What's on the NHA CPT exam.
Five domains, 120 questions, two hours, scaled-score pass. Your orientation to the exam most phlebotomy students actually sit, and how to spend your study time.
The format, in one paragraph
The NHA Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT) exam is a computer-based test of 120 questions, of which 100 are scored and 20 are unscored pretest items, with a two-hour time limit. NHA reports a scaled score rather than a raw percentage, and the passing standard is a scaled score of 390. The current version of the exam took effect January 7, 2026, built on a job analysis NHA completed in 2024, so its content reflects what working phlebotomists actually do today. The exam is organized into five domains, and NHA publishes exactly how many questions come from each.
Where the weight is
Two domains, Routine Blood Collections and Safety and Compliance, make up 54 percent of the exam between them. If your study time is limited, that is where it should go first. Patient Preparation is the next priority, and on the NHA exam this domain is broader than just talking to the patient: it includes verifying the order and requisition, confirming consent, checking fasting status, and the registration and insurance steps that NHA tests and many other exams do not.
How we organize the material
- Routine Blood Collections (28%). Equipment selection, tourniquet technique, site selection, order of draw, complications, capillary collection. The single largest domain.
- Safety and Compliance (26%). OSHA and bloodborne pathogens, PPE, sharps and biohazard handling, HIPAA, quality control, incident reporting.
- Patient Preparation (20%). Order and requisition verification, patient identification, consent, fasting and testing requirements, registration and billing basics.
- Processing (14%). Centrifugation, aliquoting, time and temperature limits, chain of custody, specimen integrity and rejection.
- Special Collections (12%). Blood cultures, point-of-care testing, tolerance tests, blood donation, drug and alcohol collection with chain of custody.
For the exact task and knowledge statements behind each domain, read the official NHA CPT test plan. Either way, treat Routine Blood Collections and Safety as your highest-yield study time.
NHA likes to test one fact two ways. Order of draw shows up as a straight sequence question and as a "this result is wrong, why" question. Learn the reasoning once and you answer both. We rebuild that skill in the order-of-draw and tube-color lessons.
Taking the ASCP PBT instead? It is a shorter, scaled exam with a different weighting. Here's what's on the ASCP PBT exam.
Standards reference: NHA Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT) test plan, based on the 2024 job analysis, exam version effective January 7, 2026. Domain item counts are NHA's published figures. PhlebotomySkills.com is exam-preparation content. Not a degree, not for-credit coursework, and not affiliated with any certifying body.
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