Overview

Exam Overview

The Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES®) and Master Certified Health Education (MCHES®) examinations are competency-based tools used to measure possession, application and interpretation of knowledge in the Seven Areas of Responsibility for Health Education Specialists delineated by A Competency-Based Framework for Health Education Specialists 2015. The CHES® and MCHES® certifications create a national and international standard for health education specialists practicing at both entry and advanced levels.

CHES® 

The CHES® exam is :

• designed for individuals in the early stages of their career
• validated by a comprehensive job analysis study that identified entry-level Competencies for health education specialists- testing you on what is relevant in the profession
• designed for health education specialists who select participants and deliver training
• designed for health education specialists who identify existing data collection instruments for program evaluation

MCHES® 

The MCHES® exam is:

• designed for experienced specialists with at least five years of experience
• validated by a comprehensive job analysis that identified advanced-level Competencies and Sub-competencies for experienced health education specialists
• designed for health education specialists responsible for developing and managing budgets, and applying ethical principles
• designed for health education specialists repsonsible for identifying staff development and training needs
• designed for health education specialists who develop and monitor strategic plans

Consisting of 165 multiple-choice questions (150 scored and 15 pilot tested), both the CHES® and MCHES® examinations are only in computer-based format at more than 400 Prometric test centers worldwide. Candidates are allotted 3 hours to complete the examination questions. Total seat time at Prometric Test Centers, including tutorials and surveys, is 3.5 hours.

The Difference Between CPH and CHES® Certification

The CHES® and MCHES® examinations have met national standards in credentialing and have been accredited by the National Commission of Certified Agencies accreditation since 2008. 

NCHEC also is internationally accredited as a Personnel Certification Body by the International Accrediation Service (IAS) to the ISO/IEC 17024 Conformity Assessment. 

Examination Statistics

The National Commission for Health Education Credentialing continues to show solid growth in certifying both CHES® and MCHES®.  The 2018 exam cycles had the highest number of registrations out of all previous cycles with a total of 2828 CHES® registrants and 163 MCHES® registrants.  To date, there are over 14,500 CHES® and MCHES® representing all 50 states in the United States, Puerto Rico, as well as others who are practicing internationally.

Figure 1:  5 Year Comparison Study - CHES® registrants

Figure 2:  5 Year Comparison Study - MCHES® registrants

Figure 3:  2018 CHES® and MCHES® by State Map