NHA Phlebotomy Passing Score: 390 on a 200–500 Scale, and How to Read Your Score Report

NHA sets one passing standard for the CPT exam: a scaled score of 390. Its Candidate Handbook, updated October 5, 2026, says "scaled scores range from 200 to 500" and that you need "a scaled passing score of 390 or higher to pass any examination covered in this Handbook." The same 390 applies to all eight NHA certification exams, which NHA's 2025 pass-rate report states as "390/500."

What 390 means on NHA's 200–500 scale

Each NHA exam has several versions (forms), and forms can differ slightly in difficulty. The handbook explains that 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."

The standard behind 390 is criterion-referenced: it reflects a minimum level of competence, not a curve against other candidates. NHA says its cut scores are set with a modified Angoff method, in which panels of subject matter experts judge whether a minimally qualified candidate would answer each item correctly. Only the 100 scored questions count; the 20 pretest questions don't affect your score.

Why 390 isn't 78%, and how many questions you can miss

Dividing 390 by 500 gives 78%, but that number doesn't describe anything on the exam. The scale starts at 200, not zero, and the questions are weighted by difficulty, so there's no fixed share of correct answers that equals 390. NHA's handbook and help center don't give a raw passing number either. Any page that says you can miss exactly a certain number of questions is guessing.

What you can control is your margin. A practical target is to be scoring comfortably, not narrowly, on timed practice sets in every domain before you book, because the real form may be harder than your practice. To see where that margin is thin, planned NHA CPT prep tracks your accuracy in each of the five domains and names the weakest one.

When NHA CPT results arrive

NHA emails you when results are available, and for confidentiality the email doesn't include your score (NHA). Scores are never given over the phone. At PSI, you also get an on-screen message and an email when you finish, with instructions for receiving your score from NHA.

A preliminary report isn't the final result. The handbook warns that if you show a preliminary report to an employer or state agency as proof of passing, "you do so at your own risk." NHA can review results for anomalies and rescore an exam if it finds an error.

New NHA exams sometimes have a pilot scoring period of up to eight weeks while the passing score is set. NHA said the January 2026 CPT exam would have no pilot scoring period (CPT Customer FAQ).

Reading your NHA CPT score report

To open it, log in at nhanow.com, select Exam Results under Applications, and use Download Individual Result Report. The report shows your scaled score, pass or fail, and a rating for each of the five domains (the handbook calls them major content areas):

Three cautions from the handbook help you read it:

• Each rating is a range. "Above" could be just over the line or far above it.
• The ratings don't add up to your score. They account for item difficulty in a way the overall score doesn't, so you can't total them.
• A retake can rate differently. A different form spreads difficult items differently across domains, so the same knowledge can earn a different rating.

If you didn't pass, NHA's advice is to spend "considerable study time" on domains rated Below or Near, without dropping the ones rated Above. Those misses are easier to fix when you can see them again, and planned practice saves every NHA CPT question you miss for another try. The NHA CPT retake guide turns the report into a 30-day plan.

After a passing score

NHA emails you that your certificate is ready to print. You find it in your NHA account under My Achievements, with your certification number and expiration date (NHA). Your name and credential then appear in NHA's public verification tool, which never shows failed attempts or scores. Two exceptions delay the certificate: on the pre-externship and employer training routes, NHA assigns no certificate number until your school or employer confirms you've finished the practical part. NHA's CPT page says NHA posts official results to your account "within two days of scoring your test."

If you think your NHA score is wrong

The handbook gives two formal routes, and their decisions are final:

• Hand rescoring. Send a written request within 60 days of the exam date. NHA may charge a fee.
• Score appeal. Submit NHA's official Appeals form within 30 days of the exam date. Decisions come in writing only.

Your next step after reading your NHA CPT score

If you passed, print your certificate and note the expiration date two years out. If you didn't, open the domain ratings next to NHA's test plan and start with the domains marked Below or Near; the free NHA phlebotomy retake planner builds the weeks from your 30-day wait. Before the next attempt, a full timed run tells you more than any score conversion, and a timed NHA CPT mock exam planned for launch is scored at the end like the real one.