Welcome to the Health Information-Certified Associate (HICA) national certification examination (NCE). Please read the following information carefully before you proceed to write the examination.

Copyright © 2024 by Canadian College of Health Information Management. All rights reserved. No part of this examination may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means.

Examination format

There are 5 separate examinations. Each exam consists of 10 multiple choice questions based on the 5 practice areas:

1. Clinical knowledge
2. Professionalism in health care
3. Health care office management
4. Health care technology
5. Health care system

Each question is displayed on a separate page.

A passing grade is based on the following two requirements:

• An overall grade of 60% or higher, and;
• A grade for each practice area of 50% or higher.

Optional examination resources

• Use of scrap paper and pencil/pen are permitted. Study notes and other resources are not allowed to be used during the examination. This is a closed book examination.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Notes taken during the examination must be destroyed upon submission of the examination. No part of this examination may be copied, recorded, reproduced, or distributed in any form or by any means. For more information, please review the NCE policies, rules and regulations regarding appropriate use and destruction of the optional examination resources.

Final reminders

Please do not use the back button or close your browser during the examination.

When the timer runs out, the examination will automatically submit. Once an examination is submitted, you will not be able to return to the exam (e.g., Once the Clinical knowledge examination is submitted, you will not be able to return to review/change your responses).

Candidates may only leave the room to use the washroom. The timer on the examination will continue and not be paused.

Please ensure you have a valid, government issued, photo identification accessible to provide during the system check and authentication process.

If you experience technical issues while writing an exam, please complete the technical support contact form to expedite the process.

Canadian College of Health Information Management NCE online proctoring system terms and conditions

Please read the following carefully.

During the examination, the proctoring system will record all device and candidate activity, including those on the desktop. After the examination, the recording will be provided to CHIMA for subsequent review.

Terms and conditions of use:

1. You agree not to share your CHIMA account’s access details to third parties.
2. Your test environment and technology meets all the conditions required by the proctoring system and CHIMA’s online proctoring guidelines.
3. You understand and agree you are allowed to leave the observed area during the examination; however, the examination will not be paused, and the recording will be flagged for review and investigation by CHIMA.
4. You agree to keep your microphone and web camera on during the entire exam.
5. You agree to use one display device (single monitor), one keyboard, and one pointing device (a computer mouse) during the examination.
6. You are not allowed to provide third parties access to your device during the examination unless CHIMA and the proctoring system have given prior authorization.
7. During the examination, you are not allowed to participate in conversations with third parties, use reference materials (books, resources, audio recordings, etc.), or use mobile or other devices (including cellular devices, pagers, and tablets) besides the one used for the examination, unless previously approved by the College.
8. You understand and agree that the proctor has the right to end the examination and proctoring process if you violate CHIMA and the proctoring system’s rules, regulations, and policies of ethical standards during the examination.

Please note, by starting the NCE, you are agreeing to abide by the Canadian College of Health Information Management and Constructor proctoring system terms and conditions.

Starting the examination

Once the exam begins, you will be redirected to the proctoring system check and authentication process followed by the NCE.

To progress to the NCE, please select “HICA NCE” below.