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Certified in Public Health (CPH) Exam
The Certified in Public Health (CPH) exam is the National Board of Public Health Examiners' 200-item computer-based multiple-choice certification exam — 175 scored plus 25 unscored pretest items — taken in four hours, scored 200–800 with a passing scaled score of 500, delivered year-round at Meazure Learning computer-based testing centers in the US and over 100 other countries or by live online proctoring (ProctorU) 24/7; passing earns the CPH credential, maintained by recertification rather than re-examination.
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Questions200 questions: 175 scored and 25 unscored pretest questions (pretest items dispersed throughout the exam and not identifiable)
Testing time4 hours (break and second security check included in the four-hour window)
ScoringScaled score on 200–800 scale; 500 required to pass; candidates scored on overall performance, not by domain
Exam feeUSD 385 regular exam fee; USD 150 retake fee; partnership discounts of USD 315 or USD 250 for affiliated candidates; bundles USD 435/485/535; fees nonrefundable and nontransferable
Prep options
Study resources for CPH Exam
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Courses and study resources
Exam overview
What to know before choosing your prep
- Who runs it
- NBPHE
- Category
- Public Health
- Current version
- CPH exam content outline updated August 1, 2024 (based on the 2022 Job Task Analysis); no separate public version label
- Where it applies
- Global
- Exam languages
- English
- Score scale
- 200–800 (scaled)
- Testing provider
- Meazure Learning (test centers and scheduling; ProctorU platform for live online proctoring)
- Format
- Computer-based multiple-choice exam, delivered at Meazure Learning computer-based testing centers or by live online proctoring (ProctorU) from the candidate's own computer
- Availability
- Year-round: testing centers Monday–Friday plus some Saturdays except some US holidays; live online proctoring 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; eligibility is permanent once approved
- Results
- Instant scoring for computer-based exams; at testing centers candidates receive a print-out of their score report before leaving the facility
- Credential validity
- No score-expiry window published; passing confers the CPH credential, which is maintained by recertification (30 credits every 2 years) rather than re-examination
- Remote testing
- Available
Exam structure
One 200-item computer-based exam of single-best-answer multiple-choice questions spanning ten domain areas — data, analytics, and informatics; communication; leadership; law and ethics; disease and injury prevention; community engagement and partnerships; program planning and evaluation; program and resource management; policy and advocacy; and health outcomes population perspectives — with 175 scored items and 25 unscored pretest items dispersed throughout
Where rules vary
US-based professional certification exam with one uniform specification worldwide; administered at Meazure Learning testing centers throughout the US and in over 100 other countries, plus 24/7 live online proctoring; NBPHE reports CPH candidates from more than 95 countries, and a 2026 time-limited pilot extends eligibility to alumni of graduate public health programs outside the United States
Eligibility
Eligibility pathways: student or alumni of a CEPH-accredited school/program of public health (students certified provisionally until graduation); faculty with a graduate degree plus three years teaching/working in public health; or standard eligibility — bachelor's degree plus 5 years, or master's degree plus 3 years, of public health work experience
Retake policy
Maximum of six (6) attempts; retake fee USD 150 per subsequent attempt; missed appointments also require the USD 150 retake fee before rescheduling; rescheduling free more than 10 days ahead, USD 15 within 10 days, USD 150 within 2 days