Certification Exam F.A.Q. and Study Tips

• Within 3 business days of successfully completing an AIHC online course, attending a live event, or registering for the Exam Only option, you will receive an email from ScheduleExam@aihc-assn.org with a link to schedule your exam. If you do not receive the email containing these instructions in your inbox, check your spam/junk folder.
• As certification exams are scheduled in advance with an AIHC professional proctor, you cannot schedule your exam within 7 days of the current date.

Once your appointment has been approved by your proctor, you will have access to your AIHC course page and the AIHC Exam site up to and including your exam day.

The Certification Exam Board has been tracking first-attempt certification pass rates and reporting this information for AIHC since 2007.  Recent statistics demonstrate the following:

• Online Course
  • For clients taking the certification exam within 3 months after course completion there is an 85% chance of passing on the first attempt.
• Certification Exam Only - offered only for CHCO and OHCC certifications
  • For those clients registered for the Exam Only and possessing 5-10 years of experience in that field, there is an 83% chance of passing on the first attempt.  (We do offer the option to upgrade to the online course by paying the difference between the Exam Only fee and the Online Course Fee).
• Live Event Training Camp
  • Our live events are an awesome way to learn, network and get your questions answered.  Our training camp instructors are available to socialize after class and provide one-on-one or small group discussions.  The pass rate for a first attempt when the exam is scheduled within 3 months after camp is 92%.

• Access to email and phone in order to communicate with your proctor on exam day
• Operating system such as Windows 10 or MAC OS X with internet access (high speed is recommended)
• Recommended: use a second computer or a second monitor so you can pull up learning materials on one and have the exam open on the other

• No Show: Your proctor is unable to reach you by phone at your scheduled exam time 
  • No shows are counted as 1 failed exam attempt
  • A $75 fee is required before you may reschedule
  • Fee waiver: If there is proof of extenuating circumstances related to not taking your exam at the scheduled time, email this information to be reviewed by the Certification Exam Board
• Canceling within 24 hours of the exam
  • Contact the Certification Department by phone at (330) 241-5635 option 7
  • A $75 fee is required before you may reschedule
• Canceling between 24 hours and 5 days of the exam:
  • Contact the Certification Department by phone at (330) 241-5635 option 7
  • A $25.00 rescheduling fee is imposed for changes made within this time frame
• Canceling up to 6 days in advance:
  • Clients may cancel their exam 6 days or more in advance to avoid a fee
  • Clients should use Appointy (our online exam scheduling software) to cancel and/or reschedule their exam

• AIHC certification exams are open note. Get organized in advance. Download adjunct course materials located within the lessons under the 'Materials Tab'. Create PDFs of the lessons using the “Ctrl + P” function and save (or print) the lessons.
  • Practice electronically searching terms/key phrases within those documents (Ctrl + F) when you are taking lesson quizzes and the mock exam for review.
• You are allowed up to 3 hours to complete your exam.  Use the mock exam to practice pacing yourself accordingly. Time extensions will not be given on the day of the exam.
• Make sure your exam day computer is in good working condition prior to the day of the exam.
  • Run any updates the night before.
  • Be sure the documents you want to reference are saved on your computer.
• Plan to take your certification exam in a comfortable, quiet place with minimal distractions.
• Read questions carefully.
  • Be sure you understand how to answer the question – what is really being asked?
  • Use key words in the question to search PDF documents
  • Fill-in-the-Blank: Spelling counts!  The exam software cannot recognize erroneous characters, including inappropriate spacing.
• Answer the question with confidence, then do NOT go back and change the answer.
  • Do not leave any unanswered questions.
  • For questions you are unsure of, “flag” them and come back later to review them.

Please note: A Proctor is assigned to provide technical support to you during the certification exam and cannot provide guidance on exam content nor make changes to your computer system remotely.

Before the Start of Your Exam:

• Make sure the phone number you provided is a direct line to you and do not silence that phone. Turn off/silence all other phones, email notifications, pagers, etc.
• Have your course documents open on your computer for quick, easy access and close other unnecessary programs/documents that may cause distraction.
• Have your AIHC Exams log-in information ready so that you can start your exam promptly.
• Have your email open to receive the link to your certification exam page.

At the Start of Your Exam

• The proctor will call you at your scheduled exam time and email you a link to your exam. 
• The proctor will briefly review the certification exam process and software.
• Ask the proctor any questions you may have about the process.
• Upon hanging up with the proctor, your exam time will begin and will be tracked by the proctor.
• Your proctor will call with a 30-minute warning, and when your exam time has expired. 

Upon Completion of Your Exam

• If you finish prior to the end of your exam time call your proctor at the number provided to you at the beginning of your exam.
• Do not submit your answers until the proctor walks you through this process.
• Your unofficial exam results will be available immediately.
• The proctor will forward these exam results to the Certification Exam Board for review.
• You will receive your official results via email within 10 business days of the exam date with information about your next steps in the certification process.

Continuing education is critical to maintain a professional credential.  Obtaining 6 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) is required annually.  AIHC is a non-profit organization, so we offer various alternatives to make maintaining your credential(s) easy:

• Before it is time to renew your annual membership (maintaining annual membership is required for your credential), check out the Renewals Page for discounted CEU packages to satisfy all of your CEU requirements.
• We also offer free CEUs for reading our monthly newsletters, watching our educational videos and reading designated blog articles.  
• We currently accept CEUs earned through other organizations when you supply proof of attendance or proof of completion (certificate) demonstrating the date and number of CEUs earned.  We accept AHIMA, AAPC, AAHAM, HCCA, MGMA as examples and 1 hour = 1 CEU toward your credit for annual renewal purposes.