CD Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass

The Number: 80% and What It Means

The Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation (CAOHC) sets the passing score for the Course Director (CD) examination at 80%. That is the single most important number in your preparation, and it is a clear, published threshold rather than a scaled score that shifts from one administration to the next. You either reach 80% or you do not.

It helps to be precise about what this credential is. The Course Director designation qualifies an experienced hearing conservation professional to direct CAOHC-approved Occupational Hearing Conservationist (OHC) certification and recertification courses. The exam you are sitting is for the instructor-level role, not the student-level OHC test. Candidates sometimes confuse the two, and that confusion can send your studying in the wrong direction. If you are still sorting out what the credential covers, our overview of what CD certification is is a good starting point.

Because the question count has not been publicly verified, you cannot reliably translate 80% into a specific number of allowable misses. Resist any source that claims an exact count of questions or an exact number you can get wrong. Treat 80% as a proportion and aim to be comfortably above it across every area of content.

Two Attempts, Ten Days: The Retake Rule

The retake structure for the CD exam is unusual and worth understanding before you begin, because it shapes how you should manage your time once the exam opens.

Notice what is missing from that table: there is no long calendar of scheduled retake dates and no multi-month cooling-off period. The second attempt sits inside the same ten-day window as the first. That means your second try is not a fresh start after weeks of review; it is a quick correction made while the material is still open in front of you.

Why an Open-Book Exam Changes the Math

The CD exam is open-book. Progress is saved and you have ten days to complete it. It is not a continuous multi-hour sitting, which is a common misconception, and it is not a timed sprint where recall speed is the main variable. That format changes what an 80% actually demands.

In a closed-book exam, a score reflects what you retained. In an open-book exam of this type, a score reflects how well you can locate, interpret, and apply authoritative material to a scenario. The candidates who miss 80% on an open-book exam are rarely the ones who failed to memorize a fact. They are more often the ones who:

• Looked up the wrong section because they did not know where a topic lived in the course materials.
• Answered from general professional experience instead of from CAOHC's stated requirements.
• Skimmed the question stem and missed a qualifier that changed the correct answer.
• Relied on an out-of-date regulatory understanding rather than the current guidance.

The practical implication is that your preparation should build a working map of your materials. You should know, without hunting, which resource governs course approval procedures, which governs teaching technique, and where regulatory change is addressed. For a fuller discussion of how demanding the experience is overall, see how hard the CD exam is.

What CAOHC Has Not Published

An honest account of the passing score has to include the gaps. Several details that candidates often want are not publicly verified, and anything that claims otherwise should be treated with suspicion.

• Question count: The number of items, and any split between scored and unscored items, is not publicly verified.
• Item types: The exact question formats are not publicly confirmed.
• Domain weights: There is no verified weighted exam blueprint. CAOHC describes five course topics, but these are curriculum areas, not published percentage weightings.
• Pass rate: CAOHC does not publicly disclose it. Our page on the CD pass rate explains what can and cannot be said responsibly.
• Tools and proctoring: Calculator rules, adaptive behavior, and any CD-specific remote-proctoring rules are unverified.

Building an 80% Across the Five Course Topics

CAOHC's Course Director workshop is organized around five curriculum areas. They are not an official weighted exam blueprint, but they are the best public guide to what the instructor-level role requires, so they are the right frame for preparation. The detail below explains what a candidate should be able to do in each. For a deeper walkthrough, read our guide to the five CD content areas.

Because 80% is the bar and the topics are unweighted, a candidate who is excellent at procedures but weak on regulation and science can still fall short. Even coverage beats lopsided strength. Our CD study guide shows how to structure that balance.

The Gates Before You Ever See a Question

For many candidates, the real challenge is not the 80%. It is getting approved to sit the exam at all. CAOHC requires documented eligibility before ordinary registration, and approval of that documentation comes first. In summary, you must have:

1. A qualifying current professional license or certification.
2. 1,000 relevant hours within five years, spanning at least three specified activities.
3. Completion of a supervised in-person or hybrid OHC course as adjunct faculty or practicum assistant.
4. Credential documentation plus supervisor or Course Director verification letters, approved before registration.

The eight-hour CD workshop is training time, not an examination sitting. Keep that distinction clear so you do not confuse the workshop with the exam you must pass at 80%.

The Financial Stakes of Missing 80%

The retake rule becomes more serious once you look at the money. The published figures are:

The totals above are calculated sums of the published fees. CAOHC does not publish a member versus non-member distinction for these amounts. If you fail both attempts, you must repeat the workshop and the exam, which means paying the $500 workshop again alongside the exam fee. That is why a deliberate approach to the first attempt pays off. See the full CD certification cost breakdown for planning.

Sequencing Your Preparation Around the Workshop

Since you cannot know in advance how items are distributed, the sensible approach is to rotate through all five areas and finish with integrated, scenario-style review. Here is one way to sequence it, tied to the specifics of the credential rather than generic study habits.

Use our CD practice tests to check whether you are consistently clearing 80% before you start the real exam, and keep our CD cheat sheet nearby for fast fact review. Remember that practice-question allocations are editorial and are not a prediction of the real exam's distribution.

After You Pass: Validity and Renewal

Passing at 80% earns a credential valid for five years. Renewal is a separate matter with its own rules, and understanding it now helps you value the credential properly. You can renew by completing the workshop plus the exam, or through an eligible exam-only route. The exam-only route requires at least two of the following:

• Ten qualifying OHC courses directed
• Two years of CAOHC committee or task-force service
• Ten relevant continuing education contact hours
• One approved CD workshop taught

Ten CE hours is one option within that list, not a universal standalone renewal requirement. Extensions of up to six months are discretionary, and a request must be made at least 30 days before expiration. A failed exam does not qualify for an extension. COHC renewal is handled separately.

If you are weighing the credential's value, our analyses of whether CD certification is worth it and the CD salary guide cover the career side. Scheduling specifics are in our CD exam dates article.

Frequently Asked Questions