- What the Public Data Actually Shows
- Why IAHSS Does Not Publish a Pass Rate
- The Format and Passing Criterion That Shape Outcomes
- How Access Windows and Fees Affect Your Odds
- Domain-by-Domain Readiness: Where Candidates Likely Struggle
- Who Sits the Exam and Who Hires for It
- How to Evaluate Pass-Rate Claims You Find Online
- A Domain-Sequenced Preparation Plan
- Frequently Asked Questions
- IAHSS does not publicly disclose a pass rate for the Basic Certified Healthcare Security Officer exam.
- The exam has 100 multiple-choice questions, 90 uninterrupted minutes, and a 70% passing criterion.
- A retake requires purchasing another exam; exam-only access lasts 60 days, bundle access one year.
- The eight course modules are teaching modules, not a weighted blueprint, so study all eight evenly.
What the Public Data Actually Shows
If you searched for the Certified Healthcare Security Officer pass rate hoping to find a tidy percentage, here is the honest answer up front: the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety (IAHSS) has not publicly disclosed one. The official exam and course pages on the IAHSS Academy, hosted on RapidLMS by We Know Training, list price, format, access duration, and the passing criterion, but they do not publish first-attempt or overall pass statistics.
That matters because many exam-prep sites fill the gap with confident-sounding numbers. For this credential, any specific pass percentage you see quoted should be treated as unverified unless it cites an IAHSS source. This article walks through what is known, what can be reasonably inferred from the exam's structure, and how to prepare so that the missing statistic stops mattering.
For a broader introduction to the credential before diving into numbers, see What Is CHSO Certification? and CHSO Certification.
Why IAHSS Does Not Publish a Pass Rate
IAHSS has not stated why it withholds pass-rate data, so any explanation is inference rather than fact. A few structural points are worth understanding, though, because they affect how you should interpret any number you do encounter:
- The exam is tied to a course product. Many candidates purchase the course and exam together, which means exam outcomes are intertwined with whether they completed the eLearning at all.
- Version changes reset the baseline. Basic v1.2 launched September 8, 2025. Any historical figure from an earlier version would describe a different exam.
- The scored/unscored split is undisclosed. IAHSS does not say how many of the 100 questions count toward your score, which makes outside difficulty estimates shaky.
- Different purchase routes create different candidate pools. Exam-only buyers, course-only buyers, bundle buyers, and Associate-membership bundle buyers likely differ in preparation, but no outcome data is split by route.
The practical takeaway: rather than anchoring on a statistic that does not exist publicly, anchor on the one measurable thing you control, which is your readiness against the 70% criterion. Our guide to the CHSO passing score covers that threshold in detail.
The Format and Passing Criterion That Shape Outcomes
Pass rates are a product of exam design and candidate preparation. You cannot see the second half, but the first half is published:
| Exam Feature | What IAHSS Publishes |
|---|---|
| Question count | 100 multiple-choice questions |
| Time limit | 90 minutes, one uninterrupted online session |
| Passing criterion | 70% |
| Scored vs. unscored items | Not disclosed |
| Pass rate | Not publicly disclosed |
| Open-book, calculator, adaptive, live-proctor rules | Unverified on public pages |
| Accommodations | Request available |
| Certification validity | Five years |
Ninety minutes for 100 questions works out to under a minute a question. That pacing is generous for recall-style items but tight if you second-guess scenario questions. Because the session is one uninterrupted sitting, a shaky internet connection or interruptions at home are a real risk factor that no pass-rate statistic would capture.
Note also that the rules around open-book use, calculators, adaptive delivery, and live proctoring are not verified on the public pages reviewed. Before your sitting, read the exam instructions inside your IAHSS Academy account instead of assuming the format matches another certification you have taken. For a realistic sense of difficulty given this format, read How Hard Is the CHSO Exam?
How Access Windows and Fees Affect Your Odds
The way IAHSS sells the exam creates built-in time pressure that influences outcomes more than most candidates realize. Here is the published pricing and access structure:
| Option | Price (USD) | Access |
|---|---|---|
| Exam only | $75 | 60 days |
| Course only | $70 | See product page |
| Course and exam bundle | $130 | One year |
| Bundle including one-year Associate membership | $170 | One year |
No separate member and non-member exam price tiers are published. And if you do not pass, another exam purchase is required for a retake. That single fact reshapes the economics of attempting the exam underprepared: a failed attempt costs you a fresh purchase, not a discounted retry.
The 60-day exam-only window is the detail most likely to trip people up. If you buy exam-only, your clock starts running, and procrastination becomes a risk. The bundle's one-year window gives much more room, which may matter if you are balancing shift work in a hospital security department. Full cost mechanics are in the CHSO certification cost breakdown.
Domain-by-Domain Readiness: Where Candidates Likely Struggle
The eight structural headings below reproduce the current IAHSS Basic eLearning v1.2 course modules. They are teaching modules, not official weighted exam domains, and IAHSS does not publish which area is largest. The public objectives document supplies 33 subtopics spread across these eight headings, though its file metadata dates from 2020, so treat it as a supporting reference rather than proof of a newly revised blueprint.
Because no weighting is published, the safest assumption is that every module can appear on your exam. The descriptions below focus on the kind of knowledge each area demands, so you can self-assess where you are weakest. For a fuller walkthrough of each area, see the complete guide to all 8 CHSO content areas.
Domain 1: Defining Security's Role within a Health Care Organization
Understand where security fits in a hospital or health system and how it supports patient care rather than competing with it.
- How security supports the care mission and the organization's goals
- The officer's relationship to clinical staff, administration, and visitors
Domain 2: Communicating Effectively throughout the Organization
Healthcare security is a communication job as much as a patrol job.
- Interacting with patients, families, and staff under stress
- Clear, professional reporting up and across the chain of command
Domain 3: Performing General Security Assignments
The day-to-day duties that make up most of an officer's shift.
- Patrol, access control, and visitor management in a clinical setting
- Responding appropriately to routine requests and incidents
Domain 4: Using Technology on a Security Assignment
Security equipment and systems used on the job.
- Familiarity with common security technology and its proper use
- Understanding limitations as well as capabilities of technology
Domain 5: Managing High Risk Situations and Areas
Where healthcare security differs most from general security work.
- Recognizing and responding to elevated-risk situations
- Understanding higher-risk locations within a facility
Domain 6: Assessing and Mitigating Threats
Moving from reactive response to proactive awareness.
- Identifying potential threats and warning signs early
- Choosing proportionate mitigation actions
Domain 7: Making Security and Safety Decisions
Scenario-driven judgment, which multiple-choice exams tend to test with "best answer" items.
- Weighing safety, policy, and patient-care considerations together
- Selecting the most appropriate action when several seem plausible
Domain 8: Investigating and Documenting Security Events
Accuracy and completeness of the record.
- Gathering facts and preserving information after an event
- Writing reports that are factual, objective, and complete
Candidates coming from general security backgrounds often feel strongest in Domains 3 and 4 and weakest where healthcare context changes the right answer, notably Domains 1, 5, and 7. That is an observation about the content, not a published statistic, but it is a useful way to decide where to spend your first study hours.
Who Sits the Exam and Who Hires for It
No current degree, experience-hour, employment-tenure, or reference requirement is published for the Basic certification. The eight-to-ten-hour course estimate shown on the course page is not a verified mandatory prerequisite. In practice, that means the candidate pool is open: new officers, experienced officers formalizing their knowledge, and people entering healthcare security from other fields can all register. A broad, mixed pool is one more reason an aggregate pass rate would be hard to interpret even if one were published. Details on eligibility are in CHSO requirements.
The credential is most relevant to hospitals, health systems, and other healthcare facilities that employ security officers and want a recognized baseline of healthcare-specific knowledge. Browse CHSO jobs for how it appears in hiring contexts.
How to Evaluate Pass-Rate Claims You Find Online
Because IAHSS publishes no pass rate, treat third-party numbers with skepticism. A quick checklist:
- Look for a source. Does the claim point to an IAHSS page or a dated report? If it only says "studies show" or "about X% pass," it is unsupported.
- Check which credential it describes. Several unrelated certifications use the CHSO acronym. A pass rate for a different one tells you nothing about this exam.
- Check the version. The Basic exam is based on eLearning version 1.2, launched September 8, 2025. Older data may describe a different exam.
- Be wary of precision without disclosure. If the scored/unscored split and cohort definitions are unpublished, a precise percentage cannot be verified.
The most reliable references are the official IAHSS Academy product pages and the public course objectives document. If a number cannot be traced back to those, plan as though it does not exist.
A Domain-Sequenced Preparation Plan
Since the pass rate is unknowable, the useful move is to prepare against the 70% threshold with a plan keyed to the actual module order. The schedule below assumes the bundle's one-year access, but you can compress it for the 60-day exam-only window. For deeper method guidance, see the CHSO study guide, and keep the CHSO cheat sheet handy for last-minute review.
Foundations: Domains 1 and 2
- Work through the role-of-security and communication modules
- Build vocabulary for healthcare settings, since later scenarios assume it
Daily Operations: Domains 3 and 4
- Cover general assignments and security technology
- These feel familiar to many officers, so take a quick pass and test yourself
Risk and Judgment: Domains 5, 6 and 7
- Spend the most time here; scenario items reward careful reading
- Practice choosing the best answer among several plausible ones
Records and Full Review: Domain 8 plus all modules
- Finish investigation and documentation material
- Take timed practice sessions of 100 questions in 90 minutes at our practice test site
Key Takeaway
Aim to score comfortably above 70% on timed practice before you sit the real exam. Because a failed attempt means buying another exam, a few extra days of review is cheaper than a retake. Confirm your exam dates and scheduling windows in the CHSO exam dates guide before you commit.
Finally, remember renewal. The certification is valid for five years, and renewal is by retesting or advancing; no CEU-only renewal route has been verified for the Basic level. Keep your records and calendar the expiration so you are not caught off guard.
Frequently Asked Questions
IAHSS does not publicly disclose a pass rate for the Certified Healthcare Security Officer Basic exam. Any specific percentage you see quoted should be verified against an official IAHSS source before you rely on it.
The published passing criterion is 70%. The exam has 100 multiple-choice questions, but IAHSS does not disclose how many are scored versus unscored, so aim for a comfortable margin above 70% on timed practice.
Another exam purchase is required for a retake. Because the exam-only option comes with 60 days of access and the bundle with one year, check your remaining access window before planning a second attempt.
No. They are the teaching modules of the IAHSS Basic eLearning v1.2 course. IAHSS does not publish domain weights, so the largest content area is unknown and all eight deserve study time.
No degree, experience-hour, employment-tenure, or reference requirement is currently published. The eight-to-ten-hour course estimate is not a verified mandatory prerequisite, but completing the course is still the most direct way to prepare.
While the pass rate stays undisclosed, your best lever is readiness: know all eight modules, practice under the 90-minute clock, and use the pass rate overview and related guides on this site to keep your expectations grounded in verified facts.