EXAM APP / ADD'L SPECIALTY APP / EXAM TAKING TIPS
Please Note: HFMA Certification Exams will not be available on the third Saturday of each month due to Questionmark Perception (the exam host site) system upgrades.
Taking the Examination
All HFMA members are eligible to take the certification exams. The 2009-10 exams are available until December 31, 2010.
The certification exams are administered over the Internet, and must be proctored by an HFMA certified member approved by their chapter and HFMA National. Advance registration is required by submitting an exam application with payment.
The Core examination and one or more specialty examinations may be taken on the same date or scheduled separately on different dates. One exam is not a prerequisite to any other exam; they can be completed in any order.
- The Core exam contains 166 questions, of which 150 are scored. Candidates are allowed up to 4 hours to complete it.
- The specialty exams contain 83 questions each, of which 75 are scored. Candidates are allowed up to 2 hours complete each one.
You must successfully complete the Core and one specialty exam within two years of passing the first exam. You have a maximum of one year after you register for an exam to complete that exam. After one year, the paid fee is forfeited, and a new application with appropriate payment must be submitted.
Tips for the HFMA Certification Exam Candidate
Earning Additional Specialties
If you are already a CHFP, you can take additional specialty exams to add a specialty certification to your qualifications. Additional specialty exams can be taken at any time after becoming a CHFP. If you have successfully completed an additional specialty exam, submit and application with the processing fee.
Scheduling an Examination
To take any of the HFMA certification exams, submit to HFMA National a completed CHFP Examination Application with non-refundable fee. The fee is forfeited if the exam is not completed within one year of submitting the application. Phone applications will not be accepted.
- HFMA National confirms applicants are members.
- The candidate is responsible for identifying an approved proctor. Proctors are certified members of HFMA who are responsible for administering the HFMA certification exams. Approved proctors are listed under Exam Dates and Proctors of this website.
- Dates of chapter-sponsored exams (as provided by HFMA chapters) are posted under the Exam Dates and Proctors area of this website.
- Exam applications must include the name of the proctor who will be administering the exam on a mutually agreed upon date and location. You will be authorized to take the exam with that proctor ONLY and on the designated date.
Ten business days from the receipt of the exam application and charge payment (15 business days for payment by check) are required to process payment and assign passwords. (Expedite processing requires an additional $25 administrative fee.) Take this into consideration when establishing a test date with your proctor.
After the application has been processed and approximately three (3) business days prior to the scheduled exam, HFMA sends an email containing required passwords to each the candidate and the proctor at the e-mail address in the candidate's and proctor's HFMA member profile. The candidate and proctor are responsible for keeping their member profile current and accurate.
Examination Locations
Chapters and proctors coordinate to establish test dates for their chapter. You do not have to take the exams in your own chapter. You may request permission to complete your exam with a chapter other than your own. Be sure to communicate with chapters/proctors in advance to ensure there is available space. Check the Exam Dates and Proctors area of the website.
Re-scheduling an Examination
The candidate is responsible for re-scheduling the exam:
- Inform your proctor as soon as possible if you must re-schedule so they can adjust their schedule accordingly and/or release your seat to someone else wishing to take the exam.
- Contact your chapter to determine when the chapter will next be offering that exam. If those dates conflict with your schedule, you may complete the exam on a day offered by another chapter.
- Inform HFMA National in writing by sending an email to certification@hfma.org. When doing so, be prepared to identify the following:
- The name of the proctor with whom you were scheduled to take which exam and the scheduled date
- The proctor with whom you will now be taking which exam and the rescheduled date
Rescheduling an exam date more than two times will require a $25 administrative fee.
Reporting to the Examination Location
Report to the exam location on the scheduled date about 15 minutes before the scheduled start time for your exam. Bring the following items with you:
- Your password (provided to you about three business days prior to the exam.)
- At least two forms of identification, one of which has a recent picture or physical description, such as a valid driver's license
- A dependable watch
- A non-printing calculator
Taking the Examination
Once you are familiar with the way the computer equipment works, you may start your exam.
- When prompted, enter your password in the "name" field and have your proctor enter his/her password in the "password" field.
- Agree to maintain confidentiality of the exam and abide by the policies and procedures stated in the CHFP Exam Candidate Handbook as agreed when the CHFP Exam Application was signed and submitted.
- Enter your answers directly into the system by clicking the mouse on your selected answer.
- Once you indicate that you have completed an examination section and submit your responses to that section, you will NOT be allowed to go back into that section. Do NOT hit the submit button more than once.
- When you submit the last examination section, your responses are processed immediately and you receive your overall score. Your score is based on the number of questions answered correctly. Unanswered questions are scored as incorrect.
How the Examinations are Scored
The HFMA Board of Examiners has worked with experts in testing and psychometrics to ensure that the test items are valid and the scoring is accurate, fair, valid, and the HFMA examinations are graded using scaled scores. Based on a 30-point scale, the minimum passing score is 21. Your score is presented to you after you complete the last section of the exam. You are sent a score confirmation to the e-mail address contained in your HFMA member profile.
"Conditioned" Status
"Conditioned" status means you have passed one of the two required exams to become a CHFP. You must successfully complete both the Core exam and one of the specialty exams within two years from passing the first exam to satisfy the exam requirement for certification. For example, if you have passed the Core exam, but not the specialty exam, you are in a "conditioned" status and required to take only the specialty exam prior to the end of the two-year period.
If both exams are not successfully completed within the required 24-month period, both exams must be retaken.
Retaking an Examination
If you did not successfully complete an exam and would like to retake that exam, you must repeat the exam application process as described in the "Scheduling the Examination" section, including payment of the examination fee.
NOTE: Exams can NOT be retaken more often than once every 90 days. Exceptions to this timeframe will NOT be granted.