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Certified Healthcare Leader (CHL)
The CHL is the Healthcare Sterile Processing Association's management-level sterile processing certification exam: a 150-question (125 scored), 3-hour computer-based multiple-choice exam on planning and decision making, organizing, leading, and controlling, available to candidates who hold current CRCST certification and delivered at Prometric test centers.
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Questions150 multiple-choice questions: 125 scored (operational) plus 25 unscored (pretest) delivered randomly throughout the exam
Testing time3 hours; an optional 15-minute computer tutorial precedes the exam and the test clock does not start until it ends
ScoringOne point per correct scored answer; pass/fail determined by the total scored questions answered correctly against a criterion-referenced passing point set via the Angoff procedure supplemented by the Beuk Relative-Absolute Compromise method (no fixed published percentage)
Exam feeUSD 140 per exam attempt (initial exam and retake); application fees cover processing plus one in-person exam attempt at a Prometric facility
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Study resources for CHL
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Exam overview
What to know before choosing your prep
- Who runs it
- HSPA
- Category
- Sterile Processing & Surgical Technology
- Current version
- Current exam built on the CHL Exam Content Outline revised August 2021 (updated May 2022, from the 2020-2021 job task analysis); final day of testing for the current exam is September 23, 2026. An updated exam based on the outline revised August 2025 (updated January 2026, from the 2024-2025 job task analysis) launches via a pilot October 1-15, 2026, with regular testing resuming December 15, 2026 after a blackout. Certification Handbook revised January 2026.
- Where it applies
- United States — national
- Exam languages
- English
- Score scale
- Pass/fail with domain-level diagnostic indicators only ('At or Above', 'Below', 'Well Below'); no percentage or numeric score is reported
- Testing provider
- Prometric
- Format
- Computer-based multiple-choice exam delivered at Prometric test centers; no paper-and-pencil version is available
- Availability
- Offered year-round at Prometric test centers; once the application is approved, candidates have a 120-day period to schedule and sit for the exam. CHL testing pauses October 16 - December 14, 2026 (current exam's final testing day September 23, 2026; pilot October 1-15, 2026; updated exam resumes December 15, 2026)
- Results
- On-screen pass/fail notification at the test center, emailed within 48 hours; certification package mailed within two weeks of passing; failing candidates receive a result report in the online portal. (Pilot-exam takers in October 2026 instead receive results by late November 2026; immediate results resume with the December 15, 2026 relaunch.)
- Credential validity
- Certification is valid for one year; renewal requires current CRCST status plus 6 additional CE credits per year focused on management or supervisory topics
- Remote testing
- Not available
Exam structure
Four weighted knowledge domains per the current content outline (revised August 2021, updated May 2022): Planning and Decision Making 30%; Organizing 25%; Leading 30%; Controlling 15% (each domain subdivided into sub-domains such as change management, workplace and equipment, workforce planning, financial planning, quality management, inventory, documentation, and infection prevention)
Where rules vary
The CHL is a private, non-governmental certification built on U.S. practice and standards (content outline keys to local, state, and federal standards and regulations, ANSI/AAMI ST79, AORN guidelines); it is not a state license and carries no state-by-state variation. HSPA contracts Prometric 'to provide our certification exams worldwide', so candidates outside the U.S. may sit for it.
Eligibility
Current, full CRCST certification must be obtained before taking the CHL exam (and kept current to maintain CHL); no hands-on hours are required for the current exam. From October 2026, new applicants must additionally meet at least one of: 12 months (2,080 hours) sterile processing experience; 12 months (2,080 hours) leadership role experience; or an associate degree or higher
Retake policy
Minimum 6-week wait after a failed attempt before retesting; retake application plus USD 140 retake fee