- What the CEICRA Credential Actually Is
- Who Issues It and How It Is Classified
- Eligibility and the Application Path
- Exam Format: 50 Questions, Two Hours, Closed Book
- Fee Mechanics: What You Pay and When
- The Three Content Domains in Detail
- Source Materials That Matter
- Scheduling Your Prep Around the Domains
- After You Pass: Validity and Recertification
- Who Benefits From the Credential
- Frequently Asked Questions
- CEICRA is issued by the American Council for Accredited Certification (ACAC) and tested through Kryterion.
- The exam has 50 multiple-choice questions, two hours, closed book, with a 70% passing threshold.
- Initial cost is $400: a $100 examination fee plus a $300 certification fee.
- Eligibility requires attesting to current employment in infection control; no mandatory training course exists.
What the CEICRA Credential Actually Is
CEICRA stands for Council-certified Environmental Infection Control Remediation Assistant. It is a vocational certification aimed at people who work where construction, demolition, renovation, and infection prevention intersect, most often in healthcare settings. The credential signals that you understand how disease spreads in a facility and how building work can either contain or amplify that risk.
Because several unrelated credentials use similar abbreviations, it is worth being precise: everything on this page refers only to the ACAC certification named above. If you are new to the terminology, our explainers on what CEICRA is and what CEICRA stands for cover the naming in more depth.
Who Issues It and How It Is Classified
The certifying body is the American Council for Accredited Certification (ACAC). Exam delivery runs through the testing provider Kryterion. ACAC classifies CEICRA as a vocational certification, which matters for two reasons. First, it shapes the proctoring options available to candidates. Second, it signals that the credential is built around workplace competence rather than an academic degree pathway.
The award is not automatic when you pass. It follows both the examination and a review by the certification board, so think of passing the test as the largest step in the process, not the final one.
Eligibility and the Application Path
The eligibility bar is deliberately practical. Candidates must attest to current employment in infection control and complete the online application, including the required email verifications. There is no mandatory training course, and the current application expressly exempts CEICRA from the project sheets that some other ACAC programs require.
For a fuller walkthrough of qualifying, see CEICRA requirements: eligibility, prerequisites, and how to qualify. For timing logistics, CEICRA exam dates, testing windows, and scheduling is the companion piece.
Exam Format: 50 Questions, Two Hours, Closed Book
The exam is compact. You get 50 multiple-choice questions, each with at least four answer choices, and two hours to finish. The test is closed book, so you cannot bring in the CDC guidelines or your own notes. The passing threshold is 70%, established through the Modified Angoff method, a standard-setting process in which subject-matter experts judge how a minimally competent candidate would perform on each item.
Two hours for 50 questions is generous, averaging well over two minutes per item. Time pressure is rarely the obstacle. The challenge is recalling specifics without references, especially the distinctions between infection-control measures that sound similar but apply in different situations.
| Exam Feature | CEICRA Detail |
|---|---|
| Number of questions | 50 multiple-choice |
| Answer choices | At least four per question |
| Time allowed | Two hours |
| Reference materials | Closed book |
| Passing threshold | 70%, set via Modified Angoff |
| Delivery options | Computer-based test center, secure online video proctoring, or preauthorized instructor proctoring |
Instructor proctoring is available under ACAC's vocational-program policy, but it requires preauthorization, so do not assume it as a last-minute option. For more on the scoring bar, read CEICRA passing score: exactly what you need to pass, and for a candid view of difficulty, see how hard the CEICRA exam is.
Fee Mechanics: What You Pay and When
The fee structure is split into two components. The examination fee is $100, and the certification fee is $300, for an initial total of $400. If you do not pass on the first attempt, a retake costs $100. Renewal, which comes up every two years, is $300.
| Fee Item | Amount (USD) |
|---|---|
| Examination fee | $100 |
| Certification fee | $300 |
| Initial total | $400 |
| Retake | $100 |
| Renewal | $300 |
The practical takeaway is that a retake is far cheaper than a fresh start, but it still costs real money and time inside your application window. Treat the first attempt seriously. Our CEICRA certification cost breakdown goes line by line through what to budget, including the recurring renewal.
The Three Content Domains in Detail
The CEICRA handbook lists three Required Skills competencies. They are unweighted, meaning ACAC does not publish a percentage split, and they do not establish exhaustive exam coverage. Use them as your primary map, but expect questions to draw on the study references as well. A deeper treatment lives in our complete guide to all three CEICRA content areas.
Domain 1: Infectious Diseases and Their Modes of Transmission in the Healthcare Setting
This domain is the biological foundation. Candidates must understand how pathogens move through a facility, because every later control measure is justified by a transmission route.
- Distinguish airborne, droplet, and contact transmission and know which settings amplify each.
- Recognize why immunocompromised patients face elevated risk from environmental exposures.
- Understand how building dust and moisture can carry or support organisms associated with healthcare-related infections.
- Connect a pathogen's transmission mode to the barrier or ventilation strategy that interrupts it.
Domain 2: Principles of Infection Control During Construction, Demolition and Renovation
This is the domain that most clearly separates CEICRA from general infection-control knowledge. It asks how physical building work affects patient safety.
- Understand why disturbing walls, ceilings, and ductwork releases particulates and spores.
- Know the purpose of physical barriers, negative air pressure, and sealed pathways around work zones.
- Recognize how the scale and type of work should influence the level of precaution applied.
- Understand traffic routing, debris handling, and cleanup practices that prevent contaminant spread outside the work area.
Domain 3: Effective Infection Control Practices
This domain covers the day-to-day practices and professional conduct that keep controls working in the field.
- Apply core practices such as hand hygiene, appropriate protective equipment, and environmental cleaning.
- Understand monitoring, documentation, and communication between construction and infection-prevention teams.
- Know your responsibilities under the ACAC Code of Conduct, which is a named study reference.
- Recognize when to stop or escalate work because a control has failed.
Source Materials That Matter
ACAC names two study references in its embedded study guide: the ACAC Code of Conduct and the CDC Guidelines for Environmental Infection Control in Health-Care Facilities, 2003, updated 2019. The guide highlights selected pages and specific tables: Tables 1, 3, 6, 8, 9, and 10. Those highlighted tables are your best signal of what ACAC considers high-value, so read them closely rather than skimming.
Because the exam is closed book, you cannot rely on looking things up. Your goal with the CDC guidance is to internalize the logic behind the recommendations, not memorize page numbers. Ask why each precaution exists and which transmission route or hazard it addresses; that reasoning will carry you through scenario-style questions even when the wording is unfamiliar.
For a structured approach to turning these references into a plan, see our CEICRA study guide, and keep the CEICRA cheat sheet handy for last-minute review. You can also check your recall against realistic questions on the CEICRA practice test site.
Scheduling Your Prep Around the Domains
You do not need an elaborate system for a 50-question exam, but sequencing matters. Start with the biology, move to the construction material, then consolidate with practices and the Code of Conduct. Because the application window may be as short as 90 days, a compact four-week plan keeps you inside the tighter deadline.
Transmission Foundations (Domain 1)
- Review modes of transmission and the facility conditions that favor each.
- Read the CDC tables ACAC highlights that relate to environmental sources of infection.
Construction and Renovation Controls (Domain 2)
- Study barriers, pressure relationships, and work-zone containment.
- Work through scenarios where the type of work changes the required precautions.
Practices and Conduct (Domain 3)
- Cover protective equipment, cleaning, monitoring, and documentation.
- Read the ACAC Code of Conduct and note the professional responsibilities it sets out.
Closed-Book Rehearsal
- Take timed practice sets of 50 questions to mirror the real format.
- Revisit any domain where you missed the same type of question twice.
After You Pass: Validity and Recertification
The credential is valid for two years. To renew, the handbook requires 40 recertification credits (RCs). Under current central procedures, those break down as 10 RCs for continued field activity plus 30 hours of professional development. ACAC may audit your records, so keep documentation of both your work activity and your professional development rather than reconstructing it at renewal time.
Key Takeaway
Start logging field activity and training from the day you are certified. Two years passes quickly, and a clean paper trail turns a possible audit from a stressor into a formality. Budget the $300 renewal fee alongside your time commitment.
Who Benefits From the Credential
CEICRA fits professionals whose work places them between patient safety and physical building activity. That includes people on infection prevention teams, facilities and maintenance staff in healthcare environments, and contractors or project personnel who perform renovation or demolition inside or adjacent to occupied care settings. Hospitals, long-term care facilities, and the contractors who serve them are the natural employers and clients for this skill set.
Because the eligibility rule centers on current employment in infection control, the certification tends to formalize expertise people are already using rather than serving as an entry ticket to a new field. If you are weighing the career side, our articles on CEICRA jobs, the CEICRA salary guide, and whether the certification is worth it explore the return on the $400 initial investment. For a view of how candidates fare, see our discussion of the CEICRA pass rate.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. There is no mandatory training course for CEICRA, and the current application expressly exempts it from project sheets. You do need to attest to current employment in infection control and complete the application and email verifications.
The exam has 50 multiple-choice questions with at least four answer choices each. You have two hours, the test is closed book, and the passing threshold is 70%, established using the Modified Angoff method.
The initial total is $400, made up of a $100 examination fee and a $300 certification fee. A retake costs $100, and renewal every two years costs $300.
Yes, secure online video proctoring is available, alongside computer-based test center delivery. Preauthorized instructor proctoring is also possible under ACAC's vocational-program policy, but it must be approved in advance.
It is valid for two years. The handbook requires 40 recertification credits, which current procedures allocate as 10 RCs for continued field activity and 30 hours of professional development. Records are subject to audit, so keep documentation organized.