What Happens If You Fail the NHA CPT Exam? Retake Policy and Next Steps

If you do not pass the NHA Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT) exam, NHA allows 3 total attempts, with a minimum 30 day wait required before each retake, as of September 2026. If you still have not passed after the third attempt, NHA requires a full 12 month wait before you can test again, and per the Candidate Handbook, each repeated failure after the third attempt requires a 1 year wait. You must pay the exam fee again for each retake; NHA does not offer a discounted retake price. A passing score is 390 out of a possible 200 to 500 scaled point range, the same standard NHA applies across its certification exams. Whether you pass or fail, NHA generates a score report that rates your performance across the CPT exam’s 5 content domains as Above, Near, or Below the passing standard, so a non passing attempt still gives you a specific map of where to focus before you try again. Failing is not the end of the road toward certification; it is a data point NHA hands you to close specific gaps before your next scheduled attempt.

NHA’s CPT Retake Policy: 3 Attempts, 30 Day Waits

NHA’s guidance to candidates who do not pass is direct and consistent across its certification exams, including the CPT: you can reapply to sit for the exam again after 30 days if you do not pass on your first or second attempt. If you do not pass after your third attempt, you must wait 12 months to take the exam again, and that same 12 month wait applies to every subsequent attempt after that. There is no published cap on total lifetime attempts; the policy simply lengthens the wait sharply after three unsuccessful sittings. The table below lays out the timeline attempt by attempt, current as of September 2026.

What Your Score Report Shows After a Fail

NHA sends an email notification when results are ready inside your certification portal account; for confidentiality, the email itself does not include your score. Logging in and opening your Individual Result Report shows your pass or fail status and your scaled score, and it rates your performance across the CPT exam’s 5 content domains, Safety and Compliance, Patient Preparation, Routine Blood Collections, Special Collections, and Processing, as Above, Near, or Below the passing standard. Two caveats from NHA’s Candidate Handbook are worth taking seriously: a Near rating does not mean your performance in that domain was satisfactory, and each rating covers a range, so treat the report as a rough map of where to focus rather than a precise diagnostic. When you plan your review, remember that Routine Blood Collections and Safety and Compliance together carry 54% of the 100 scored items, so those two domains deserve the largest share of your study time regardless of how the areas were rated. See What’s on the NHA CPT Exam for the full breakdown of what each domain covers.

What It Costs to Retake the Exam

NHA requires payment of the full exam fee for every retake attempt; there is no discounted price for a second or third sitting. NHA does not publish a flat CPT exam fee on its public pages; current pricing is shown when you register for your exam inside your NHA account, so budget for the full fee each time you reapply. See How Much Does the NHA CPT Exam Cost for the full breakdown of exam and recertification fees.

What to Do Between Attempts

The mechanics of the wait period are simple, but what you do with the time is what changes the outcome. Since Routine Blood Collections and Safety and Compliance carry more than half the scored items, a candidate whose score report shows weakness concentrated there should spend the bulk of the 30 day window on hands on scenario practice: venipuncture technique, order of draw, tourniquet application, complications management, and standard infection control precautions, rather than spreading review evenly across all 5 domains again. A candidate whose report shows scattered weak spots across the smaller domains, Patient Preparation, Processing, or Special Collections, should treat those gaps as equally worth closing, since each missed item counts the same toward the scaled score regardless of domain size.

A 30 day window is short. Timed, full length practice under conditions similar to the actual 2 hour, 120 question format helps close both knowledge gaps and pacing gaps in that window, and reviewing your score report’s domain breakdown before you start is the fastest way to target study time where it will move your scaled score the most.

Review your weakest domains with a free NHA CPT practice test, or work through full length NHA CPT practice tests built around NHA’s actual domain weights before you schedule your next attempt.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many times can you retake the NHA CPT exam?

NHA allows 3 attempts with a minimum 30 day wait between each. There is no published limit on total attempts after that, but per the Candidate Handbook, each repeated failure after the third attempt requires a 1 year wait before you can test again.

How soon can you retake the CPT exam after failing?

At least 30 days after your first or second failed attempt. After a third failed attempt, the minimum wait extends to 12 months, and that same 12 month wait applies to every attempt after the third.

Do you get a score report if you fail the CPT exam?

Yes. NHA generates a report for every attempt, pass or fail, showing your scaled score and rating each of the CPT exam’s 5 content domains as Above, Near, or Below the passing standard, available by logging into your certification portal account.

Do you have to pay again to retake the CPT exam?

Yes. NHA requires the exam fee to be paid for every attempt, with no published discount for retakes.

Sources

• What to Do If You Didn’t Pass Your Exam, info.nhanow.com
• How Do I Get My Exam Results?, knowledge.nhanow.com
• NHA Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT) Test Plan, info.nhanow.com
• Phlebotomy Certification (CPT), nhanow.com
• NHA Candidate Handbook, nhanow.com (updated June 2026)

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