Taking the Initial Certification Examination

You should arrive at least 30 minutes before your scheduled exam appointment. You will be required to present one valid, government-issued ID (e.g., driver's license or passport, other federal or military ID), with your signature and a recognizable photograph. The identification document must be in Latin characters. If you are testing outside of your country of citizenship, you must present a valid passport.

All other personal items, including watches, must be secured in a locker for test security purposes, so please limit what you bring to the testing center. You will be screened with a metal detector during check-in. Please review the testing rules and regulations found on the Prometric website at www.prometric.com/cbic.

Important

• If you do not provide correct identification at the time of the exam, it is considered a missed appointment. You will be required to pay another full exam fee before choosing another appointment.
• If you arrive more than 30 minutes late for an appointment, examination fees will be forfeited.

Prometric conducts stricter inspections of any and all eyeglasses, jewelry and other accessories to inspect for camera devices that could be used to capture exam content:

• All candidates are required to remove their eyeglasses for close visual inspection by testing center staff. These inspections will take a few seconds and will be done at check-in and again upon return from breaks.   
• Jewelry outside of wedding and engagement rings is prohibited. Candidates may not wear other jewelry to the test center.  
• Hair accessories are subject to inspection. Candidates should refrain from wearing ornate clips, combs, barrettes, headbands, and other hair accessories as they may be prohibited from wearing them in to the testing room and asked to store them in their locker.
• If candidate is caught with a camera device prior to entering the testing room, Prometric will confiscate and they won’t be able to test.
• If a candidate is caught with a camera device while in the testing room, Prometric will confiscate and the exam will be terminated.

To ensure that all candidates are tested under equally favorable conditions, the following regulations and procedures will be observed at each test center. Failure to follow any of these security procedures may result in the disqualification of your examination and removal from the testing center. Prometric reserves the right to audiotape and videotape any examination session.

References

No reference materials, papers or study materials are allowed at the test center. If you are found with these or any other aids, you will not be allowed to continue the exam and your answers will not be scored. Candidates do not need to bring a calculator into the examination room with them – an onscreen calculator is provided for your convenience.

Personal Items

Prometric is not responsible for items left in the reception area of the test center. While lockers are provided, it is recommended that personal items not be brought into the test center. Note the following:

• Electronic equipment— cell phones, PDAs, pagers, cameras, tape recorders, etc.—are not permitted in the testing room and must be powered off while stored in a locker.
• Other personal items—watches, outerwear such as sweaters and jackets not being worn while testing, briefcases, purses, etc.—are not permitted in the testing room.
• Candidates may bring their own foam ear plugs into the examination room with them if they are sensitive to the noise of other candidates taking exams.

Breaks

Every time you enter the test room, you will be asked to turn your pockets inside out to confirm that you have no prohibited items. The test center administrator will collect any materials that are in violation of the rules.

If you leave the testing room while an exam is in progress, you must sign out/in on the roster and you will lose the exam time of the absence. You are not allowed to use any electronic devices or phones during breaks.

Visitors

No guests, visitors or family members are allowed at the test center.

Misconduct or Disruptive Behavior

Candidates who engage in any kind of misconduct or disruptive or offensive behavior maybe dismissed from the examination. Examples are: giving or receiving help, taking part in an act of impersonation, removing test materials or notes from the testing room, using rude or offensive language and behavior that delays or interrupts testing.

Weapons

Weapons are not allowed at the test center.

All test questions are the property of the Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. (CBIC) and are protected by copyright. Federal law provides severe civil and criminal penalties for the unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or exhibition of copyrighted materials.

Test center administrators are not allowed to answer any questions pertaining to the exam content. If you do not understand a question on the examination, you should answer the question to the best of your ability. Opportunity for feedback will be provided in the post-exam questionnaire.

The following tutorial is that which a candidate will see when taking the exam: