FAQS

The NBC-HIS exam is an experienced-based exam. The exam is based upon what you do in your everyday practice of testing, fitting and dispensing hearing instruments.

NBC-HIS provides a Self-Study Guide and Candidate Handbook to assist you in understanding how the exam is composed and identifying the areas where you might want to focus your preparation.

NBC-HIS is not affiliated with and does not endorse or recommend any exam preparation programs.

US/Canada Fee:
Exam Fee: $225.00

International Fee:
Exam Fee: $250.00

No, but many board certificants find membership in the International Hearing Society valuable. Visit their website ihsinfo.org for more information.

The exam locations are pre-approved computer testing sites. Contact NBC-HIS for a location near you or click on the website link to access a list of locations. Click here for a list.
PLEASE NOTE: exam locations are subject to change. Exam dates vary by exam location and availability, but most exam sites are open Monday thru Friday and the exam is offered all day from about 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

• A photocopy of your current state/provincial/jurisdictional dispensing license (where applicable). Please make sure the expiration date on your dispensing license is after the date you plan to take the exam.
• A letter on company letterhead from your employer or the individual that supervised your training to attest to your two-years of full-time dispensing experience. If you are self-employed, send a copy of your articles of incorporation, Business Registration or a tax return that is at least two (2) years old.

NBC is committed to complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”) and the Accessible Canada Act (ACA).  To request accommodations, a candidate should complete the application and under the Declaration list any special requirements.  Additionally, candidates may contact NBC at www.info@nbc-his.com to obtain a “Candidate Accommodation Request Form” or click here to download.  A candidate must submit the completed request form along with the required supporting documentation prior to scheduling an examination appointment.

An examination score result will be sent immediately to the exam candidate’s email  upon submitting the completed exam. The score result will indicate either a Pass or Fail status.

Actual percentage points earned on the exam will not be disclosed for candidates who pass the exam. Candidates who fail the exam will be provided actual percentages for each of the five (5) areas of competency, which can be used in combination with the competencies information provided in the Self-Study Guide and Candidate Handbook to understand areas where you will want to focus additional study.

If you are not successful in passing this exam, you may retake the NCE at any designated testing facility after a 30-day (30) waiting period by submitting payment of the examination fee.  Contact the NBC-HIS office to discuss scheduling another exam date.

If you fail the exam a second or subsequent times you must wait six (6) months before taking the exam again.

If you do not retake and pass exam within twenty four (24) months of your initial application date, your application will expire and you must submit a new application for approval.

The Exam Score Results will list either a Pass or Fail status. Actual percentages for candidates who pass the exam will not be disclosed. Candidates who fail the exam will be provided actual percentages for each of the five (5) areas of competency.

The National Competency Exam uses a modified Angoff methodology to establish a criterion referenced passing standard. This passing standard takes into consideration the difficulty of the individual items on the test form. When creating new test forms for the National Competency Exam, the passing standard remains consistent while the actual passing score may be adjusted up or down depending on the difficulty of the new test forms being created. This allows results between candidates on different test forms to be equivalent and fair to each individual.

An exam appeal will only be considered if there was a problem at the exam center that caused a problem in taking the exam. There will be no appeals for a rescore of exam since the chance of a scoring mistake is virtually nonexistent. Requests for exam appeals must be submitted in writing by registered mail within sixty days of the exam date and must be accompanied by a payment of $75.00. A candidate may appeal an exam score for the following reasons:

• • • Excessive noise or confusion during the examination which inhibited concentration
    • Exam room conditions (lighting, temperature, etc.).
    • Faulty computer operation

If the review results verify that there was a problem, the $75 fee will be returned to the exam candidate.

Eligibility Appeals Process:
If a candidate has been denied the opportunity to take the NCE, and they feel they have met the requirement above, they may appeal to the National Board for Certification in Hearing Instrument Sciences (NBC-HIS) Executive Director by writing a letter indicating the reason(s) they should not be denied. In the event a candidate is not satisfied with the decision of the Executive Director, they may appeal, in writing, to the Executive Council for further consideration. The appeal must be submitted to NBC-HIS within thirty (30) days of denial.

In 2022, 161 candidates completed the NCE with 80.4% passing the exam. As of Dec. 31, 2022, there were 2,426 total certificants.

The CEs NBC-HIS has recorded for you are listed in the Certificant Center. CEs must be earned within your three-year recertification period and those dates are also reflected. For additional information about earning and recording CEs, please visit this page.

Every three years from the time you became board certified, you are required to obtain 24 continuing education credits to recertify your BC-HIS credentials. You can obtain all 24 in one year or any combination that adds up to 24 during your three-year period.

You can track the CEs you’ve completed by logging into our Certificant Center.

PLEASE NOTE: If you obtain more than the required 24 credits for recertification, the additional credits cannot be applied to your next three-year recertification period.

All 24 CEs may be obtained by attending in-person or online educational programs, workshops and seminars. There is no limit for online CEs.

Annual fees are due by June 30 of each year and your certification will expire without completed payment.  Log into the Certificant Center to pay your fees and check your status.

Please contact info@nbc-his.com for support.

Please visit this page for information about earning CEs.

Those who meet a minimum of two full years of dispensing experience within the last five years and have a current state/provincial dispensing license or certificate of registration (where applicable) and pass the certification examination will achieve the Board Certified in Hearing Instrument Sciences (BC-HIS) credential. The NBC-HIS certification program differs from existing certificate and degree-granting hearing healthcare programs because it underscores your dispensing experience and assesses your advanced competencies as a hearing healthcare professional.

Eligibility Rationale

The NBC-HIS Exam Committee considered the following data and information when determining program eligibility criteria:

• National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs.
• Data obtained through the NBC-HIS (2017) Role Delineation Study of the hearing healthcare practitioners. Click here for a summary of the study.
• A Professional Practice Profile for Hearing Healthcare Professionals specific to the training and day to-day activities of those professionals..

The expertise needed to be successful in this profession is not derived solely from textbooks or classroom study. The successful hearing healthcare professional also relies upon skills that have been developed through years of actual “hands-on” experience. The training and commitment needed to successfully develop these skills has gained the hearing healthcare professional one of the highest consumer satisfaction ratings within the health care industry. (MarketTrak VIII: Twenty-five year trends in the Hearing Health Market)

The 2012 and 2017 Role Delineation Study was integral in conceptualizing the roles of hearing healthcare professionals and determining the most appropriate guidelines for eligibility.

Of the 2460 individuals which included current certificants and other stakeholders,  total of 390 respondents completed the survey in its entirety, which met the minimum statistical sampling required and addressed the responsibilities of hearing healthcare professionals.

Education

The 2012 Role Delineation Study shows that 32.8% had some college without a degree and 23.3% of respondents hold a Bachelor’s degree in another field. The NBC-HIS established professional experience and licensure as the minimum requirements to qualify for the NBC-HIS program.

License

The vast majority of respondents reported holding a license as a fitter/dispenser/practitioner (99.2%).  Table 7 displays the number and percentage of respondents who reported holding other licenses in good standing.

License(s) Held in Good Standing

Experience

The majority of respondents reported working full-time (91.8%).  Table 15 displays the number and percentage of respondents in each employment status category.

Current Employment Status

The majority of respondents reported that their role was best described as a hearing instrument practitioner (94.1%).  Table 16 displays the number and percentage of respondents in each role of the hearing instrument sciences field.

Hearing Instrument Sciences Job Role

One hundred eighty-one respondents (46.4%) reported that they supervised or managed other hearing health professionals (e.g., dispensers).  These 181 respondents were then asked how many hours per week that they spent performing direct patient services.  Supervisors or managers reporting providing direct patient services for an average of 32 hours per week (median=35 hours per week; mode=40 hours per week).  Figure 3 displays the number of hours per week that supervisors or managers reported providing direct patient services.

Hours Per Week That Supervisors/Managers Spent Providing Direct Patient Services 

Therefore it was established by the NBC-HIS that a minimally-qualified candidate must have a current State/Provincial dispensing license or certificate of registration, and  meet a minimum of two (2) years of full-time dispensing experience within the last five (5) years, or a diploma from one of the following programs to be eligible to take the exam: Grant MacEwan Hearing Aid Practitioner Program, Douglas College, Bates Technical College Hearing Instrument Sciences, Burlington County College Hearing Instrument Sciences, George Brown Hearing Instrument Sciences, Conestoga College Hearing Instrument Sciences, Ozarks Technical Community College Hearing Instrument Sciences, or Spokane Falls Community College Hearing Instrument Sciences.  The majority of respondents reported working full-time (91.8%). Additionally, supervisors or managers reporting providing direct patient services for an average of 32 hours per week.

This combination of licensure (where applicable) and experience in the hearing instrument dispensing was deemed critical for evidence of competent job performance.

The current test blueprint was based on the Job Task Analysis Study conducted in 2017. For a summary of the study, click here.