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Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC) Examination
Find the current format, timing, scoring, fees, eligibility, and testing options for CLC Exam, with direct links to official sources.
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QuestionsNot publicly disclosed — The current first-party exam pages and candidate materials cited for this record were reviewed; they do not publish this field.
Testing time3 hours total for the full examination — approximately 2 hours for the didactic (multiple-choice) section plus approximately 30 minutes for the practical section (online CLC delivery allows 2 hours for the multiple-choice exam)
ScoringPass/fail — the passing score was set by a panel of subject-matter-expert judges (Angoff-style standard setting); candidates must pass BOTH the didactic (multiple-choice) element and the practical element of the examination to earn CLC certification; no numeric cut score is published
Exam feeUSD 100 examination fee + USD 20 application fee (paid with the application); retake fee USD 100 per attempt (application fee not charged again)
Prep options
Study resources for CLC Exam
Independent prep
Courses and study resources
Exam overview
What to know before choosing your prep
- Who runs it
- ALPP
- Category
- Lactation
- Current version
- Current specification; no public version label
- Where it applies
- United States — national
- Exam languages
- English
- Testing provider
- Honorlock (remote proctoring)
- Format
- Entirely online and remotely proctored (available 24/7); candidates test alone in a quiet room with webcam and screen monitoring
- Availability
- Remotely proctored examinations offered 24/7 by appointment once the application is approved
- Results
- Score report emailed within six to eight weeks of the exam date, indicating pass/fail and certification status
- Remote testing
- Available
Exam structure
Two required sections: (1) Didactic — a closed-book multiple-choice examination lasting approximately two hours with no penalty for wrong answers; (2) Practical — a Lactation Assessment Tool (LAT): candidates watch a short video played three times with three minutes between viewings, then answer a true/false examination based on the observed scenario
Where rules vary
A single uniform national certification examination; the CLC credential is listed in the U.S. National Uniform Claim Committee (NUCC) taxonomy of provider credentials, but the exam itself is one assessment delivered identically nationwide (online, remotely proctored).
Eligibility
Eligibility via one of three pathways: (1) Comprehensive — completion of Healthy Children Project/Center for Breastfeeding's 95-hour Lactation Counselor Training Course; (2) Aggregate — a defined combination of college credits, lactation-specific education, and clinical experience; (3) Alternate — completion of a lactation program deemed equivalent; candidates must sit for the exam within six months of course completion or application approval
Retake policy
Candidates may take the examination up to three times within one year (of course completion or application approval); each retake costs USD 100