The exam will re-open for regular testing on February 1, 2023.

Successful long-term care infection prevention certification indicates competence in the practice of infection prevention and control within a long-term care setting. This includes:

• Responsibility for the infection prevention and control programs/activities in a long-term care setting. Candidates will fill have their employer fill out an attestation form confirming this information.
• Completed post-secondary education in a health-related field including but not limited to medicine, nursing, laboratory technology, public health, or biology.  Post-secondary includes public or private universities, colleges, community colleges etc. 

More information is available under Eligibility Guidelines.

Yes.

The examination fee is $410.

No, we only offer computer-based testing through Prometric. The examination can be taken a physical testing center or at home via Prometric’s live remote proctoring platform, Pro-Proctor.

Yes, candidates who have a learning disability, a psychological disability, or other disability that requires an accommodation in testing should indicate this on their application and are required to submit the Documentation of Disability and Request for Special Exam Accommodations form with their application.

CBIC encourages all candidates to review the exam content outline: https://www.cbic.org/CBIC/Exam-Prep-Resources.htm.

In 2023, 77.3% of candidates passed the LTC-CIP. 163 test takers took the exam in 2023.

The CIC® and LTC-CIP® have different content outlines which were developed from two separate practice analyses. For the CIC®, long-term care is briefly addressed, but the LTC-CIP® exam focuses specifically on the knowledge base and practices directly relevant to long-term care. Hence, while some of the topics in the content outlines overlap, all content domains for the LTC-CIP® are interpreted specifically for long-term care.

The same rigor of test development and content creation went into the LTC-CIP® as the CIC®. CBIC adheres to the standards set by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) to ensure that all exams meet the stringent standards set by the credentialing community. NCCA standards state the certification program must use panels of qualified subject-matter experts (SMEs) to participate in all aspects of test development, including the setting of the passing standard, known as the standard setting.

The LTC-CIP® is developed by actively working infection preventionists within long-term care settings. Both the CIC® and LTC-CIP® examination content are based upon results of a practice analysis, which is a survey of practicing professionals in infection prevention and control that is conducted by the Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. (CBIC ®) every 4-5 years.

The LTC-CIP® results in a certification. Other programs may be training programs for staff that results in continuing education credits and/or a certificate. The LTC-CIP® was written by actively working infection preventionists in long-term care settings. Content was developed based on the 2021 Practice Analysis. Learn more about how the examination is written by reading the Practice Analysis and reviewing the content outline.

A certificate is awarded following the completion of a course or series of courses provides education and training around an intended learning outcome.

A certification is awarded following successful completion of a comprehensive examination process and provides an independent assessment of the knowledge, skills, and/or competencies required for competent performance of an occupation or professional role. After passing the LTC-CIP examination, certificants may put “LTC-CIP” after their name.

A certificate program typically encompasses baseline knowledge while a certification indicates mastery of knowledge. The Institute for Credentialing Excellence outlines the differences online.  

CBIC will be applying for accreditation through the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) once eligible. The Institute for Credentialing Excellence states, “A new certification program (one that has not previously received NCCA accreditation) may apply for accreditation either after one year of administration of the assessment instrument or when at least 500 candidates have been assessed with that instrument, whichever comes first.”

https://www.credentialingexcellence.org/Accreditation/Earn-Accreditation/NCCA/FAQs

Yes, both the CIC® and the LTC-CIP® meet this requirement. 

Recertification must be completed every five years.

Recertification will be available through Infection Prevention Units (IPUs) or through examination. Additional information is available on the LTC-CIP page. 

Candidates will be required to provide a minimum of five long-term care specific IPUs every five years. The long-term care focus of the educational offering should be self-evident in the topic/title itself or within the learning objectives of the presentation. These can be from any of the nine domains.

LTC-CIP® IPU portfolios must meet at minimum, seven of the nine domains. 

No, the CBIC Board recommends candidates earn at least two IPUs from this area as a part of the minimum required 40 IPUs, but it is not a requirement at this time. 

Your examination score is based on the total number of scored items you answered correctly. Fifteen items on the examination are in pre-test slots and do not count towards your score. 

No. The content areas are not scored separately. There is one reported pass/fail decision.

The minimal qualifications, represented by a passing score, are determined through a formal process called a standard setting study, where a panel of content experts recommends a standard and a passing score to CBIC.  The raw passing score chosen by CBIC is set to equal a scaled score of 700. 

Scaled scores are determined by converting the number of questions answered correctly to a scaled score that ranges from 300 to 900. A candidate needs a total test scaled score of at least 700 to pass the examination. Scaled scores provide a uniform frame of reference based on the standard adopted by CBIC of the threshold at which a candidate demonstrates minimum competency in infection control.  The scaled scores account for variation among forms, so candidates are held to the same standard regardless of which form they take.

All examination forms are assembled using the same test specifications.  Although all attempts are made to ensure that the difficulty level of the different forms is as equivalent as possible, there may be slight variations. To account for these variations, the forms are statistically equated so that the passing score remains consistent with the standard used on the standard setting examination.  Equating is a statistical process that adjusts for differences in test difficulty so that scores from different test forms are comparable.  Examinations that are either easier or more difficult than the examination upon which the standard and the passing score were established will have the raw passing cut score adjusted up or down.

No. The number of correct answers required to pass the examination may vary across forms and therefore, the number of questions answered correctly is not reported to candidates. Scaled scores are reported instead. The conversion to scaled scores makes comparisons across forms consistent.

No. Scaled scores are calculated by using statistical methods to convert raw scores to a standard scale. The distribution of points across the scale range depends on where the passing score is set. A percentage score cannot be derived from the scaled score.

You will receive a pass message with instructions about your certification.  You will not be provided with a numerical scaled score.

You will receive a scaled score, which can range from 300-699. In addition, you will be provided with diagnostic performance levels in each content area to guide you in future study, if you decide to retake the examination.

There will be a mandatory 90-day waiting period between the date of your last exam and a new exam eligibility period. Please wait 90-days before attempting to reapply and make payment.

Waiting periods are common for professional certification examinations. The waiting period helps maintain the validity and security of our examinations. Additionally, it ensures that those who were unsuccessful have the neccesary time to prepare for their next attempt.

What is scaled scoring on a test? - Assessment Systems | Online Testing & Psychometrics