CHSOS® Examination Description
The CHSOS® examination is a maximum of two hours in duration unless an extension has been requested and approved. There are 115 questions on the examination. All questions are multiple-choice questions with 4 options from which to select the answer. All questions on the examination must map to at least one of the items in the CHSOS®.
Scheduling an Exam
SSH does not schedule your examination, the choice of date, time, and location is the responsibility of the candidate.
When the application has been approved, SSH will notify the exam company, ISOQuality Testing, Inc (IQT). The candidate will receive an email from IQT with instructions to schedule the exam. From date of approval and notification, there is 90 days to complete the exam. The candidate should plan to schedule to take the examination during this 90-day period of time.
Examination Day Requirements
Candidates should arrive at the examination location in a timely manner. You may not be permitted to enter if you arrive late. Candidates MUST bring the Admission Letter and a government issued photo identification (e.g. passport, driver’s license) to the examination. The admission letter is emailed to the candidate after registering for the examination.
Sample Admission Letter (pdf)
Remote Proctoring
Candidates are now able to schedule and sit for the CHSE or CHSOS exam from the safety of their home or work. Working with our exam administration partner, Prometric, we have implemented a remote proctoring solution that is available to all candidates around the world. You will need a camera, microphone, quiet and well-lit room, and clean area if you wish to utilize this testing solution.
To prepare for your exam session you will:
- CLICK HERE to review the ProProctor User Guide in preparation for your exam.
- Carefully read the Remote Proctoring Regulations in the ProProctor User Guide and adjust your testing environment accordingly.
- PRIOR to your exam launch, CLICK HERE to install the ProProctor Application and perform a System Check
- When you are approved to test, select Remote Proctoring instead of testing centers in the online registration system
- Follow the instructions to schedule your date and time for remote proctoring
IMPORTANT: With the launch of the new blueprint, examination results will NOT be available on completion of your exam from January 20, 2024, and April 1, 2024. Results for exams taken during this period will be sent April 1, 2024.
IMPORTANT: prior to testing (one to two hours or as needed), we STRONGLY recommend that you restart both your computer and internet devices (e.g. router) to ensure that all caches are clear.
Testing Locations
The Certification Council is very pleased to announce the addition of the Prometric testing network through its partnership with SMT. This adds hundreds of testing sites to candidates in the US and around the world. This is a fantastic addition and will support obtaining yourCHSOS®!
The Prometric testing network looks like this:
Testing is available year-round at the testing sites that are available through SMT and its partners.
To see a list of all current testing centers outside of the United States (alphabetically by country), please Click Here. We will update this list as more centers are added.
ADDITIONAL LOCATIONS
SSH has worked to add additional locations for testing as appropriate. These locations can be found when selecting your date, time, and location to take the exams (they will appear 90 days ahead of the date of the exams).
Additional sites will be added as arranged.
IMPORTANT: you must still follow the same application and approval process through the Candidate Management System that is used for the testing sites that are open year-round.
Exam Accommodations
If you need special accommodations to take the exam, these can be requested in the application form (on the appropriate tab).
This INCLUDES if you are requesting extended time due to English being your second language.
Exam Results
The results of the examination are normally available on completion of the exam, either on the screen, or by a printed results sheet (dependent on testing site). Scoring is completed using a scaled score due to the multiple forms used, a 700 is required to pass. Each correct answer is counted towards the total score, there is no penalty for incorrect answers. Each form is equated to provide an equal chance to pass with this 700 score.
Results are either given as Pass or Fail. Passing results have no further information provided (no scale score). Fail results provide both the scale score as well as the percentage of questions answered completely in each domain. This is the only information provided to each individual. No review of individual questions or of the whole exam forms is permitted.
IMPORTANT: With the launch of the new blueprint, examination results will NOT be available on completion of your exam from January 20, 2024, and April 1, 2024. Results for exams taken during this period will be sent April 1, 2024.
Reexamination
If you were unsuccessful on the CHSE exam, you make take it again. Candidates may take the examination once every 90 days, and no more than four (4) times in a calendar year. Use the information from the previous exam to determine what further study you need.
In order to retake the examination CLICK HERE and submit the request and reexamination fee. You must be logged in to the SSH system.
Application Fees for CHSOS®
First time application only (application fee includes the first examination attempt):
$395 (USD) for members of SSH and other supporting organizations
$495 (USD) for all others
Reexamination fee :
$175 (USD) for members of SSH and other supporting organizations
$275 (USD) for all others
Questions? Email the Certification Coordinator