- The One Pass-Rate Figure CCI Publishes
- How to Read a 75% First-Time Rate Correctly
- Scoring Mechanics Behind the Pass Mark
- Who Actually Sits the Exam
- Where Candidates Gain or Lose Points: A Domain Lens
- The 2027 Matrix Transition and Your Odds
- Retakes, Fees, and the Cost of a First-Attempt Miss
- A Domain-Weighted Preparation Sequence
- Frequently Asked Questions
- CCI publishes a 75% first-time RPhS pass rate for 2025, not a 2026 figure and not an all-attempt rate.
- The pass mark is a scaled score of 650 on a 0-900 range, not a raw percentage.
- 150 of the 170 questions are scored; 20 unidentified items are unscored.
- Performance of Diagnostic Testing carries the largest weight on the current matrix at 36%.
The One Pass-Rate Figure CCI Publishes
Searches for an RPhS pass rate tend to surface vague claims, recycled forum numbers, and statistics that belong to entirely different credentials. For the Registered Phlebology Sonographer examination administered by Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI), the verifiable figure is narrow: CCI publishes a 75% first-time pass rate for 2025. It appears in a pass-rate table on the CCI FAQ page and is confirmed on the CCI students page.
Notice what that sentence does not say. It is not a 2026 rate, because the 2026 testing year was not complete when the official sources were last checked on October 15, 2026. It is not an all-attempt rate, so repeat test-takers are not blended in. And it is not a cumulative historical average. Any article that quotes a precise "2026 RPhS pass rate" is either guessing or borrowing a number from somewhere else. If you want the exam structure behind this figure, see our complete difficulty guide for the RPhS exam.
How to Read a 75% First-Time Rate Correctly
A 75% first-time pass rate means roughly three of every four first-attempt candidates in 2025 earned a passing result. It does not mean the exam is easy, and it does not mean you have a 75% chance of passing. Your individual odds depend on your preparation, your clinical background, and which domains you have worked in directly.
What the number can tell you
- The exam is passable for prepared candidates. A large majority of first-time test-takers cleared it.
- The eligibility gate does some of the filtering. Candidates must already hold qualifying venous-ultrasound credentials, experience, or physician-level study counts before they are approved to test.
- A meaningful minority did not pass on the first attempt, so treating the exam casually is a real risk.
What the number cannot tell you
- How many candidates passed in 2026, or what the rate will be for the February 2027 window.
- How pass rates differ by eligibility route, such as RVS/RVT holders versus physician-pathway candidates.
- How candidates performed within each domain. CCI does not publish domain-level pass data in the sources checked.
- The retake pass rate, which sits outside the published first-time statistic.
Because the data is this limited, the most useful response is to prepare against the published exam specification instead of the headline percentage. Our RPhS study guide for a first-attempt pass walks through that approach.
Scoring Mechanics Behind the Pass Mark
The pass rate only makes sense next to how the exam is scored. The RPhS uses a scaled score with a passing standard of 650 on a 0-900 range. That is not a raw percentage. You cannot convert 650 into "you must answer X% of questions correctly," and candidates who try usually end up anxious about a number that does not exist.
| Exam Feature | RPhS Detail |
|---|---|
| Total questions | 170 |
| Scored questions | 150 |
| Unscored items | 20 (unidentified, so you cannot tell which) |
| Passing score | 650 on a 0-900 scaled range |
| Question answering time | 2 hours 50 minutes (170 minutes) |
| Total appointment | 3 hours, including tutorial and post-exam survey |
| Question formats | Single-best-answer multiple choice, multiple response, image hot spots, drag-and-place |
| Test delivery | Pearson VUE test center |
Because 20 items are unscored and unidentified, you should treat every question as if it counts. Those pilot items exist to evaluate future questions, and trying to guess which ones to skip is a losing strategy. For the exact meaning of the scale, read our explainer on the RPhS passing score.
Who Actually Sits the Exam
The 75% figure describes an already-screened population. To be approved for the exam, a candidate needs a high-school diploma or GED plus one documented route. The routes include:
- An active RVS or RVT credential plus six months of venous-ultrasound employment.
- A relevant associate degree or 62 semester hours plus one year of experience.
- A relevant bachelor's degree plus six months of experience.
- A licensed physician associate or nurse practitioner route requiring six months of limited or complete venous-ultrasound experience.
- Physician routes requiring a medical license, combined with study counts: ABVLM certification or active RVS/RVT/RPVI with 150 studies performed or directly supervised in the preceding two years; or 200 such studies in the preceding two years; or a qualifying residency or fellowship with 200 studies during training.
The first three routes also require 36 relevant CEUs in the preceding four years. That requirement is not universal, so do not assume it applies to every pathway. Physician study-count letters must be notarized, and every route needs its own education, credential, employment, and study verification. Our RPhS requirements guide breaks down each pathway in detail.
This screening is one reason a first-time rate can be healthy: candidates arrive with documented venous-ultrasound exposure. It also means the pass rate says little about how a candidate with weak hands-on experience would fare.
Where Candidates Gain or Lose Points: A Domain Lens
CCI does not publish domain-level results, so any claim about which domain "causes the most failures" would be invented. What you can do is use the published weights to see where points are concentrated. The five official duty and task domains on the current matrix are examination objectives rather than curriculum chapters, and their approximate weights are shown below.
Domain 3: Performance of Diagnostic Testing (36%)
The heaviest domain by a wide margin. This is hands-on venous ultrasound territory, and weakness here is hard to offset elsewhere.
- Scanning technique, probe selection, and patient positioning for venous studies
- Image optimization and recognition of normal versus abnormal venous findings
- Applying the right protocol to the clinical question
Domain 2: Patient Diagnosis (27%)
The second-largest domain. Expect questions that ask you to interpret findings and connect them to venous disease.
- Recognizing patterns of venous insufficiency and obstruction
- Correlating clinical presentation with duplex results
- Distinguishing conditions that look similar on imaging
Domain 5: Minimally Invasive and Invasive Treatment of Patients (20%)
One in five questions. Sonographers who work only in diagnostics sometimes underinvest here.
- Ultrasound guidance and monitoring around venous interventions
- Procedural awareness and post-treatment assessment
Domain 1: Maintain Information, Facility, and Safety (9%) and Domain 4: Conservative Treatment/Therapy of Patients (9%)
Smaller in weight, but they are predictable points for a prepared candidate.
- Documentation, equipment, infection control, and patient safety
- Conservative therapies and patient education
The published weights on the current matrix are 9/27/36/9/20, which add up to 101% even though the issuer's total row says 100%. Treat them as approximate. For a fuller breakdown, see our guide to the five RPhS exam domains.
The 2027 Matrix Transition and Your Odds
The 2025 first-time pass rate was earned under the earlier testing arrangement. A transition is now underway that affects anyone applying in late 2026. CCI publishes two matrices on the same page, with the same five domain headings but different weights:
| Domain | Current matrix (before Feb 1, 2027) | Matrix effective Feb 1, 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Maintain Information, Facility, and Safety | 9% | 7% |
| Patient Diagnosis | 27% | 25% |
| Performance of Diagnostic Testing | 36% | 38% |
| Conservative Treatment/Therapy of Patients | 9% | 10% |
| Minimally Invasive and Invasive Treatment of Patients | 20% | 20% |
The scheduling consequence is concrete. Applications received August 1 through December 31, 2026 are assigned to the February 1-28, 2027 testing window. After February 1, 2027, testing occurs in February and August only. Earlier-approved candidates follow their authorization-to-test dates, capped at the end of February 2027. This replaces the generic year-round, 90-day authorization language you may see elsewhere.
The shifts are modest, with Performance of Diagnostic Testing rising to 38% and the other changes small. But they reinforce a point: the 2025 pass rate is a reference for the old window, not a prediction for the new one. With only two testing windows per year, a missed attempt also costs far more waiting time than it once did.
Retakes, Fees, and the Cost of a First-Attempt Miss
The pass-rate conversation is incomplete without the cost of not passing. The examination fee is USD 365, which includes a USD 100 non-refundable application-processing component. A retake requires a new application and a new examination fee, so a failed attempt means paying again. There is a general 45-day minimum retake interval, but with testing now limited to February and August, the practical wait can be much longer than 45 days.
Rescheduling is another place candidates get tripped up. CCI's credential page says two full working days, while the FAQ says 24 hours. Rather than guessing which applies, follow the instructions attached to your specific appointment. For the full financial picture, see our RPhS certification cost breakdown.
Once you pass, the credential has its own maintenance cycle. The initial certification period is 9-12 months, and the first renewal costs USD 165 with Code of Ethics compliance and no CEUs due. After that, the three-year renewal requires USD 165, ethics compliance, and 36 CEUs, with at least 30 cardiovascular-related and any remainder medical-related under the dedicated CE policy.
A Domain-Weighted Preparation Sequence
Rather than generic study advice, here is one way to translate the published weights into a schedule. The sequence front-loads the highest-weight domain and saves low-weight domains for efficient review. Adjust the week count to your timeline and your test window.
Performance of Diagnostic Testing
- Review venous scanning technique, protocols, and image optimization
- Practice image hot-spot and drag-and-place items against venous images
Patient Diagnosis
- Work through findings interpretation and clinical correlation
- Use multiple-response items to test whether you know every correct option
Invasive and Minimally Invasive Treatment
- Cover ultrasound guidance, procedural awareness, and post-treatment assessment
Safety, Information, and Conservative Therapy
- Lock in documentation, safety, and conservative therapy facts
- Take a timed full-length practice exam
Keep a one-page reference of must-know facts handy; our RPhS cheat sheet is built for that. When you are ready to test yourself under realistic conditions, use the RPhS practice tests to rehearse the 170-question pace and the mix of question formats.
Key Takeaway
Use the 75% figure as reassurance that the exam is passable, then prepare against the matrix for your actual test date. Spend the most time on Performance of Diagnostic Testing and Patient Diagnosis, which together account for the majority of scored content.
Frequently Asked Questions
CCI publishes a 75% first-time pass rate for the RPhS examination for 2025. It is a first-time figure for that year, not a 2026 rate and not an all-attempt rate that includes retakers.
Not in the official sources checked on October 15, 2026. The most recent published figure is the 2025 first-time rate. Any specific 2026 percentage you see elsewhere should be treated with caution unless it cites CCI directly.
No. The passing standard is 650 on a scaled range of 0 to 900, not a raw percentage. The number of correct answers needed is not published, and 20 of the 170 questions are unscored.
A retake requires a new application and the full examination fee of USD 365, which includes a USD 100 non-refundable application-processing component. Testing windows now fall in February and August, so timing a retake takes planning.
Performance of Diagnostic Testing at 36% on the current matrix, rising to 38% on the matrix effective February 1, 2027. Patient Diagnosis is second at 27% on the current version and 25% on the newer one.
For an overview of the credential itself, start with what RPhS certification is, and weigh the investment using our RPhS certification ROI analysis. You can also check the latest pass-rate summary for updates as CCI publishes new data.