Wednesday, May 13, 2026

Insights from Recent CHCP® Exam Performance

By: Alliance Research Committee

The Certified Healthcare CPD Professional (CHCP®) credential represents a meaningful professional milestone for many in our community. Preparing for certification often brings a mix of confidence, anticipation and, quite naturally, some uncertainty. Yet exam performance data can offer insights that extend beyond the testing experience itself. Patterns in candidate performance may highlight areas where CPD professionals consistently demonstrate strength, as well as domains that present persistent challenges. To help address these challenges, the Alliance is launching an ongoing, quarterly review of CHCP® exam performance data. This article reflects our first snapshot, drawn from the June and September 2025 testing windows. While each dataset represents a moment in time, taken together, these analyses are intended to offer practical insight for candidates, mentors and CPD leaders seeking to strengthen preparation and professional development efforts.

A Look at Overall Performance

Across the two 2025 testing windows, 22 candidates sat for the new CHCP® exam, with a pass rate of 45.5%. While this may appear to be relatively split, it underscores that the CHCP® exam is intentionally rigorous, important as we continue evaluation.

Rather than assessing isolated facts, the exam evaluates how candidates integrate knowledge across multiple, often overlapping competency areas. Performance outcomes should therefore be viewed as feedback on applied understanding within the exam framework, not as a reflection of professional capability or commitment to the field.

Understanding Domain-Level Performance Patterns

Examining performance by content domain reveals clearer insight into where candidates tend to demonstrate strength and where challenges are more common. The largest score differences between passing and non-passing candidates were observed in:

Core Knowledge
Measurement and Evaluation
Program Management
Quality and Performance Improvement

These domains reflect the foundational elements of CPD practice. Success appears closely tied to applied understanding. Knowing not only what we do, but why and how these practices support outcomes, compliance and continuous improvement. Candidates who struggled in these areas may benefit from deeper engagement with the operational and evaluative aspects of CPD work.

Areas of Relative Strength

In contrast, most candidates, regardless of exam outcome, performed relatively well in

Leadership
Interprofessional Education
Emerging Trends

These areas may feel more accessible because they are frequently reinforced through day-to-day professional experience. Collaboration, leadership development and staying current with healthcare changes are embedded in much of CPD work, which may contribute to stronger performance across these domains.

Shared Challenges: Technology and Research

Two domains stood out as challenging across nearly all candidates:

Technology
Research and Scholarship

Even among those who passed the exam, scores in these areas tended to be lower.

This consistent pattern suggests that these topics may be less embedded in daily workflows or may require a different approach to studying, particularly one that emphasizes application over familiarity. These domains will remain an important area of focus in future quarterly analyses.

Practical Takeaways for Candidates and CPD Leaders

Several themes emerge from this initial review:

Applied fundamentals matter. Evaluation, quality improvement and program operations continue to be decisive areas for exam performance.
Confidence does not equal coverage. Strength in leadership or emerging topics should be balanced with focused attention on operational competencies.

Technology and research warrant intentional focus. These domains remain challenging and may benefit from additional applied learning opportunities.

Looking Ahead

Pursuing the CHCP® credential reflects a strong commitment to professional growth and excellence in CPD practice. Whether a candidate passes their first attempt or continues refining their preparation, exam performance data can serve as a valuable learning tool.

Future quarterly articles will continue to examine exam performance trends, shifts across domains, and areas of persistent challenge or improvement. Our goal is not only to report results, but to support a culture of learning, reflection and continuous improvement across the CPD community.

This research was conducted by the Alliance Research Committee: