The NHA Certified Patient Care Technician/Assistant (CPCT/A) exam is a 120-question, 2-hour certification test that validates competency across patient care, phlebotomy, and EKG — three skill sets employers increasingly want in a single hire. The exam costs $165, uses scaled scoring from 200 to 500 with a passing threshold of 390, and is offered at PSI testing centers, through schools, or via live remote proctoring. A major blueprint update arriving in Fall 2026 shifts Patient Care from 30 % to 45–49 % of scored items, so the timing of your exam matters. This guide covers every domain, the upcoming changes, eligibility, salary data, and a week-by-week study plan to get you past 390 on the first attempt.
The ANCC Family Nurse Practitioner Board Certified (FNP-BC) exam is the gold-standard credential for nurses advancing into primary care. Nurse Practitioner employment is projected to grow 40% from 2024 to 2034, making this one of the fastest-growing roles in healthcare, with a median annual salary of $132,050 (
The WHNP-BC (Women's Health Care Nurse Practitioner – Board Certified) is the only national certification for nurse practitioners specializing in women's health. Offered exclusively by the 
The AHIMA Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) exam has one of the lowest pass rates among healthcare certifications: approximately 50% of first-time test takers fail. With 107 total questions — including 33 medical coding scenarios requiring real-time abstraction — this is not an exam you can cram for. Successful candidates invest 8–12 weeks of structured preparation, practice 2 inpatient and 2 outpatient coding cases per day, and master the CCS content domains before sitting for the test. This guide gives you the exact study plan, domain strategy, and time management framework to pass on your first attempt.
The NHA Certified Electronic Health Records Specialist (CEHRS) exam validates your ability to navigate EHR software, manage clinical and administrative data, maintain HIPAA compliance, and generate reports within electronic health record systems. The exam consists of 125 multiple-choice questions — 100 scored and 25 unscored pretest items — with a 125-minute time limit, a $129 fee, and a passing threshold of 390 on a 200–500 scaled score. NHA launched the current CEHRS test plan on June 17, 2020, following a nationwide Job Task Analysis completed in 2019.
The ANCC Informatics Nursing board certification (NI-BC) is the gold-standard credential for registered nurses working at the intersection of healthcare and information technology. The exam contains 150 questions — 125 scored and 25 unscored pretest items — and you have 3 hours to complete it at a Prometric testing center. You need a scaled score of 350 out of 500 to pass, and the certification is valid for 5 years. With employment in health information technology projected to grow 15 percent from 2024 to 2034 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, earning the NI-BC has never been more career-relevant.
The ANCC Gerontological Nursing certification (GERO-BC) validates that registered nurses possess the clinical knowledge and judgment to care for older adults across acute, long-term, and community settings. The computer-based exam contains 150 questions — 125 scored and 25 unscored pretest items — and must be completed within 3 hours at a Prometric testing center. With 61.2 million Americans now aged 65 and older, representing 18% of the total population, board-certified gerontological nurses are in unprecedented demand. This guide breaks down every detail you need — eligibility requirements, content domains, study strategies, and exam-day logistics — so you can earn the GERO-BC credential on your first attempt.
The NHA CBCS and the AAPC CPC serve different career paths in the medical billing and coding field. The CBCS (Certified Billing & Coding Specialist) is an entry-level credential focused on revenue cycle workflows, payer requirements, coding guidelines, and billing and reimbursement fundamentals. Based on the current MedicoExam CBCS syllabus page, the CBCS exam costs $129, runs 180 minutes, and includes 125 total questions (100 scored + 25 pretest). The CPC (Certified Professional Coder) is a physician-office and outpatient coding credential from AAPC that currently costs $425 for one attempt or $499 for two attempts, includes 100 questions, and requires a passing score of 70%.
