Schedule Your Exam
After you have been approved to sit for the exam and you have paid your $350 exam fee, you will be able to schedule your exam with Prometric.
Examinations are offered at Prometric Testing Locations during two windows -- April-May and October-November -- each year. You can schedule an exam anytime within those windows (depending on the hours of your chosen test center - some are open Sundays, some aren't). The Prometric Prepare for Test Day link offers useful test preparation tips. The What to Expect page explains in 8 steps what you can expect at the test center to help you become more comfortable on test day. The Test Drive page details how you can perform a dry run at a test center for a minimal cost.
Beginning with the 2012 Fall Exam, the CIH exam will consist of 150 scored items, rather than the previous 175 scored items. The exam will also contain an additional 50 experimental questions, instead of the previous 75 experimental questions. The reduction in length of the exam is consistent with certification industry best practice, as the shorter exam places less of a burden on candidates while still producing reliable and valid results.
Candidates will benefit as the duration of the exam will drop to 5.5 hours, making the test experience less taxing. The optional break between the two sections of the exam will be maintained. The impact on reliability and validity, which are indicators of consistent and accurate results, was carefully investigated before this change was made. It was found that the shorter exam would retain high levels of reliability and validity.
The content of the examination will not be altered and the percentage of items in each domain will remain the same. The ample number of items in each domain area will ensure that the breadth and depth of candidate knowledge is adequately covered.
The application deadlines are February 1 for the spring exam window and August 1 for the fall exam window.
View our Fact Sheet for details on scheduling an examination at a Prometric site.