Top Things You Should Know About HIPAA Exams

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) exams are a series of tests professionals working in the medical system need to pass in order to receive a certificate validating their knowledge and set of skills in matters such as HIPAA Privacy Rule, Security Standards, National Standards, and so on. Following are the top seven things you should know about the HIPAA exams.

• Medical professionals have the option of choosing one of three HIPAA exams: the Certified HIPAA Administrator Exam (CHA), the Certified HIPAA Professional Exam (CHP), and the Certified Security Compliance Specialist (CSCS). The choice they make has to be in accordance with their job responsibilities and the level of contact they have with secure health information and patient records.

• Registration for any of these three exams can be made online, via fax, or by mail. When registering for a certification exam, applicants also have the option to sign up for a pre-exam training course. Candidates can sign up for individual courses or for a package containing all the courses. Candidates can register for both the CSCS and the CHP exams, if they wish to.

• Before taking the HIPAA exam, each candidate has to adhere to a few rules. Candidates have to represent that they are the person who has registered for the HIPAA exam, that they will complete the exam within the allotted time frame, and that they will not use any resources or assistance when answering the question. If the candidates fail to adhere to all of these rules, their certificate can be denied or revoked.

• All HIPAA exams are online multiple question examinations which must be completed in one sitting, in a specific time frame. For the CHA exam, candidates have to complete 40 questions in 60 minutes or less and achieve a score of at least 75%. For the CHP and CSCS examinations, candidates will have to answer 60 questions in a time frame of 60 minutes and obtain a score of 75% or higher.

• The exam begins when the candidate clicks on the "exam commencement" button. The exam ends when the hour elapses or when the candidate submits the answer to the last question, whichever comes first. Each question has to be answered in sequence, but the candidate has the option of reviewing his or her answers at any point during the examination.

• After the 60 minutes have passed, candidates receive an instant notification of their score. If the candidates achieve the minimum of 75%, it is considered they have passed the exam and they can receive the certificate.

• In case the candidate does not pass the HIPAA exam from the first try, he or she will have to register for a new examination, but retaking the training course is optional.

These are the 7 most important things any medical professional should know about HIPAA exams. For more information on registration fees and curriculum for the exams, feel free to browse online, you will surely find what you need.