NHA CPT Exam Format: 120 Questions in 2 Hours, the Five Domains, and Where You Test

The NHA CPT is a single computer-based sitting of 120 multiple-choice questions, and the clock gives you 2 hours. NHA's CPT test plan, the one NHA linked as the "New CPT Exam Test Plan (for exams after January 7, 2026)," heads the page with "100 Scored Items/20 Pretest Items" and "Exam Time: 2 hours." NHA's Candidate Handbook explains that you "are not aware which questions are scored questions and which questions are pretest questions," and that pretest items don't affect your score.

NHA CPT format in one table

As checked on October 28, 2026:

How that score works is explained in the NHA CPT passing score guide.

How the 100 scored questions split across the five domains

The test plan's summary outline gives each domain a number of items, and because there are exactly 100, the item count is also the percentage:

Routine Blood Collections and Safety and Compliance together are 54 of the 100 scored items. The test plan also lists 23 "Core Knowledge" statements, from vascular anatomy, hemostasis and blood groups to pre-analytical errors, HIPAA, the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act and labeling rules. NHA says this knowledge "does not represent standalone domains" but can be used inside any domain's questions.

The domain names show up again on your score report, so it pays to know them. Planned NHA CPT practice is tagged to the same five domains, from order of draw to chain of custody.

What NHA CPT questions ask

Every question is multiple choice. NHA's test plan says items "might require recall and critical thinking pertaining to a knowledge statement, a task statement, or both." In practice that means some questions test a fact, such as which tube color goes with a coagulation test (the test plan's own example is "blue stopper for coagulation"), and others describe a patient, an order or a problem and ask what you should do next.

NHA writes every scored question to a task on the test plan, so the task list is the closest thing to a syllabus. Passy doesn't reproduce NHA questions; NHA's attestation forbids sharing or memorizing exam content.

Tools, breaks and rules during the 2 hours

The handbook, PSI's candidate bulletin and NHA's update log set these rules:

• One continuous session. You can't stop and come back later to finish or review.
• Tutorial first. At PSI, an introductory tutorial with sample questions comes before the exam, and up to 15 minutes of it doesn't count against your exam time.
• Moving around the exam. At PSI you can return to any question and change your answer while time remains.
• Calculator and whiteboard. Since June 1, 2026, PSI-delivered NHA exams use a calculator built into the exam and no scratch paper: PSI centers hand out a physical whiteboard and remote candidates get a digital one. Personal calculators and your computer's calculator aren't allowed. At a school, the handbook says the proctor provides two sheets of scratch paper.
• Breaks. None are allowed during a remote session. At an in-person exam, the proctor may let you leave the room only if it is reasonably necessary, one person at a time, and the time keeps running.
• Closed book. No notes, references or electronic devices, including watches, earbuds and AI glasses.

School, PSI test center or remote

If you need accommodations, extended time is the only one NHA provides through live remote proctoring; other approved accommodations mean testing in person at a PSI center (NHA). The handbook gives approved extra time as 150% of the standard limit unless your documentation justifies more.

Pacing 120 NHA CPT questions in 120 minutes

Passy's arithmetic for an even pace (the tutorial time doesn't count):

One minute per question leaves no time for a second pass unless you bank some. A practical approach is to answer short recall items quickly, give long scenarios you're unsure about your best answer, jot their question numbers on your whiteboard or scratch paper, and keep about 10 minutes to go back to them; PSI lets you return to any question while time remains. Treat every question as if it counts, because pretest items look the same as scored ones. To practice that rhythm, you can rehearse the 2-hour pace with the planned 120-question NHA CPT mock exam.

What changed with the January 7, 2026 exam

NHA released new CPT study materials on October 8, 2025 and the new exam on January 7, 2026, after a job task analysis that it said had "minimal impact to exam topics and content areas" (NHA). NHA's crosswalk shows what moved:

• New tasks include cultural sensitivity and communication, copayments and billing, patient registration, EHR entries, adapting collections for special needs or analyzer minimum volumes, point-of-care tests, tolerance tests, blood alcohol site preparation, clinical research protocols and contacting patients for re-collection
• Removed: preparing peripheral blood smears
• Reworded or renumbered: most other tasks, many with new examples

As of October 28, 2026, NHA hadn't announced another CPT update. Its help center says new test plans and crosswalks typically appear 9 months to 1 year before a new exam launches (NHA).

Your next step with the NHA CPT format

Turn the domain table into study time: the NHA phlebotomy study plan weights 4-, 6- and 8-week schedules by these item counts, and the free study planner fits one to your date. For a first look at scenario questions, try the 20 free NHA phlebotomy practice questions, then see how many planned questions each NHA CPT domain gets in full prep.