0.1 About the CBIC CIC Exam & Certification Path

Certification in Infection Prevention and Control CIC®

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1 Introduction & Exam Overview

0.1 About the CBIC CIC Exam & Certification Path 0.2 Exam Format, Domain Weighting & Study Strategy

2 Chapter 1: Identification of Infectious Disease Processes

1.1 Microorganisms & Microbial Pathogenesis 1.2 Diagnostic Microbiology & Laboratory Testing Methods 1.3 Infection Types & Clinical Syndromes 1.4 Antibiotic Resistance & Antimicrobial Stewardship Principles 1.5 Host Immunity, Defenses & Susceptibility Factors

3 Chapter 2: Surveillance and Epidemiologic Investigation

2.1 Surveillance System Design, Objectives & Case Definitions 2.2 Standardized NHSN Criteria for Healthcare-Associated Infections 2.3 Outbreak Investigation Methodology 2.4 Epidemiological Measures & Rates 2.5 Data Collection, Presentation, Visualization & Statistical Analysis

4 Chapter 3: Preventing and Controlling Transmission of Infectious Agents

3.1 Chain of Infection & Transmission Dynamics 3.2 Standard Precautions & Hand Hygiene Guidelines 3.3 Transmission-Based Precautions & Facility Isolation 3.4 Management of Multidrug-Resistant Organisms & High-Consequence Pathogens 3.5 Targeted Interventions & Evidence-Based Care Bundles

5 Chapter 4: Employee and Occupational Health

4.1 Healthcare Personnel Immunizations & Screening Programs 4.2 Post-Exposure Management Protocols 4.3 Occupational Safety, Work Restrictions & Fitness-for-Duty Evaluations

6 Chapter 5: Management, Leadership, and Communication

5.1 Infection Prevention Program Administration & Fiscal Impact 5.2 Infection Control Risk Assessment & Hazard Vulnerability Analysis 5.3 Policy Development, Regulatory Compliance & Public Health Reporting

7 Chapter 6: Education and Research Principles

6.1 Adult Education Principles & In-Service Training Design 6.2 Behavioral Change Models & Quality Improvement Methodology 6.3 Research Study Methodology, Literature Evaluation & Biostatistics

8 Chapter 7: Environment of Care

7.1 Environmental Surface Cleaning & Disinfection Controls 7.2 Healthcare Water Systems & Legionella Risk Management 7.3 Air Quality Controls, HVAC Systems & Construction ICRA 7.4 Regulated Medical Waste & Biohazard Disposal

9 Chapter 8: Cleaning, Sterilization, Disinfection, and Asepsis

8.1 Spaulding Classification System & Processing Workflow 8.2 Disinfection Levels & High-Level Disinfection (HLD) Monitoring 8.3 Sterilization Modalities, Chemical/Biological Indicators & Storage

0.1 About the CBIC CIC Exam & Certification Path

Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI

CIC® is administered by CBIC and measures infection prevention competence for professionals with direct IP program responsibility.

The initial exam has 150 multiple-choice items (135 scored, 15 pretest) with 3 hours of testing time through Prometric centers or ProProctor®.

Passing requires a criterion-referenced scaled score of at least 700 on a 300–900 scale; passers receive a Pass message without a numeric score.

Eligibility requires health-related post-secondary education, direct IP responsibility in the job description, and qualifying compensated experience pathways.

Recertify every 5 years by IPU portfolio (minimum 40 IPUs) or by passing the initial proctored CIC® exam; the open-book recert exam ended January 1, 2026.

Last updated: July 2026

0.1 About the CBIC CIC Exam & Certification Path

Quick Answer: The Certification in Infection Prevention and Control (CIC®) credential, administered by the Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. (CBIC®), is the primary professional certification for infection preventionists. The initial exam has 150 multiple-choice questions ( 135 scored, 15 pretest) with 3 hours of testing time at Prometric centers or via Prometric ProProctor® live remote proctoring. For high-income countries, the 2026 CBIC examination fee schedule lists $445 USD for CIC® initial certification (income-tiered fees apply; confirm current amounts on the official CBIC Exam Fees page). Candidates must meet published education, job-description, and work-experience eligibility rules and recertify every five years .

Overview of CBIC and the CIC® Credential

The Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. (CBIC®) is a voluntary, autonomous, multidisciplinary board that directs and administers certification for professionals in infection prevention and applied epidemiology. CBIC is a subsidiary of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) but operates independently for certification decisions, exam development, and candidate assessment.

The CIC® designation— Certification in Infection Prevention and Control —is a standardized measure of the knowledge, skills, and abilities expected of proficient professionals responsible for infection prevention and control programs. It is recognized by employers, healthcare systems, and regulatory stakeholders across acute care, ambulatory, long-term care, and public health settings.

CBIC credentials are developed through periodic practice analyses so exam content reflects current infection prevention practice. CBIC examinations are delivered by Prometric (test-center and ProProctor® remote options).

Candidate Eligibility Requirements

Unlike entry-level certificates, CIC® is intended for professionals who currently have direct responsibility for infection prevention and control programs or activities in a healthcare setting. Per the current CBIC Candidate Handbook, applicants must meet all of the following:

Post-secondary education in a health-related field , including but not limited to medicine, nursing, laboratory technology, public health, or biology. A diploma RN, LPN/LVN, DPN, and a health-related associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree are examples of eligible preparation. Post-secondary includes public or private universities, colleges, and community colleges. A specific professional license is not required solely because a candidate is an RN or physician—CBIC’s published bar is health-related post-secondary education , not a single license type or master’s-only pathway.

Direct responsibility for infection prevention and control programs/activities in a healthcare setting, reflected in the current job description .

Compensated work experience in infection prevention, documented by the current job description, meeting one of:

At least one year of full-time employment, or
Two years of part-time employment, or

3,000 hours of infection prevention work experience earned during the previous three years .

Infection prevention activities in the job description must include:

Identification of infectious disease processes
Surveillance and epidemiologic investigation
Preventing and controlling the transmission of infectious agents
Environment of care
Cleaning, disinfection, sterilization, and asepsis

AND at least two of the remaining three components:

Employee / occupational health
Management and communication
Education and research

Job title alone does not determine eligibility; the official position description must show ongoing responsibility for these activities.

Exam Logistics and Administrative Structure

Logistics Component Official Details

Exam fee (2026 high-income rate) $445 USD for CIC® initial certification and each recertification/IPU portfolio pathway (upper-middle, lower-middle, and low-income rates are lower; see CBIC Examination Fees Effective 2026)

Total questions 150 multiple-choice items (four options, single best answer)
Scored vs. pretest 135 scored; 15 unscored pretest items used for future-form evaluation
Testing time 3 hours for the examination itself (plus tutorial and post-exam survey time at the appointment)
Delivery Prometric testing centers worldwide or Prometric ProProctor® live remote proctoring

Passing standard Criterion-referenced scaled score of at least 700 on a 300–900 scale (not a published fixed raw-percent cutoff)

Score reporting Pass/fail decision at completion; passing candidates receive a Pass message (no numeric scaled score). Failing candidates receive a scaled score between 300 and 699 plus diagnostic performance feedback by content area

Eligibility window After approval, candidates typically have a 90-day window to schedule and sit
Recertification cycle Every 5 years

The 15 pretest items are indistinguishable from scored items, so treat every question with equal care.

Professional Value and Career Impact

CIC® certification signals competence in healthcare epidemiology, surveillance, outbreak response, transmission control, occupational health collaboration, program management, education, environment of care, and device reprocessing oversight. Leadership roles in infection prevention programs frequently prefer or require CIC® certification.

Career Advantage Practical Impact

Program leadership credibility Supports responsibility for infection prevention committee work, HAI reduction plans, and accreditation readiness

Regulatory alignment Aligns with expectations that designated infection prevention leaders demonstrate specialty competence

Interprofessional authority Strengthens collaboration with clinical leaders, occupational health, sterile processing, and public health partners

Career mobility Portable credential across healthcare systems and care settings
Recertification and Maintaining Competence

CIC® certification is valid for five years . Recertification options (current CBIC policy):

Infection Prevention Units (IPUs): Submit a portfolio with a minimum of 40 IPUs earned during the certification cycle, aligning activities to at least six of eight CIC® content domains (subject to CBIC portfolio rules and audit).

Examination: Pass the initial proctored CIC® examination during the recertification year (the former open-book, untimed recertification exam is no longer offered as of January 1, 2026 ).

Portfolio submissions are generally due by December 1 of the recertification year; examination recertification must be completed by December 31 . Lapsed certificants must reapply under initial-certification rules after the applicable waiting period.

Always confirm fee tiers, deadlines, and documentation rules on cbic.org before applying.