CVTS Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass

The Passing Score Question: What Is and Isn't Published

Candidates searching for the passing score on the Certificate of Added Qualifications in Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery want one thing: a number to aim for. Here is the honest answer. A numeric passing threshold for this NCCPA specialty examination was not verified in the official materials reviewed for this article, and we are not going to invent one. If you see a site claiming "you need exactly 70%" or "a scaled score of 400," treat it as unsourced unless it points to NCCPA documentation.

What is verifiable is the structure of the exam, the content blueprint that determines what you are tested on, and the non-exam requirements that must also be satisfied before the credential is awarded. Those facts shape how you should prepare far more than a single cut-score figure would. For context on how that uncertainty affects difficulty, see our analysis of how hard the CVTS exam is, and for outcome data (or the lack of it), read what the data shows on CVTS pass rate.

What "Passing" Actually Means for the CAQ

For this credential, passing the exam is necessary but not sufficient. The CAQ is awarded only when you have both a passing NCCPA specialty-exam result and every non-exam requirement satisfied. That is a different mental model from a single-gate licensing test.

The two halves of "pass"

• Exam half: a passing result on the NCCPA CVTS specialty examination, taken at a Pearson VUE test center for the initial attempt.
• Non-exam half: current PA-C status, an unrestricted PA license (with every held license unrestricted), 4,000 hours of cardiovascular/thoracic surgical PA experience, 75 specialty-focused Category I CME credits, and the attestation of procedural and patient-management knowledge.

The attestation is worth understanding because it is not a second timed practical exam. A collaborating physician or lead/senior PA who works in the specialty and knows your practice attests to the required knowledge and skills. A physician or PA postgraduate program director may sign for a PA enrolled in or graduated from that program. The attestation may precede the exam or arrive within 90 days after score notification. Full eligibility details are in our guide to CVTS requirements and how to qualify.

The 120-Question Format You Are Scored On

Because no verified cut score exists to anchor your strategy, the format itself becomes your most reliable planning tool. The initial exam is 120 multiple-choice questions delivered in two blocks of 60 questions, with 60 minutes allotted per block. That works out to roughly one minute per question, which is tighter than many clinicians expect for case-based surgical content.

Test-day mechanics that affect your score

• Two hours of testing, 2.5-hour appointment. The appointment includes a 15-minute tutorial and a 15-minute break, which are not part of the two hours of testing.
• A completed block cannot be reopened. You must make your final decisions on flagged items before closing block one. There is no returning to it after the break.
• Closed book. Personal books, notes, and calculators are prohibited, so dosing, hemodynamic relationships, and interpretation thresholds need to live in your memory.

Registration costs USD $350 total: a $100 registration/administrative fee plus a $250 examination fee. If you are weighing that against retake risk, our CVTS certification cost breakdown covers the full picture, and the scheduling side is covered in CVTS exam dates, deadlines and scheduling.

Where the Points Live: Blueprint Weights

NCCPA's Content Blueprint for the Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery CAQ Examination is the best available indicator of how your 120 questions are distributed. The five medical content categories are Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular, Critical Care, and Legal/Ethical Issues and Emerging Topics. The blueprint is a three-page document and is undated; do not assume any particular exam-version year from its URL.

*Weights describe the blueprint's content distribution; they are not a guarantee of the exact count of items on any single form.

Vascular (10%) and Legal/Ethical Issues and Emerging Topics (5%) are smaller, but a candidate hovering near the passing line can be separated by a handful of items. For a deeper domain-by-domain treatment, see our complete guide to all 5 CVTS content areas.

The second classification: tasks

The same blueprint also weights cross-cutting clinical tasks. These are a second lens on the same exam, not extra domains and not extra percentages to add on top of the medical categories.

The practical takeaway: diagnostic studies, clinical intervention, and pharmacotherapy each carry 20%, so a question about, say, a postoperative atrial arrhythmia might be classified as Cardiac by content and Pharmacotherapy by task simultaneously. Study the drugs and the studies, not just the diseases.

Score Release and the Attestation Clock

Do not expect an immediate result on test day. NCCPA releases scores after validation, generally eight to ten weeks after administration. That delay matters for planning because the attestation may be submitted before the exam or within 90 days after score notification, and the initial CAQ process must be completed within six years after initiation.

A sensible sequencing approach

1. Confirm your eligibility items first (license status, hours, CME) so there are no surprises at application.
2. Identify your attesting physician or lead/senior PA early; they must know your practice and work in the specialty.
3. Submit the attestation on a timeline that does not leave you scrambling inside the 90-day post-score window.
4. Keep copies of CME certificates showing the 25-credit recency requirement within the preceding two years.

Passing the exam but missing the attestation leaves the credential unawarded, so treat the non-exam work as part of "passing." Our overview of CVTS certification walks through how the pieces fit together.

A Source Conflict That Can Misdirect Your Prep

NCCPA publishes Sample Cardiovascular/Thoracic Surgery Questions & Critiques (copyright 2021). They are valuable for seeing question style and rationale format. However, the annotations in that sample document retain older weights, including Cardiac at 40% and Vascular at 5%. The current content blueprint lists Cardiac at 38% and Vascular at 10%.

NCCPA also offers an optional $50 practice examination for this specialty. It is a single form with a 180-day completion window, and its feedback is educational; it does not predict whether you will pass. That caveat is important in a context where there is no published cut score: a practice result is a diagnostic of weak areas, not a forecast.

Building Readiness Without a Cut Score

When the threshold is unknown, the defensible goal is breadth of competence weighted by the blueprint, with extra attention to your weakest high-weight areas. A short, domain-sequenced plan works better than an undifferentiated read-through. For a fuller strategy, see our CVTS study guide on passing at the first attempt.

You can also drill with our CVTS practice tests to rehearse the closed-book, one-minute-per-question rhythm. A one-page recall aid such as our CVTS cheat sheet helps with the facts you cannot look up on test day.

Passing Again: Maintenance Exam Rules

The CAQ is valid for ten years, conditional on maintaining PA-C and licensure. Renewal requires 125 specialty Category I CME credits earned during the cycle and submitted by the renewal-exam application, plus passing the specialty examination again. The May 2026 governing policy allows three maintenance-exam attempts during years nine and ten.

The maintenance exam can be taken at a test center or as a distinct online examination: 120 questions, five minutes per question, and an approximately six-week completion window. The online format permits printed and online references but requires independent work. Those conditions are specific to maintenance and are not initial-exam conditions, so do not assume you may use references on your first attempt.

Whether the credential justifies this ongoing commitment is a separate question; we address it in is the CVTS certification worth it, and we caution against assuming a certification-caused pay premium when you look at earnings analysis.

Frequently Asked Questions

Because the true cut score is unpublished, your best protection is thorough, blueprint-weighted preparation and a clean non-exam file. Review the CVTS passing score guide whenever NCCPA updates its policies, and keep testing yourself against realistic timed blocks on the main practice test site.