- NCCT does not use fixed testing windows - CHHA candidates schedule on demand at authorized sites or via remote proctoring.
- The real deadlines that matter are eligibility-related: experience must fall within the previous five years.
- The exam costs $70, plus a $44 remote-testing fee if you test from home.
- You get three hours for 125 scored and 25 unscored pretest items, and you need a scaled score of 575.
How CHHA Exam Scheduling Actually Works
If you searched for "CHHA exam dates 2026" expecting a published calendar of quarterly testing windows, here's the practical answer: the National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT) does not run the CHHA exam on fixed seasonal windows the way some licensure boards do. Instead, testing is available on a rolling basis through NCCT-authorized test sites and through live remote proctoring, meaning candidates schedule an appointment once their eligibility documentation is approved rather than waiting for a specific application cycle to open.
This is good news for planning purposes. There's no risk of missing a "spring 2026" or "fall 2026" cutoff - your personal deadline is really about when your eligibility pathway is complete and when you feel prepared. That said, "no fixed window" doesn't mean "no deadlines." Several time-sensitive requirements still apply, and missing them can force you to restart parts of the eligibility process. We'll walk through each one below.
Test Site vs. Live Remote Proctoring
NCCT offers two ways to sit for the CHHA exam, and choosing between them affects both your scheduling flexibility and your total cost.
| Feature | Authorized Test Site | Live Remote Proctoring |
|---|---|---|
| Base exam fee | $70 | $70 |
| Additional fee | None | $44 remote-testing fee |
| Location | In-person testing center | Your own quiet, private space |
| Materials allowed | Closed book, no scratch paper | Closed book, no scratch paper |
| Best for | Candidates near a test site | Candidates in rural areas or with scheduling constraints |
Both formats use the identical content outline and time limit - a three-hour session with 125 scored items plus 25 unscored pretest items. The pretest items are unmarked, so you won't know which of the 150 total questions count toward your score; treat every question as if it matters. Remote proctoring adds convenience, but candidates should budget for the $44 remote-testing fee on top of the standard $70 exam fee. For a full cost comparison across pathways, see the CHHA Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
Key Takeaway
If you're deciding between in-person and remote testing, factor the $44 remote fee into your budget before you schedule - it's not optional once you choose the remote format.
Eligibility Windows and Registration Deadlines
The most important "date" in the CHHA process isn't a test date - it's the recency window on your eligibility pathway. NCCT recognizes three routes to sit for the exam:
- NCCT-authorized education pathway: completion of an approved home health aide training program.
- Verified work experience: either six months or 1,040 hours of home health aide work with multiple clients, or one year or 2,080 hours with a single client - and this experience must fall within the previous five years.
- Qualifying U.S. military training: recent military coursework equivalent to home health aide preparation.
The five-year lookback on the experience pathway is the deadline candidates most often overlook. If your qualifying hours happened six years ago, they no longer count, and you'd need to pursue the education pathway instead. Before you schedule anything, calculate your hours and their dates carefully. For the full breakdown of each pathway's documentation requirements, see CHHA Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
What Exam Day Looks Like
Once you're scheduled, exam day mechanics are consistent whether you test at an authorized site or through live remote proctoring. Understanding the format in advance removes a major source of test-day anxiety.
- Time limit: three hours to complete the exam.
- Item count: 125 scored items and 25 unscored pretest items, for 150 total questions.
- Item format: 92% are traditional four-option multiple-choice questions; the remaining 8% use drag-and-drop, multi-select, or hotspot formats.
- Passing standard: a scaled score of 575 on NCCT's 200-720 scale.
- Materials: the exam is closed book, and no scratch paper is permitted at any point.
The no-scratch-paper rule surprises a lot of candidates who are used to jotting down calculations or notes during other certification exams. For CHHA, all reasoning has to happen mentally or through the on-screen tools provided, which makes practicing untimed drag-and-drop and hotspot items ahead of time especially valuable - these newer formats behave differently than a standard multiple-choice question. If you want to gauge how tough this format actually feels compared to other allied-health credentials, read How Hard Is the CHHA Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026, and for the exact scoring mechanics behind that 575 threshold, see CHHA Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.
Fees and What They Cover
Budgeting for your test date means accounting for more than the sticker price. The core exam fee is $70. If you choose live remote proctoring instead of an in-person authorized site, add the $44 remote-testing fee. These are the figures published for the CHHA exam itself; total certification cost also depends on your training pathway, study materials, and any retake fees if a rescheduled attempt becomes necessary. A full breakdown of every cost category is in CHHA Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
Once certified, recertification carries its own recurring fee structure, covered in detail later in this article. Knowing both the upfront exam cost and the ongoing renewal cost helps you set a realistic timeline rather than scheduling your test date around cash flow surprises.
Mapping Your Study Calendar to the Six Domains
Because there's no fixed application window pressuring you into a specific test date, you have the luxury of building your own study calendar around when you feel ready - and that calendar should be built around the exam's six content domains, not generic study advice. The CHHA exam draws its 125 scored items from:
- Infection Prevention
- Direct Client Care
- Client Safety and Transfers
- Activities of Daily Living
- Special Populations
- Law and Ethics
Direct Client Care is the largest category on the exam, so it deserves the most calendar time and the most practice questions before you lock in your test date. A simple way to reverse-engineer your ideal exam date is to work backward from domain mastery rather than forward from a random target date.
Direct Client Care
- Prioritize this domain first since it carries the most weight on the scored portion
- Drill vital signs, personal care tasks, and reporting protocols
Infection Prevention and Client Safety and Transfers
- Pair these together since both involve procedural, step-based questions
- Practice hotspot and drag-and-drop items here, since these domains often use them
Activities of Daily Living and Special Populations
- Focus on scenario-based multi-select questions
- Review differences in care approach across age groups and conditions
Law and Ethics plus full timed review
- Finish with the smallest domain so it's fresh going into test day
- Take a full three-hour timed practice run without scratch paper to simulate real conditions
This kind of domain-first scheduling matters more for CHHA prep than generic time-management tricks, because the exam isn't evenly weighted - spending equal time on all six domains wastes hours you could put toward Direct Client Care. For a category-by-category breakdown of exactly what's tested in each domain, see CHHA Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 6 Content Areas, and pair your calendar with a structured plan from the CHHA Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt.
Direct Client Care
As the largest domain, this is where candidates most often underestimate the volume of scenario-based questions. Expect items covering hands-on care tasks, observation and reporting, and client interaction under the four-option and multi-select formats.
- Prioritize this domain in your first study week
- Use practice questions from CHHA Practice Test to get comfortable with the phrasing style before your scheduled date
Recertification Deadlines You Cannot Miss
Your initial exam date is only the first deadline in the CHHA lifecycle. Active certification status renews annually, and CHHA-only recertification requires six continuing-education contact hours along with a $40 fee. Missing a single renewal year is recoverable, but the consequences compound: five consecutive missed recertification years make the credential invalid, meaning you'd need to requalify from scratch - potentially including retaking the exam.
Because these deadlines are self-tracked rather than announced through a public testing calendar, it's worth setting your own reminder system the moment you pass. Mark your renewal anniversary, plan your six CE hours well ahead of the deadline, and budget the $40 fee annually rather than scrambling at the last minute.
If you're still deciding whether to pursue this credential at all, it helps to see the full picture of career payoff before committing to a test date. Review CHHA Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis and Is the CHHA Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 for context on how the credential is used by home health agencies, hospice organizations, and private-duty employers once you're certified. You can also browse current CHHA Jobs listings to see which employers are hiring for the credential in your area, and check CHHA Training options if you need to complete the education pathway before you're eligible to schedule.
Whatever pathway and format you choose, the smartest way to pick your actual test date is to let your readiness - not an external calendar - drive the decision. Run full-length timed sessions on CHHA Exam Prep until your scores consistently clear the 575 threshold, then schedule with confidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. NCCT administers the CHHA exam on a rolling basis through authorized test sites and live remote proctoring, so you schedule your own appointment once your eligibility is confirmed rather than waiting for a published testing window.
Schedule once your eligibility documentation (education, experience, or military pathway) is verified and you've completed timed practice sessions covering all six domains, especially Direct Client Care since it's the largest category.
The experience pathway requires your qualifying hours - six months/1,040 hours with multiple clients or one year/2,080 hours with one client - to fall within the previous five years. Older experience does not count, and you'd need the education or military pathway instead.
No. Both remote proctoring and in-person testing at authorized sites use the same three-hour time limit, the same 125 scored and 25 unscored items, and the same closed-book, no-scratch-paper rules. The only difference is the $44 remote-testing fee added to the $70 exam fee.
Active status renews annually, requiring six continuing-education contact hours and a $40 fee. If you miss recertification for five consecutive years, the credential becomes invalid and cannot simply be renewed late.