About the NHA CEHRS Exam

The Certified Electronic Health Records Specialist (CEHRS) credential is awarded by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA). It certifies that a candidate can perform the non-clinical, clinical, financial, compliance, and reporting tasks that surround an electronic health record in a real medical practice or hospital department. Before you study a single domain, you should know exactly what the exam looks like, because several of the most commonly repeated "facts" about the CEHRS on the open web are wrong.

Exam Format and Timing

The 25 pretest items are seeded throughout the exam and are indistinguishable from scored items. NHA uses them to gather statistics on candidate performance before promoting an item to scored status on a future form. Because you cannot tell which items count, the only workable strategy is to answer all 125 with equal care. There is no penalty for guessing, so never leave an item blank.

At 125 minutes for 125 items, you have an average of one minute per item. That is comfortable for recall items ("Which code set identifies laboratory observations?") but tight for multi-step scenario items ("A patient is covered by both parents' plans..."). Budget roughly 45 seconds for straightforward recall so you bank time for scenarios.

Scoring and the Passing Standard

NHA does not report a raw percentage. Every NHA exam is reported as a scaled score between 200 and 500, and the passing scaled score is 390. Scaling exists because NHA publishes multiple forms of the CEHRS; a scaled score weights items by difficulty so that a 390 represents the same level of competence no matter which form you drew. This has two practical consequences:

1. 390 is not "78 percent." You cannot convert the scaled score into a raw number of correct answers, and NHA does not publish the raw cut score. Any site that tells you "you need 78 out of 100" is guessing.
2. Score reports are diagnostic, not numeric, at the domain level. Your report places your performance in each major content area as Above, Near, or Below the passing standard rather than giving a domain percentage. Use those bands to target a retake.

Eligibility

NHA requires a high school diploma or the equivalent (GED or a state-recognized equivalency), plus one of the following:

• Training pathway: Successful completion of an electronic health records specialist training or education program within the past five years. Military medical training, a registered Department of Labor apprenticeship, and certain verified employer-based or pre-externship routes also satisfy this pathway.
• Experience pathway: One year of supervised work experience in the EHR specialist field within the past three years, or two years of supervised work experience within the past five years.

Cost, Retakes, and Recertification

NHA lists the CEHRS exam application at approximately $129 for the exam-only product; schools and employers frequently bundle the exam with study materials at a different price, so confirm the current fee in your NHA account at registration. Purchasing NHA study materials is never required to sit for the exam.

Retake rules come straight from the NHA Candidate Handbook and are frequently tested in candidate conversations:

• A candidate who does not pass must wait a minimum of 30 days before retesting.
• A candidate is allowed three attempts, each separated by at least 30 days.
• After a third unsuccessful attempt, the candidate must wait one full year before testing again.
• Every retake requires re-registration and payment of the full exam price.
• Rescoring requests must be submitted within 60 days of the exam date; score appeals must be filed on the official NHA Appeals form within 30 days.

Certification is valid for two years. To renew, you must complete 10 continuing education (CE) credits during each two-year period and pay the recertification fee. Letting the credential lapse means re-registering, retaking the exam, and paying full price to become certified again.

What the CEHRS Is Not

The CEHRS is not a coding credential and not a clinical license. You will be tested on recognizing ICD-10-CM, CPT, and HCPCS Level II structure and on entering and verifying codes captured by a provider — not on assigning codes independently the way an AAPC CPC or AHIMA CCS candidate would be. Likewise, you are tested on supporting computerized provider order entry and documenting clinical data within your scope, not on ordering, diagnosing, or advising. Scope-of-practice items appear across the exam, and the safe answer is almost always the one where the specialist documents, verifies, or escalates rather than the one where the specialist makes a clinical or coding judgment call.