About the CCHT exam
The Certified Clinical Hemodialysis Technician credential is awarded by the Nephrology Nursing Certification Commission (NNCC), which develops and administers the exam with the Center for Nursing Education and Testing (C-NET).
Verify before you apply
The figures below come from NNCC's published materials, but fees, eligibility rules and the blueprint are all revised periodically. The blueprint reflected here is marked "Accepted April 2018, effective 2019", and NNCC references a later revision. Confirm current details directly with NNCC at nncc-exam.org or 888-884-6622 before you rely on any of it.
Format
- Questions
- 150
- Time limit
- 3 hours
- Passing score
- 95
- Unscored items
- ~25
multiple choice, 4 options
scaled — about 74% correct
pilot questions
About 25 of the 150 questions are new items being trialled and do not count toward your score. You cannot tell which, so answer everything as if it counts. There is no penalty for guessing.
Eligibility
- High school diploma or GED (a copy is required, and the name must match your application).
- Completion of a clinical hemodialysis technician training program that included both classroom instruction and supervised clinical experience.
- Hands-on clinical patient care experience — a minimum of 6 months, with 1,000 hours commonly cited as the recommended benchmark.
- Employer verification if you have been employed within the last 18 months; proof of current retraining if you have been out of the field 18 months or longer.
- Compliance with federal and state regulations and the CMS Conditions for Coverage.
Fees
published by NNCC, subject to change| Examination fee | $225 |
| Expedited application review | $75 |
| Official online practice exam (50 questions) | $30 |
| Computer-based testing 90-day extension | $125 |
| Duplicate wallet card | $25 |
The blueprint
| Dialysis practice area | % of exam | Questions | Activities |
|---|---|---|---|
| I. Clinical | 48–52% | 71–78 | 34 |
| II. Technical | 21–25% | 32–38 | 11 |
| III. Environment | 13–17% | 19–25 | 13 |
| IV. Role Responsibilities | 10–14% | 15–20 | 14 |
Recall of Knowledge
8–12%Remember specific facts, common terms, basic concepts and principles. Definitions live here.
Comprehension
23–27%Interpret, compare, contrast, explain, estimate and translate. Deeper understanding of a concept.
Application of Knowledge
63–67%Apply learned facts to new situations and solve problems. An on-the-job scenario asking what is happening or what to do.
The cognitive mix is the part most study material ignores. Roughly two-thirds of the exam presents a real situation and asks what is happening or what to do about it. Memorising definitions will not carry you past that.
Recertification
Certification is valid for 3 years. To recertify you generally need 3,000 hours of work as a dialysis technician during the certification period, or 30 hours of nephrology continuing education within your scope of practice.
Official sources
NNCC — CCHT certification ↗
Eligibility, application forms, fees and recertification.
Test specifications (blueprint) ↗
The official weights and the full list of 72 tested activities.
Certification preparation guide ↗
Cognitive levels, the question-count grid and official sample items.
C-NET ↗
Test administration, scheduling and the official paid practice exam.