The Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT) credential from the National Healthcareer Association (NHA) is one of the most common phlebotomy certifications. This guide covers eligibility, the exam, scoring and how to prepare.

Who can take it

You need a high school diploma or equivalent and either a phlebotomy training program or supervised work experience, plus documented live collections: at least 30 venipunctures and 10 capillary sticks. Check NHA’s site for the current eligibility rules.

The format

The CPT exam has 100 scored questions and 20 unscored pretest questions, with a 2-hour limit. Under NHA’s current test plan, the scored questions come from five domains:

Domain	Scored questions
Routine Blood Collections	28
Safety and Compliance	26
Patient Preparation	20
Processing	14
Special Collections	12

Passing score

NHA reports a scaled score from 200 to 500, and 390 or higher passes. There’s no fixed number of questions you need right.

Where to test

At your school if it’s an NHA testing site, at a PSI test center, or online with live remote proctoring. Check the NHA Candidate Handbook for current fees, retake waiting periods and ID rules.

How hard is the CPT exam?

It’s practical, and most questions describe a real collection situation. Points are usually lost on details: the order of draw, tube additives, which site to use or avoid, how to handle special specimens (such as blood cultures, timed draws and specimens that must be chilled or protected from light), and safety rules from OSHA and CLSI.

How to study

If you have two weeks: master the order of draw and tube additives first, then routine venipuncture steps and site selection, then safety and infection control.

If you have four weeks: add a week on special collections and processing (centrifuging, transport and specimen rejection), and a final week of timed full practice exams.

Start with free practice on the home page.