Certified in Public Health (CPH) Practice Test

140 questions available

NBPHE Certified in Public Health (CPH) exam covering the 8 core competencies of public health practice including epidemiology, communication, and leadership. Administered by NBPHE. Key domains include COMMUNICATION, DATA, ANALYTICS, AND INFORMATICS, DISEASE AND INJURY PREVENTION and PROGRAM PLANNING AND EVALUATION. The exam consists of 200 questions over 240 minutes.

Certification exam

200 Exam questions

4 hours Time Limit

Practice bank

140 Practice Questions

2 hours 20 minutes Practice Time

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The bank 140 Practice questions checked against the official objectives.

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Sample Questions

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1 of 140 answers carry a checkable reference.

HEALTH EQUITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

A health department is assessing why Black infants have higher preterm birth rates in the county. Staff initially propose a campaign telling pregnant people to attend prenatal care. Community interviews point to housing instability, differential treatment in clinics, transportation gaps, and chronic stress from discrimination. What conclusion best reflects a health equity lens?

LAW AND ETHICS

A journalist requests a line list from a foodborne outbreak, including ages, ZIP codes, and onset dates. The outbreak involves eight cases in a small town. What response best balances transparency and confidentiality?

PROGRAM AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

A health department must cut 8 percent from its HIV prevention budget. The program manager has cost, reach, positivity rate, linkage-to-care, and community priority data for each activity. Which approach best supports ethical resource management?

HEALTH EQUITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

A community health assessment finds that LGBTQ youth report high depression symptoms but low use of school counseling. Youth describe fear of disclosure to parents and prior misgendering by staff. What response best reflects social justice?

LEADERSHIP

A senior epidemiologist repeatedly dismisses community health workers in outbreak meetings, saying their observations are "anecdotes." Their reports later identify a missing exposure setting. What should the team leader do?

Why This Certification Opens Doors

In a field where decisions directly impact population health outcomes, the CPH credential provides a vital benchmark for competency. It assures employers, colleagues, and the public that a practitioner possesses a verified, cross-disciplinary foundation to address complex health challenges-from disease outbreaks and environmental hazards to health inequities and policy development. This standardization of knowledge is crucial for effective teamwork, inter-agency collaboration, and maintaining public trust in health initiatives. Ultimately, it elevates the profession by ensuring a common baseline of expertise among those tasked with safeguarding community well-being.

Exam Blueprint

Each domain is weighted to match the real certification exam, so a full practice simulation predicts your result.

01COMMUNICATION

12%

02DATA, ANALYTICS, AND INFORMATICS

12%

03DISEASE AND INJURY PREVENTION

11%

04PROGRAM PLANNING AND EVALUATION

11%

05COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PARTNERSHIPS

10%

06HEALTH EQUITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

10%

07LEADERSHIP

08PROGRAM AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

09LAW AND ETHICS

10POLICY AND ADVOCACY

Exam Details NBPHE-CPH | 4 hours

Exam Code NBPHE-CPH

Vendor qf-import

Time Limit 4 hours

Exam questions 200

Frequently Asked Questions

I graduated from my MPH program several years ago. How should I prepare?

Start by obtaining the official CPH content outline and use it as your primary guide. Your professional experience is a major asset, as the exam tests applied knowledge. However, you will likely need a structured review of foundational principles, especially in domains like biostatistics or epidemiology that you may not use daily. Consider using a comprehensive review book or course designed for the CPH to efficiently refresh core concepts across all five disciplines.

Are there specific formulas or calculations I must memorize?

Yes, you are expected to know key public health formulas and how to apply them. This includes measures of frequency (e.g., incidence, prevalence), association (e.g., relative risk, odds ratio), and impact (e.g., attributable risk). You should also be comfortable with basic statistical concepts like confidence intervals and p-values. While a basic calculator is provided during the exam, understanding which formula to use in a given scenario is critical.

How is the exam scored, and what is a passing mark?

The CPH uses a scaled scoring system. Your raw score (number of correct answers) is converted to a scaled score to account for minor variations in difficulty across different exam forms. The passing scaled score is set by the NBPHE and is typically around 70-75 on their scale. You will receive a pass/fail result immediately after completing the exam, followed by a more detailed performance report by domain.

What is the best strategy for tackling the scenario-based questions?

Read each scenario carefully, identifying the core public health issue, the population involved, and the specific domain being tested. Eliminate answer choices that are clearly outside of ethical public health practice, are not supported by the data given, or address a symptom rather than the root cause. Often, the correct answer reflects the most foundational, preventive, or population-level approach, aligning with the Essential Public Health Services framework.

Is work experience required to sit for the exam?

No, work experience is not a requirement to take the exam. However, eligibility to sit for the CPH is primarily granted to graduates (or near-graduates) of CEPH-accredited schools and programs of public health. Some pathways exist for non-graduates with substantial public health work experience, but these require an individual review and approval by the NBPHE.

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