NCHEC announced an update to the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES®) and Master Certification Health Education Specialist (MCHES®) examinations effective April 2023.
To ensure fairness and security across both live remote-proctored and PSI test center examinations, the CHES® and MCHES® exams will be administered using a set of security protocols in alignment with accreditation standards recommended by one of our accrediting bodies, NCCA. This security policy will affect the examination format and the break policy. Candidates will have a total of three (3) hours to complete 165 questions in the CHES®/MCHES® examination, which will include an optional 10 min break midway through the examination. Both the CHES® and MCHES® examinations will now be offered in two blocks; block 1, which contains questions 1 to question 83, and block 2 which contains questions 84 to question 165.
Before candidates finish the first block of questions, a candidate can go back and check or change any answers in that block. After question 83, a candidate will begin the second block of questions. Once the second block has begun, a candidate can only access, check, or change answers in the second block (questions 84 to 165).
Candidates will be given an opportunity to take an optional 10-minute break midway through the examination and if a break is taken, will require additional security screening time before proceeding to complete the second block of the exam. The 10-minute break time is deducted from the total test time. Following the break, CHES® and MCHES® candidates will gain access to the second block of the exam, but will not be able to access the first block of questions of the exam. For more information on the examination format, Areas of Responsibility, or updated break policy, please refer to the respective CHES® and MCHES® exam pages at www.nchec.org.
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Founded in 1988, the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. (NCHEC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the professional practice of Health Education/Promotion by promoting and sustaining a credentialed body of Health Education Specialists. The purpose of NCHEC is to certify health education specialists, promote professional development, strengthen professional preparation and practice, and promote the health education/promotion profession (see www.nchec.org).