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International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) Certification Examination
The IBCLC certification examination is the computer-based, globally administered exam of the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE) that leads to the International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) credential.
Official exam siteJump to prep options ↓
Questions175 multiple-choice questions
Testing time4 hours
ScoringPassing requires a scaled score of 600 or above
Exam feeUSD 695 initial examination fee for Tier 1 countries (e.g., US, UK, Canada, Australia); lower Tier 2 and Tier 3 fees apply in other countries under a purchasing-power tiered schedule; payment accepted in USD only; 50% refund if ineligible or withdrawing by the published deadline
Prep options
Study resources for IBCLC
Independent prep
Courses and study resources
Exam overview
What to know before choosing your prep
- Who runs it
- IBLCE
- Category
- Lactation
- Current version
- IBCLC Detailed Content Outline, effective 2023
- Where it applies
- Global
- Exam languages
- English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Traditional Chinese, Danish, Portuguese
- Score scale
- 200–800 scaled score
- Testing provider
- Prometric
- Format
- Computer-based at Prometric testing centres worldwide; Live Remote Proctoring (at home) available in English (March/April and September administrations), and in French and Spanish (September only)
- Availability
- Offered twice a year in ~10-day administration windows: March/April (English only; e.g., April 15–24, 2026) and September (all ten exam languages; e.g., September 1–10, 2026). Test-centre reservation blocks are only available for a specified period each year and an appointment near the candidate's home cannot be guaranteed, so seats are limited.
- Results
- Scores released approximately 12 weeks after the end of the examination administration; digital certificate issued within 6–8 weeks of results
- Remote testing
- Varies by jurisdiction
Exam structure
175 multiple-choice questions delivered in two parts; once Part One is completed, candidates may not return to it, and most questions in Part Two are associated with an image. Content spans the Detailed Content Outline disciplines (e.g., Development and Nutrition; Physiology and Endocrinology).
Where rules vary
Administered worldwide at testing centres around the world; over 39,000 IBCLCs in 137 countries. Access can be restricted by US OFAC sanctions regulations for some countries.
Eligibility
Health sciences education; 95 hours of education total (90 hours lactation-specific education including 2 hours on the WHO Code, plus 5 hours communications skills); lactation-specific clinical experience via Pathway 1, 2, or 3; and adherence to the IBCLC Code of Professional Conduct
Retake policy
Retaking the examination requires the Examination Retake Fee (USD 345 for Tier 1 countries) and sitting at a subsequent scheduled administration