What to Expect When You Get Your NABCEP Exam Results

Sitting for a NABCEP exam is a big deal. You’ve put in the study hours, met the eligibility requirements, and made it all the way to test day. Once you get there, a natural next question is: now what?

We sat down with Luis Gallaga, Certification Manager at NABCEP, to get answers to the questions our students ask us most often. Here’s what he had to say about how the results process works, what your score report actually tells you, and how to use it to your advantage.

How long does it take to get your results?

For most candidates testing online, the answer is immediate. After you finish your exam, Meazure Learning presents a short post-exam survey. Once you complete it, your pass/fail result appears on screen before you leave the session.

Paper and pencil exams are a different story. Luis estimates roughly six weeks from test day, accounting for answer sheet submission, mail transit, and scoring time at Meazure Learning. If you’re taking a paper exam, plan accordingly.

What does a passing result look like?

If you pass, you’ll receive confirmation of your credential. NABCEP doesn’t provide a detailed score breakdown for passing candidates, just the confirmation that you’ve earned it.

What does a failing result look like, and what should you do with it?

A failing attempt comes with a score report that breaks down your performance by exam domain. Luis emphasized that scores are scaled, meaning they don’t directly correspond to the number of questions you got right. If your number looks lower than you expected, that’s why.

The domain breakdown is where the real value is. Luis recommends pulling up the Job Task Analysis (JTA) for your credential (which HeatSpring has linked on every credential page) and reading it alongside your score report. The JTA shows exactly how much of the exam each domain represents. A low scaled score in a heavily weighted domain is where you should concentrate your energy before a retake.

The JTA is also worth reviewing before you sit for the exam the first time. Knowing the domain breakdown going in helps you allocate your prep time more effectively.

What are your next steps if you need to retake?

There’s a mandatory 14-day waiting period after a failed attempt. After that, log into your professional account on Certemy (look for the blue banner at the top of the page) and find the retake application under the My Testing tab. Each candidate has four total attempts, including the first one, within a one-year eligibility window.

If you’re preparing to test, HeatSpring’s NABCEP information pages are a good place to start. You’ll find links to the JTAs, details about each exam, and prep courses built around the same domain structure you’ll see on test day.