WHEN TAKING BOARD EXAMS

Testing Center Locations

All NCCAOM certification exams are administered at more than 250 Pearson VUE Professional Test sites across North America and abroad.

Candidates may schedule their exams with Pearson VUE Testing center only after they receive an NCCAOM^® Authorization To Test Letter.

Click Here to find a testing center location near you on Pearson VUE website.

SCHEDULING ONLINE: Go to www.pearsonvue.com/nccaom

Candidates will need to create an account the first time they go to the website; do so by selecting “Create a Web Account”, enter their name, email, and the NCCAOM^® candidate ID number provided in their NCCAOM^® Authorization To Test Letter.
Once an account has been created, candidates may go to www.pearsonvue.com/nccaom select “Schedule, Reschedule or Cancel Your Exam Appointment”.

SCHEDULING BY PHONE: Contact Pearson VUE/NCCAOM candidate services at 888-235-7649 (M-F, 7:00am to 7:00pm CST).

Candidate’s name, NCCAOM^® candidate ID number (provided in Candidate’s NCCAOM^® Authorization To Test Letter), preferred test date and time, and test center location must be provided when scheduling exam appointment.The most current list of available test centers can be found at www.pearsonvue.com/nccaom.
International Testing, please visit and select www.pearsonvue.com/nccaom and select “Find toll-free telephone numbers for exam registration”.

If candidate  has been approved for special accommodations, candidate must schedule by phone and notify Pearson VUE during exam registration call.

Click Here to find a testing center location near you on Pearson VUE website.

Examination Confidentiality

NCCAOM is committed to the integrity and security of its examination process. Applicants, candidates and Diplomates have a duty to maintain strict confidentiality with respect to the content of the examinations and comply with all examination security policies and procedures. Any breach of confidentiality that may compromise the security of the examination content, e.g., giving information about the examination to another person or receiving information about the examination from another person, including teachers/professors, before, during, or after the examination will be grounds for disciplinary action, including but not limited to denial or revocation of certification by NCCAOM. Likewise, any act, either intentional or unintentional, that violates exam rules will be grounds for disciplinary action by NCCAOM. Proctors are responsible for reporting to NCCAOM any candidates who:

• may have caused a disruption or interruption during the exam period, or
• violated procedural rules before or during the exam, or
• appeared to engage in a method of cheating or seeking unfair advantage either before or during the exam.

NCCAOM will review these reports and apply appropriate disciplinary sanctions. Strict adherence to NCCAOM examination policies and procedures is enforced without exception. Participation in any exam policy violation(s) occurring during or in connection with an examination, may be sufficient cause for NCCAOM, at its sole discretion, to terminate your participation, invalidate the results of your examination, seek monetary compensation, deny your application for certification, or take other appropriate action at any time, including but not limited to disciplinary action such as suspension or revocation of certification.

Violation of examination policies includes but is not limited to the following actions:

• Talking with anyone, except the proctors, inside or outside the examination room during the examination period.
• Giving information about the examination to another person before, during, or after the examination. This includes memorizing sections of the examination for use by others.
• Phone calls or communication by electronic or other means with anyone or anything inside or outside of the examination room during the examination period.
• Passing or attempting to pass information of any type to another candidate during or after the examination administration.
• Possessing any extraneous items during the examination period, including but not limited to: books, paper (including scrap paper), notes, note cards, post-it notes, measuring devices (including rulers and calculators), dictionaries (electronic or printed), beepers, cell phones, cameras, and other electronic devices.
• Writing on any part of the body or clothing before or during the examination period.
• Communicating with anyone other than a proctor in the case of a site irregularity in which you must exit the examination room (e.g., fire drill, power outage, medical emergency, etc.), except communications as required because of the emergency. This includes communicating with other candidates while waiting to re-enter the test site, looking at notes or books, and/or re-entering the test site without the expressed permission of the proctors.
• Accessing notes, cell phones, calculators, beepers, other electronic devices or individuals from any location either inside or outside the examination room including bathrooms, cars, snack areas, etc.
• Writing on the desk, other furniture, clothing, or body in the examination room before or during the examination.
• Allowing visitors into unauthorized areas of the exam site.
• Impersonating, or attempting to impersonate another candidate, or allowing another person to take the examination on behalf of the candidate.
• Failure to report any exam irregularities, cheating, or other inappropriate behavior. Cheating of any kind that has taken place before, during or after the examination must be reported. It is a candidate’s responsibility to report to NCCAOM any site irregularities or testing violations before, during, or after the examination takes place.

NCCAOM^® Exam Preparation Center

Take advantage of the NCCAOM^® Exam Preparation Center to prepare for the NCCAOM^® certification examinations. The Exam Preparation Center offers NCCAOM^® practice tests and exam content outlines containing the content areas (or topics) covered for each exam module. The NCCAOM Candidate Preparation Handbooks offer a compilation of information specific for each NCCAOM Certification in one handbook, such as content outlines, suggested bibliographies, and frequently asked questions.

Click Here for more details.

Reschedule / Cancel an Examination

All NCCAOM candidates receive three (3) free cancelation/rescheduling exam attempts for each of their exams. After the third (free) cancelation/reschedule, the candidate is no longer able to cancel/reschedule an examination and must appear for the exam on the day and time the exam has been re-scheduled; otherwise, the exam appointment will go to “No Show”, and the candidate will forfeit the testing fee paid. To continue testing after a “No Show”, the candidate must fill out the NCCAOM Request Form to receive a new authorization (ATT Letter) at which time the candidate will be charged a $63 rescheduling fee. The candidate will then have three additional attempts to cancel/reschedule with the new authorization.   

Reminder! Exam appointments can be cancelled/rescheduled ONLY by contacting Pearson VUE directly by calling 888-235-7649 or online at  www.pearsonvue.com/nccaom  at least one full business day (24 hours) in advance of the scheduled exam appointment. If the candidate does not cancel/reschedule 24 hours in advance and/or does not appear for the NCCAOM^® examination for which the candidate registered, the candidate will forfeit the fees paid for examination. During the cancelation/rescheduling process, Pearson VUE will deliver a confirmation number. It is imperative this confirmation number be maintained by the candidate in case of a cancelation/rescheduling dispute. In addition, the candidate will receive a confirmation email from Pearson VUE within 24 hours of scheduling/rescheduling/canceling an examination. This email contains information about the appointment date, time, testing center location and directions to the testing center. If this confirmation is not received, the candidate did not fully complete the transaction. 

Examination Day Details

Report Time and Start Time

The time printed on the Pearson VUE Admissions Letter is the candidate’s required report time. Allow sufficient time to find the test site and plan to arrive 30 minutes prior to the scheduled time. The NCCAOM does not have information on lodging, parking or phone numbers for the test sites. It is advisable to gather this information before the test day to avoid unnecessary delays.

Lateness on Day of the Examination

Candidates must arrive by the report time on the admission letter or you will not  be admitted to the test site. After the appointed time has passed, Pearson VUE staff will exclude the candidate from taking the examination and therefore forfeiting the testing opportunity and fees. It will be necessary to reapply for another examination date and pay the examination fee(s) again.

Required Identification at the Pearson VUE Test Center

Upon arrival at the test center the candidate must present:

• NCCAOM^® Authorization to Test Letter, and
• Driver’s license with photo and signature; or government identification with the candidate’s photo and signature, and
• A second personal ID with the candidate’s signature.

The name on the driver’s license/government ID and secondary ID must match the name on the NCCAOM^®  Authorization to Test Letter.

Identification must be valid (not expired). If the candidate does not present a driver’s license or government ID with photo and signature or the names do not match, the examination and fee(s) will be forfeited and it will be necessary to reapply for another examination date and pay the examination fee(s) again.

Inclement Weather, Power Failure or Emergency

In the event of inclement weather, unforeseen emergencies or “Acts of God,” NCCAOM and Pearson VUE will determine whether circumstances warrant the cancellation of an examination administration at a particular site.

The examination will not be rescheduled if the Pearson VUE test center is able to open or if an alternate test location is arranged. Contact Pearson VUE one day prior to the examination to determine if the test site will be opened or closed. Should an examination be canceled, candidates scheduled for that site will receive notification regarding rescheduling the examination date. Additional examination fees will not be incurred if your test is canceled by NCCAOM or Pearson VUE.

On rare occasions, technical difficulties at the Pearson VUE test center may be encountered. If the test center experiences an unexpected, temporary power outage during an administration, back-up systems are in place, so every reasonable effort will be made to retrieve testing data. The candidate’s examination will restart from the point where it was interrupted, and the candidate may continue the examination. Every attempt is made to administer the examination as scheduled; however, should an examination be canceled at a testing center, all scheduled candidates will receive notification regarding rescheduling.

Personal Property

Measuring devices, computers, calculators, cameras, dictionaries (electronic or paper), beepers, cells phones, notes, scrap paper or notepaper, and other such materials or devices, or any personal items (e.g., purses, pillows, etc.) are not allowed into the examination room. Individuals possessing any such materials or devices will:

• be ejected from the examination,
• forfeit all application and examination fees,
• be barred from applying for NCCAOM certification for up to five years, and
• be considered a new applicant if they choose to reapply.

It is the candidate’s responsibility to surrender these items voluntarily prior to testing. A locker will be available at the test center. A ring binder containing  five sheets of erasable  board and a marker will be provided and collected upon completion of the examination.

Clothing

Candidates are advised to wear clothing that will be comfortable for various temperature conditions at the test center.

Translators

Translators are not available or permitted at any test site.

Childcare

NCCAOM and Pearson VUE do not provide childcare while a parent/caregiver takes an examination.

Examination Security

Candidates will be audio and videotaped during the examination for security purposes. All candidates will be photographed and have a palm vein scan at the test center. Palm Vein Technology ensures:

• each test taker has a single record,
• representation of a virtually error-free identification system that is non-intrusive to the user,
• increased accuracy and security around the candidate check-in (and out) process, and
• verification of each candidate as they enter or exit the test center.

Non-Disclosure Agreement

All candidates will be given a checklist of rules to review. Additional fingerprints will be taken before seating in the examination room and if the candidate leaves the room at any time during the examination.

At the beginning of the examination, candidates must verify that the identification information (name and social security number) and examination category are correct as shown on the computer screen. Next, candidates will be asked to read and accept the terms of the Non-Disclosure Agreement and General Terms of Use for NCCAOM Exams.

According to Pearson VUE rules, candidates may not begin writing on their note board until the test has been started. Therefore, candidates should not use their note boards until after they have agreed to the Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) on the computer screen. If the exam terminates because candidates were writing on their note board during the NDA, Pearson VUE will not be able to restart the exam, all the fees paid for the exam will be forfeited, and the candidates will have to reschedule and pay full fees for the exam.

Non-Disclosure Agreement and General Terms of Use for NCCAOM Exams

“I have read and understand the Examination Instructions. I have agreed to abide by the NCCAOM^® Grounds for Professional Discipline and acknowledge that if I am caught cheating on this examination, including the sharing of information after the examination is complete; I will be subject to review by the Professional Ethics and Disciplinary Committee of NCCAOM. If I am found to have violated the NCCAOM^® Grounds for Professional Discipline, I understand that my scores will be cancelled and I may not have the opportunity to test again.

Additionally, I understand that this exam is confidential and is protected by trade secret law. It is made available solely for the purpose of becoming certified by NCCAOM. I am expressly prohibited from disclosing, publishing, reproducing, or transmitting this exam, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, verbal or written, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose.

I am the candidate whose name appears on the initial screen and as an affirmation to the Statement of Acknowledgement I signed when submitting my application, I acknowledge that I am prohibited from transmitting information about NCCAOM examination questions or content in any form to any person or entity. I also acknowledge that if I suspect a violation on the part of others, it is my responsibility to report these actions to the NCCAOM.”

Candidates will have five minutes to accept the conditions; if the conditions and terms are not accepted within the allotted time; the session will end and cannot be restarted. Candidates will be required to reschedule and pay the full registration fee.

Examination Results

Candidates may access their official exam notification letters which is available for download by logging into their online account on the NCCAOM Certification Portal within 7-10 days after the exam date. 

The NCCAOM exams are designed to test entry-level competence to practice, not to measure excellence. For this reason, examination results are reported as PASS (with no numeric score) or FAIL (with a numerical scaled score) to indicate whether a candidate has demonstrated the knowledge required to meet standards of competence as defined by the profession. 

Exam Scoring Information

For a better understanding of the scoring process used by NCCAOM, the information below was prepared by our psychometric vendor, Meazure Learning. The document explains the standard setting process, which is used to determine the passing scores, equating of test forms, and scaled scores that appear on the exam notification report. The document provides general explanations and does not discuss specifics about the examination.  

• 2024 Standard Setting Scaling and Equating (PDF) 

Re-taking an Examination

Exam Attempts

Initially, candidates are allowed five (5) opportunities to take an examination upon submitting their School Final Graduation Transcript and CNT Certificate. After the fifth unsuccessful attempt to pass an NCCAOM examination (all formats and/or languages inclusive), the candidate must satisfy additional educational requirements based on multiple factors like certification application validity, exams passed etc. to receive additional exam attempts. Click here to identify requirements you must satisfy to continue testing.

Wait Time Between Exam Attempts

First Five Attempts:

Approved candidates who need to retake any NCCAOM examination must wait 45 days from the previous recorded test date. Candidates will not be allowed to reschedule their examination prior to the 45-day waiting period for any reason. NCCAOM recommends that candidates allow sufficient time to prepare for the retake of the failed examination.

The NCCAOM encourages candidates to obtain remedial education; through their school, a tutor, or through reputable test preparation services or publications that may be of assistance. Reminder, the NCCAOM Candidate Preparation Handbooks are available online free of charge.

Attempts 6 – 8:

The NCCAOM requires additional education for each Request for Additional Attempts. Click here to identify requirements you must satisfy to continue testing.

Once additional attempts 6 through 8 have been approved, candidates must wait 90 days between exam attempts. Candidates will not be allowed to reschedule their examination prior to the 90-day waiting period for any reason.

After 8 attempts:

Click here to identify requirements you must satisfy to continue testing.

Candidates must wait 180 days between exam attempts after 8 unsuccessful attempts.

NCCAOM Score Verification Request

A candidate may request that their exam be re-scored within 30 days of receiving initial notification that they failed the exam. The score verification process is simply a manual check of the computer’s scoring, conducted by NCCAOM Testing staff, to ensure that all responses were accurately recorded. Score verification does not include a review of examination content or reconsideration of the correct answer to any item. Candidates who would like to submit a score verification request should complete the NCCAOM^® Score Verification Request form. An invoice will be issued to the candidate’s online account in the NCCAOM portal where the candidate will apply payment. Individual items and exam content will not be discussed or considered during the score verification process.

Please note that the NCCAOM does not encourage score verification requests. We enforce strict quality control procedures to ensure exam results are accurate before they are released to candidates. Every exam is scored independently by two professional testing companies to ensure each item is scored accurately and the overall score is correct. In addition, both testing companies have multiple checks in place to flag anomalies in test data that require investigation. Due to the thoroughness of the NCCAOM’s examination scoring procedures, no errors have ever been identified from a score verification request.

Examination Content Review Process

1. Candidates may submit questions or comments about specific aspects of the examination content. All complaints must be in writing and submitted to NCCAOM (examcontent @ thenccaom.org) within 30 days of taking the examination. Failing an examination alone is not sufficient grounds to submit a complaint. Only individual items will be reviewed, and reviews are not conducted on a candidate’s entire exam. The written complaint must include:
   1. candidates name,
   2. NCCAOM ID,
   3. email address,
   4. test date and location,
   5. examination module, along with a description of the specific examination question(s) or concern(s) and rationale for the complaint.
2. The question(s) or comment(s) will first be reviewed by the NCCAOM Testing Department to determine if the question(s)or comment(s) is to be presented to the NCCAOM Examination Review Committee for final determination. The candidate will be notified in writing (via email) within 45 days of any resulting action of the inquiry. All determinations of the NCCAOM Examination Review Committee are final. No information regarding the specific question will be discussed with candidates. The NCCAOM never releases copies of examinations or individual examination questions.
3. It is important to refrain from discussing the content of the exam with anyone other than the NCCAOM Testing staff at [email protected], otherwise candidates will be in violation of the Non-Disclosure Agreement accepted at the test center and adherence to the NCCAOM Code of Ethics signed during their application process. Candidates have a duty to maintain strict confidentiality with respect to the content of the examinations and comply with all examination security policies and procedures. Any breach of confidentiality that may compromise the security of the examination content (e.g., sharing or receiving information about the examination from another person including teachers/professors, before, during, or after the examination) will be grounds for disciplinary action, including but not limited to denial or revocation of certification by the NCCAOM.

Complete NCCAOM Certification

Passing all required NCCAOM examinations does not automatically result in certification. Candidates are not certified until all required documents are accepted and the candidate has received the official NCCAOM congratulatory letter along with a wallet-size identification card by USPS mail. Candidates may not represent or advertise NCCAOM certification until this official notification is received (approximately six (6) weeks after all requirements are met). Candidates may expect to receive an NCCAOM certificate, suitable for framing, approximately six (6) weeks from the date certified. At this time 25 states require NCCAOM certification for state licensure.

Once certification is achieved please visit the Diplomate Benefits Page on the NCCAOM website for information on how to use the NCCAOM credential and service marks and to learn about Diplomate benefits.

In order to maintain NCCAOM certification, Diplomates must recertify every four (4) years. Visit the Diplomate Recertification Page on the NCCAOM website for additional information.