pass rates for comparative reference.
Renewing Your Certification
- Your certification must be renewed every two years.
- To stay current, you must complete 10 continuing education credits and pay a recertification fee every two years.
Read more about the continuing education and renewal process.
Download instructions on how to complete your CE credits >
Note for CBCS Certificate Holders
Certificants who passed the NHA CBCS exam prior to October 1, 2015 must complete a minimum of 5 of their 10 required Continuing Education (CE) credits in an ICD-10 specific related course(s). This requirement only applies at the certificant’s first renewal date. At all subsequent renewals, CBCS certificants will follow the standard NHA CE requirements in effect at the time of renewal.
- Your CPhT certification must be renewed every two years.
- Once certified, you are required to complete at least 20 hours of continuing education (CE) including at least one hour of Pharmacy Law.
Offering NHA Certification Exams
- Visit our how to get started for schools and for employers pages to learn about the process of working with NHA.
- For more information, please contact our dedicated team of certification specialists at 1.800.499.9092.
In order to administer NHA exams, NHA partner institutions must meet minimum requirements set by NHA around testing facilities and sign a facility attestation.
Please note: the ExCPT exam for pharmacy technicians must be taken at a third-party testing center.
While you are not required to use study materials from NHA exclusively, study materials including study guides and online practice exams are available for purchase on the NHA store.
Please note: the purchase of study materials is not required to sit for any NHA certification exams and does not guarantee a passing score on the exam.
Additional study resources are available here.
General
There are no refunds offered on certification exams unless the scheduled exam date is canceled by NHA. However, exams may be rescheduled within 6 months of the original exam date at no additional cost. Exams are non-refundable and non-transferable and must be taken by the person who is registered for the exam.
All sales of study materials, study guides, packages, practice assessments, and any other product are final. There are no refunds offered on NHA study materials.