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Registered Environmental Health Specialist/Registered Sanitarian (REHS/RS) Examination
The REHS/RS exam is the credentialing examination of the National Environmental Health Association for its premiere Registered Environmental Health Specialist/Registered Sanitarian credential, verifying competency across environmental health disciplines (surveillance, inspections, investigations, compliance review, and risk communication); the current two-part computer-based exam of 225 multiple-choice questions (200 scored) is delivered at Pearson VUE test centers under a program coordinated through Professional Testing (PTI), following a job-analysis-based revision that took effect September 1, 2021.
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Questions225 multiple-choice questions in two parts (Part 1: 113 questions; Part 2: 112); 200 scored and 25 unscored pilot questions
Testing time3 hours 40 minutes total — 1 hour 50 minutes per part, with a 10-minute break between parts
ScoringScaled passing score of 650 on a 0–900 scale; scores are based on the number of questions answered correctly (of the 200 scored items)
Exam feeUSD 225 NEHA member / USD 335 non-member examination fee, plus a USD 195 Pearson VUE test-delivery fee (a separate application fee of USD 105 member / USD 140 non-member and USD 75 transcript review for U.S. candidates are paid before testing)
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Exam overview
What to know before choosing your prep
- Who runs it
- NEHA
- Category
- Public Health
- Current version
- Current specification; no public version code — the exam specification in force since the job-analysis revision that began being administered on September 1, 2021 (content published in NEHA's REHS/RS Exam Content outline)
- Where it applies
- United States — national
- Exam languages
- English
- Score scale
- 0–900 scaled score (passing 650)
- Testing provider
- Pearson VUE (test delivery), with the NEHA examination program coordinated through Professional Testing (PTI)
- Format
- Computer-based, multiple-choice, administered at Pearson VUE testing locations in the United States and internationally
- Availability
- Year-round by appointment at Pearson VUE test centers; appointments can be scheduled up to one business day in advance, seat availability is first-come first-served, and candidates must test within the window on their Authorization-to-Test email (NEHA applications are valid for one year; application processing takes four to six weeks)
- Results
- Unofficial scores shown immediately after the exam at Pearson VUE; official exam results emailed within two weeks
- Remote testing
- Not available
Exam structure
Two-part multiple-choice exam (113 + 112 questions) whose 200 scored items are distributed across five duty areas: Performing Environmental Health Surveillance 12% (24 items); Conducting Inspections 48% (96 items, including food, wastewater, potable water, recreational water, solid/hazardous/infectious waste, body art, group gathering, healthy homes, and institution inspections); Conducting Investigations 18% (36 items); Conducting Compliance Review 12% (24 items); Providing Environmental Health Information 10% (20 items)
Where rules vary
A uniform U.S.-national professional credential exam owned by NEHA; several states accept or require the NEHA REHS/RS exam for their registered environmental health specialist / registered sanitarian programs (the credential page documents state-specific reciprocity for states such as Texas and Arizona). The exam itself is the same nationwide and is delivered at Pearson VUE test centers in the United States and internationally.
Eligibility
Eligibility requires (Track A) an EHAC-accredited degree in environmental health from a U.S.-accredited college (no work experience required), or (Track B) a bachelor's/master's/PhD in any subject plus 30 semester hours (45 quarter hours) of basic-science coursework, a college math or statistics class, and two or more years of full-time paid environmental health experience; a Track C 'In Training' status exists for candidates with under two years of experience (three years to obtain the two years)
Retake policy
Candidates must wait at least 90 days from the initial test date before retaking the exam; a Retake Application with exam and computer-test fees is required (transcripts need not be resubmitted) and the exam can be taken as many times as needed