CCMA Passing Score: What 390 on NHA's 200–500 Scale Means and When Results Arrive

The CCMA passing score is 390. NHA's Candidate Handbook (updated 10/05/2026) says "Scaled scores range from 200 to 500 and require that you meet a scaled passing score of 390 or higher to pass any examination covered in this Handbook." The same rule covers every NHA certification, and NHA's Help Center repeats it: a maximum of 500 points, with 390 or higher to pass.

How NHA scores the CCMA

Your exam is scored by the testing software, and only the 150 scored questions count; the 30 pretest questions don't affect your result. The raw result is then converted to a scaled score. The handbook explains why: "Each NHA exam has multiple forms," and the scaled score "considers the difficulty of each exam form by weighting the exam questions based on the difficulty level so that the passing scaled score of 390 is consistent regardless of the which form the candidate takes."

In practice, a candidate who gets a slightly harder set of questions isn't penalized for it, and one who gets an easier set doesn't get an advantage. The pass line, 390, stays put while the scale absorbs the difference.

Why 390 isn't a percentage

People often divide 390 by 500 and conclude that you need 78% (Passy's arithmetic). That isn't how the scale works:

• The scale starts at 200, not zero, so 390 isn't a share of anything
• The scaled score weights questions by difficulty, so the same number of correct answers can produce different scaled scores on different forms
• NHA doesn't publish the number of correct answers that equals 390 on any form

So nobody outside NHA can tell you how many CCMA questions you can miss. A practice tool that converts your percentage into a "CCMA score" is estimating, not using NHA's method. Practice is more useful for spotting the domains where you would land Near or Below, and planned CCMA practice by domain is built for that check.

Where the 390 comes from

The handbook's section on cut scores says NHA sets them with "a modified version of the standard setting method presented by Angoff (1971)": panels of subject matter experts rate whether "a minimally qualified candidate would correctly respond to each item." The handbook calls these criterion-referenced cut scores: the pass line reflects entry-level competence, not a curve, so your result doesn't depend on how other candidates did.

When NHA releases the first form of a brand-new test plan, it may use a pilot scoring period. NHA's pilot scoring article says results can then take up to eight weeks, and that candidates are told in advance. Without a pilot period, there's no such delay. The current CCMA test plan has been in use since January 10, 2024.

When CCMA results arrive

At the end of a PSI exam you get an on-screen message and an email with instructions for getting your score from NHA, per the PSI candidate bulletin. NHA then emails you when results are in your account. For confidentiality, that email doesn't contain the score.

To see it, log in to your NHA account, open Exam Results under Applications, and use Download Individual Result Report. NHA never gives scores by phone. The handbook also warns that a preliminary report isn't the final result: if you show it to an employer or regulator as proof you passed, "you do so at your own risk." Your certificate is the proof.

If you would rather gauge your readiness before test day than wait on a report, the planned CCMA mock exam runs 180 questions in 3 hours, scored at the end.

Reading your CCMA score report

The report shows your scaled score, pass or fail, and how you performed in each major content area of the test plan. Each domain lands in one of three categories:

The handbook gives "N/A" instead of a category when a content area had five or fewer questions. Every CCMA domain carries at least seven scored questions under the test plan, so you should normally see a category for all seven.

Three cautions from the handbook:

• Categories are ranges. "Above" could be just above the line or far above it
• They can't be added up. They account for the difficulty of the questions you saw, and the overall score is calculated separately, so the categories "cannot be 'added' up to the overall outcome"
• They don't carry over. A retake uses a different form, so a category on one attempt doesn't guarantee the same or better next time

If you passed, a Near or Below domain is still worth reviewing for work. If you didn't, the CCMA retake guide shows how to turn the categories into a study plan.

After a pass: your certificate and verification

NHA emails you after a pass, and you print the certificate from My Achievements in your account. The certification is valid for two years and expires on the date shown on the certificate.

NHA must let the public verify credentials, so your name and certification appear in the online verification tool on nhanow.com. The handbook says the tool doesn't show failed attempts or your score. Scores go only to you and, where applicable, your institution, unless the law requires otherwise; you can choose during registration to share them with your school.

One exception to the timing: if you tested before finishing an externship or employer training under an NHA agreement, you learn pass or fail, but no certificate number is issued until the school or employer confirms completion.

Questioning a CCMA score

The handbook gives two routes, both in writing:

• Hand rescoring. Send a written request within 60 days of the exam date. NHA may charge a fee, and its decision is final
• Score appeal. Use NHA's official appeals form within 30 days of the exam date. Decisions come in writing and are final

NHA also reviews results for anomalies on its own: if a scoring error is found, the exam is rescored and you're told whether the outcome changed.

How many candidates reach 390

NHA's 2025 pass-rate report shows 81.73% of the 98,609 CCMA exams given in 2025 passed. What that does and doesn't say about your chances is in the guide to how hard the CCMA is.

Your next step toward a 390

You can't convert practice percentages into a scaled score, but you can make every domain solid. Start with the 20 free CCMA practice questions, then build domain-by-domain practice into your plan; planned CCMA prep tracks your accuracy in each of the seven domains.