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CCM Exam Overview

**UPDATED October 2020 for the new exam starting in December 2020**

The Commission for Case Management Certification, CCMC, is the governing body of the CCM credentials, which are obtained by passing the CCM exam. The exam is administered three times a year, in April, August and December. The exam consists of 180 multiple-choice questions drawn from CCMC’s item pool.

CCMC has developed a pool of questions that contains a comprehensive selection of statistically validated examination items. A task force of case management professionals continually add to and upgrade this “item pool” therefore; the knowledge being tested is the same, but the actual questions on the test change.

You will have 3 hours to complete the 180 multiple choice questions on the exam. Of the 180 questions only 150 are actual, scored test questions. The other 30 are pretest questions. Of the 150 score-able items used for each examination; approximately 20% are included in every administration of the examination as “anchor items.” The content in the exam is the same for each administration of the exam, but the actual questions will vary other than these anchor items.

According to CCMC, “The CCM exam is practice-based, meaning all questions are based around knowledge that an experienced case manager should know and understand. There is not any course or education required to take the exam or to prepare for the exam.”

That being said; they do recommend that candidates for the CCM exam be familiar with terms and concepts relevant to case management. They also recommend that candidates review the content areas of the examination (the Knowledge Domains and Subdomains), and concentrate on those areas in which the candidate feels they have had less experience or that they do not perform on a regular basis.

The exam is comprised of five major domains of knowledge (knowledge domains) with each major domain having several sub-domains.

The Five Knowledge Domains

Psychosocial Concepts & Support Systems

Psychosocial Concepts & Support Systems

Comprises 25% of the Exam, approximately 40 questions

Quality & Outcomes Evaluation and Measurements

Quality & Outcomes Evaluation and Measurements

Comprises 19% of the Exam, approximately 31 questions

Rehabilitation Concepts & Strategies

Rehabilitation Concepts & Strategies

Comprises 11% of the Exam,
approximately 18 questions

Care Delivery & Reimbursement Methods

Care Delivery & Reimbursement Methods

Comprises 28% of the Exam, approximately 44 questions

Ethical, Legal & Practice Standards

Ethical, Legal & Practice Standards

Comprises 17% of the Exam, approximately 27 questions

Frequently Asked Questions

When Can I Take the CCM Exam?

The CCM Exam is administered 3 time a year, in April, August and December.

You can take the exam any open day during the test month, based on availability at the testing center, Prometric. I recommend scheduling your exam date as early as possible to get the date and time most convenient for you.

Your application dashboard will contain all the details and information you need about exam sites and scheduling, including the contact information for Prometric, along with details and instructions on how to schedule your examination date with Prometric.

Remember, you can only apply for the exam during an application window. The application window usually opens 5 months prior to the exam month, and closes approximately 60 days prior to the first day of the month the exam is administered. The application windows can be found on the CCMC website at: http://ccmcertification.org/faqs/certification/certification/exam-application-schedule-and-notification-timeline

Am I Eligible To Sit For Testing?

To be eligible for the CCM Exam, you must meet 3 criteria:

  1. Meet the specified licensure or education qualifications by having one of the following:

A current, active and unrestricted license (ex: RN, LCSW, Rx) or certification (CRC, CDMS) in a health or human services discipline that’s scope of practice allows the profession to conduct an assessment independently.

A Baccalaureate or graduate degree in social work, nursing, or another health or human service field that promotes the physical, psychosocial, and/or vocational well-being of the persons being served. The degree must be from an institution that is fully accredited by a nationally recognized educational accreditation organization, and the individual must have completed a supervised field experience in case management, health, or behavioral health as part of the degree requirements.

2. Qualify within one of CCMC’s employment experience categories:

Category 1: 12 months of acceptable full-time case management employment experience supervised by a board-certified case manager (CCM).

Category 2: 24 months of acceptable full-time case management employment experience.

Category 3: 12 months of acceptable full-time case management employment experience as a supervisor of individuals who provide case management services.

3. Be of good moral character, consistent with the CCMC Code of Professional Conduct

How Do I Apply to Take the CCM Exam?

CCMC will only accept applications during “application windows”. The application window usually opens 5 months prior to the exam month, and closes approximately 60 days prior to the first day of the month the exam is administered. The application windows can be found on the CCMC website at: http://ccmcertification.org/faqs/certification/certification/exam-application-schedule-and-notification-timeline

During open application windows, visit www.ccmcertification.org and click on “CCMC Dashboard” or “CCM Exam Certification & Renewal” to apply. There are compatibility issues with Internet Explorer, so the application should be viewed in the current versions of Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome.

Before applying read the entire Certification Guide to determine if you are eligible to apply. Any application that does not meet ALL of the licensure or certification criteria as well as the acceptable employment experience will be denied WITH NO REFUND OF THE APPLICATION FEE. Persons who wish to reapply would have to submit a new application, pay a second, non-refundable fee, and meet the eligibility criteria in effect at the time of re-application.

Below is a list of items you will need to complete your application:
● Your license/certification or Attestation of Degree Form (scanned copy to attach)
● Your work experience that meets CCMC guidelines for certification ( job title, employment dates, employer name/address)
● Your direct supervisor(s) name and correct email address(es) for the work experience that meets CCMC guidelines for certification.
● Credit Card for payment

Once your application is submitted, payment is made, and employer verification(s) are completed, your application will be reviewed to determine that you satisfy all of CCMC’s currently published eligibility criteria.

All applicants will receive approval or denial notification on the “My CCM Dashboard”.

Eligibility, once approved, is valid for the first available testing window. If you are unable or do not wish to take the exam in the first available testing window after your application is approved, you may defer only to the next exam window. If you wish to defer to the next exam window, you must pay a non-refundable fee. You may only defer one time, after which, if you have not taken your exam, you must submit a new application and pay all fees in place at that time.

If you defer, you must pass the exam on your first try. If you do not pass, you will need to resubmit an application and pay all fees again to take the exam again.

Eligibility Denial
Candidates who are denied eligibility for the CCM examination will receive an explanation of the decision and have the opportunity to appeal that decision. Candidate’s have 30 days from the date the eligibility denial is posted to contest a denial. Denial of Eligibility will be upheld for any candidate who does not appeal the denial within the 30 day period.

How Much Does it Cost to Take the CCM Exam?

It will cost a total of $395 to apply for and take the exam. This includes a non-refundable $210 application fee and a $185 examination fee. The examination fee is refunded if you are ineligible to sit for the exam because your application is denied. All fees are collected by credit card at the time you apply.

What Happens After I Apply?

After you apply to take the CCM exam, the CCMC will verify the information you provide in the application, including your employer verification(s). Your application will then be reviewed to determine that you satisfy all of CCMC’s currently published eligibility criteria. All applicants will receive approval or denial notification on their “My CCM Dashboard” via www.ccmcertification.org.

If CCMC confirms you are eligible to take the examination, you will be emailed your Authorization to Test (ATT). Once you receive this, you can go to your application dashboard, where you will find all the details and information you need about exam sites and scheduling, including: • The contact information for Prometric. • Details and instructions on how to schedule your examination date with Prometric. (Prometric is the testing center used by CCMC to administer the CCM exam)

I recommend scheduling your exam as soon as you get your ATT so that you can choose at test date and time most convenient to you, as some centers fill up quickly. Denied applicants will receive an explanation of the decision along with information on appealing the decision. The appeal must be made online by the deadline posted on your dashboard.

What Happens After I Take the Exam?

Each individual who takes the exam is provided an immediate pass/fail notification, which displays on the computer screen, and is available to print before the candidate leaves the testing center. This score is considered 99% accurate and is your immediate pass/fail result. Candidates should check their “My CCM Dashboard” at www.ccmcertification.org for the final pass/not-pass notification. Those individuals who pass the exam will be asked to wait until receiving their official CCM certificate via mail before using the CCM credential.

A certificate and lapel pin will be sent to each candidate who passed the examination. This certificate is the official proof of certification and candidates are entitled to begin using the designation “CCM” after their names as soon as they receive the examination profile that reports the achievement of a passing score. Only those candidates who did not pass will receive a profile via email showing their performance in each content area and on the examination as a whole. The profile identifies the minimum passing score and the candidate’s score.

What is the Passing Score for the CCM Exam?

The simple answer is 500, but honestly, it’s not that simple. Because of the need for security, multiple forms of the examination, each containing a different combination of questions, are used. The passing scores cannot be set as specific raw scores, or numbers of questions answered correctly, because some of these examination forms may be slightly easier or more difficult than others. Therefore, requiring the same raw scores to pass the different forms would not be fair to all examinees.

To ensure that all examinees demonstrate the same level of ability in order to pass the examination CCMC uses a scaled score. With the scaled score, a statistical procedure is used to adjust for any differences in the level of difficulty among examination forms. Because of this, there is no set number of questions you need to answer correctly to pass. Credit is given for each correct answer, but the weight of that credit will vary depending on the difficulty or ease of the question.

What Happens if I Don't Pass?

Each individual who takes the exam is provided an immediate pass/fail notification, which displays on the computer screen. This score is considered 99% accurate and is your immediate pass/fail result. Candidates should check their application My CCM Dashboard at www.ccmcertification.org for the final pass/not-pass notification based on the Exam Application Schedule and Notification Timeline.

Only those candidates who did not pass will receive a profile via email showing their performance in each content area and on the examination as a whole. The profile identifies the minimum passing score and the candidate’s score. Candidates who do not achieve a passing score on the certification examination will be allowed to re-take the exam in the next available cycle. Candidates can notify CCMC of their intention to retake the test by way of “My CCM Dashboard” at www.ccmcertification.org and must also remit a second examination fee, no later than the END of the next application window.

Candidates who do not achieve a passing score on their second attempt or who are unable to sit again during the next exam cycle must submit a new application, together with a second, nonrefundable application fee, to continue their pursuit of the CCM designation. Such reapplications will be subject to all commission criteria in effect at that time.

Pass the CCM Exam