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Open free NRCME Certification Test prep resources ↗Exam facts & prep options
FMCSA Medical Examiner Certification Test (National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners)
Find the current format, timing, scoring, fees, eligibility, and testing options for NRCME Certification Test, with direct links to official sources.
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Questions120 items — 100 scored plus 20 unscored items under evaluation for future inclusion
Testing time2 hours, running continuously with no pauses once the test begins
ScoringScore is based on the total number of correct responses; FMCSA confirms the grading after the testing organization returns the answers and issues the certification — no numeric passing score is published
Exam feeNo federally set fee — FMCSA does not establish or regulate fees; each FMCSA-approved testing organization (Prometric or PSI) sets and collects its own test delivery fee
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Exam overview
What to know before choosing your prep
- Who runs it
- FMCSA
- Category
- Medical Examiner Certification
- Current version
- Current authorized version of the FMCSA Medical Examiner Certification Test; no dated public version label — testing organizations 'administer only the currently authorized version of the certification test' per the Complete Guide (test built to the Table 1 specifications: 100 scored items across two core content areas)
- Where it applies
- United States — national
- Exam languages
- English
- Testing provider
- Prometric and PSI — the two FMCSA-approved National Registry testing organizations
- Format
- Computer-based, one multiple-choice item at a time with answers identified A, B, C, or D; administered at a testing organization's test center or, where the testing organization offers it, online with remote monitoring (no reference materials permitted; scratch paper allowed and collected)
- Availability
- Year-round by appointment through the testing organizations' national test-center networks (locations and scheduling obtained directly from Prometric or PSI); test must be taken within 3 years of completing initial training
- Results
- The testing organization sends the results to FMCSA; FMCSA confirms the grading, validates credentials, and emails the certification notification with the National Registry Number (no same-session score release is published)
- Credential validity
- Certification is maintained on a 10-year cycle — refresher training 4–5 and 9–10 years after certification and a recertification test 10 years after certification, delivered by the same two testing organizations
- Remote testing
- Varies by jurisdiction
Exam structure
100 scored multiple-choice items across two core content areas per the official Table 1 test specifications: I. Driver's Medical Information — 70 items (Identification and History 20, Physical Examination and Evaluation 25, Diagnostic Tests and/or Referrals 18, Documentation of Ancillary Information 7); II. Determination of Driver's Qualifications and Disposition — 30 items (Health Education Counseling 4, Risk Assessment 14, Certification Outcomes and Intervals 12); by cognitive level: 30 recall, 45 application, 25 analysis
Where rules vary
Federal certification program under 49 CFR part 390, subpart D: one national certification test developed by FMCSA and delivered uniformly nationwide by its approved testing organizations, required for any healthcare professional performing interstate CMV driver physical qualification examinations
Eligibility
Be licensed, certified, or registered under state law to perform physical examinations as an advanced practice nurse, doctor of chiropractic, doctor of medicine, doctor of osteopathy, physician assistant, or other state-authorized medical professional (49 CFR 390.103(a)(1)), and complete initial medical examiner training from a training provider before sitting the test
Retake policy
30-day wait before retaking; no limit on the number of attempts; the retest may be taken with a different testing organization (new application and fee each time); candidates must pass within 3 years of completing initial training