- The 2026 CCH Calendar at a Glance
- Spring and Fall Windows Explained
- Choosing the Right Window for Your Preparation
- The Application-to-Exam Sequence
- Scheduling Through Kryterion and Webassessor
- What You Are Scheduling: The Exam Format
- Retake Timing and the One-Year Rule
- Mapping the Nine Domains to Your Calendar
- After the Exam: Renewal Dates to Know
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The 2026 spring window runs April 1 to September 30; the fall window runs October 1 to November 30.
- Testing days exclude weekends and federal holidays, so build buffer days into your scheduling plan.
- Retakes cannot occur in the same examination cycle; a second failure triggers a one-year wait.
- Candidates must be physically in the United States or Canada, even when testing by live remote proctoring.
The 2026 CCH Calendar at a Glance
The Certified Classical Homeopath (CCH) credential is awarded by the Council for Homeopathic Certification (CHC), and its examination is not offered on a rolling, any-day-of-the-year basis the way some professional tests are. Instead, CHC organizes testing into defined examination cycles. If you are planning your 2026 attempt, the first thing to understand is that the window you choose shapes everything else: when you apply, when your documentation must be complete, and how long you have to prepare.
Older descriptions of the CCH exam often mention only "April and October" testing. Dated 2026 notices from CHC supersede that generic wording and extend both windows considerably. This article is built on those current notices and the July 2026 handbook, with sources checked October 5, 2026. Always confirm final dates directly with CHC before you commit, because calendar details are the type of information an issuer can update.
| Cycle | 2026 Window | Scheduling Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | April 1 - September 30 | Excludes weekends and federal holidays |
| Fall | October 1 - November 30 | Excludes weekends and federal holidays |
The practical effect is that the spring cycle is unusually long, giving candidates a broad runway, while the fall cycle is a tighter two-month stretch. Neither window lets you test on a weekend, so every available slot is a weekday that is not a federal holiday.
Spring and Fall Windows Explained
The Extended Spring Window (April 1 - September 30)
Spring is now a six-month cycle. That is a meaningful change for candidates who previously thought of spring testing as a narrow spring-only opportunity. A longer window reduces the pressure of competing for a single slot and lets you align your test date with when your preparation actually peaks rather than when a calendar forces you to sit.
The Fall Window (October 1 - November 30)
The fall cycle is shorter at two months. It suits candidates who finish their clinical hours or supervised case documentation over the summer, or who prefer a longer study period after missing the earlier cycle. Because the fall window closes at the end of November, any retake planning or documentation delays should be handled early, not in the final weeks.
Choosing the Right Window for Your Preparation
Which cycle you target should follow from your readiness, not from enthusiasm. The CCH exam covers nine formal domains, and candidates who are strong in some areas but thin in others tend to need more time than they expect. For a candid look at what you are up against, see How Hard Is the CCH Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026.
Consider these factors when choosing between spring and fall:
- Documentation completeness. Your education records, supervised case documentation, and attestations must be in order before you can be cleared to test. If anything is outstanding, the longer spring window gives you more slack.
- Domain readiness. If Materia Medica and Repertory are your weak points, factor in more weeks of focused review before booking.
- Retake contingency. Because retakes cannot occur in the same cycle, testing early in the spring window does not let you retake that same spring cycle, but it can position you for the fall cycle if your handbook authorization allows it. Plan with the retake rules in mind.
- Work and clinical schedule. A four-hour exam requires a clear block of a weekday. Plan around your practice, teaching, or clinic commitments.
Key Takeaway
Pick your cycle only after your application materials are verified as complete. A confirmed spot in the wrong cycle is worth less than a well-timed attempt in the next one.
The Application-to-Exam Sequence
You cannot simply buy a test seat. Scheduling comes at the end of a sequence that begins with eligibility. Understanding that order prevents the most common calendar mistake: assuming you can decide on a date before your application is approved.
- Confirm your pathway. Pathway 1 covers ACHENA-accredited (or candidate) programs and CHO-approved programs. Pathway 2 requires a pre-qualification evaluation (PQE) of other qualifying education, including international programs.
- Submit the application. The Pathway 1 application fee is $35. Pathway 2 combines a $35 application with a $75 PQE review for $110.
- Document your preparation. Standard preparation includes 500 theory and foundations hours, 500 clinical hours, at least 10 independently managed supervised cases with two follow-ups each, and college-level anatomy/physiology and human pathology.
- Complete attestations and proof. This includes English proficiency, educational documentation, and professional-ethics, fitness, and confidentiality attestations.
- Pay the examination fee. The exam is $500, which brings calculated initial totals to $535 (Pathway 1) or $610 (Pathway 2).
- Schedule your seat. Only after approval do you book a date and delivery method through the testing provider.
CHC also publishes approved clinical-equivalency routes for established practitioners, so the standard 500-hour clinical route is not the only way an approved applicant may qualify. If you think you may fit that profile, check the issuer's current guidance early, since the Pathway 2 evaluation adds processing time to your calendar. For the full eligibility picture, read CCH Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify, and for a line-by-line fee view, see CCH Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
Scheduling Through Kryterion and Webassessor
The exam is administered by Kryterion through Webassessor. You have two delivery options: an authorized test center or live remote proctoring. Both are valid, but they differ in logistics, and your choice affects which dates are practical for you.
| Factor | Authorized Test Center | Live Remote Proctoring |
|---|---|---|
| Location requirement | Physically in the U.S. or Canada | Physically in the U.S. or Canada |
| Breaks | Restroom breaks permitted; the exam clock keeps running | Continuous four-hour session, no breaks |
| Materials | Closed-book; no personal references or calculators | Closed-book; no personal references or calculators |
| Best for | Candidates near a center who want a controlled environment | Candidates without nearby centers who have a quiet, private space |
One rule catches candidates off guard: you must be physically located in the United States or Canada at the time of testing, and that applies to remote proctoring too. Testing remotely does not mean testing from anywhere in the world. If you travel or relocate near your exam date, confirm your location eligibility before you book.
For remote candidates, the no-break requirement is the practical constraint to plan around. A continuous four-hour session means arranging uninterrupted time, a private space, and your own physical preparation in advance. At a test center, restroom breaks are allowed, but the clock does not stop, so a break still costs you exam time.
What You Are Scheduling: The Exam Format
Picking a date makes more sense once you know what the four hours will demand. The examination contains 250-260 single-best-answer multiple-choice questions to be completed in four hours. CHC publishes that range rather than an exact count, so do not plan around a fixed number. Roughly one minute per question is a rough pacing reference, which leaves little room for long deliberation on any single item.
Passing requires a scaled score of 255 on a 100-300 scale. That is not an 85% raw passing percentage, and you should not translate it into a percent-correct target. For the scoring logic, see CCH Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass. The issuer reports a 76% examination pass rate for 2024, which is a dated cohort statistic rather than a passing score; the context is covered in CCH Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows.
Questions may be presented as case studies or as repertory graphs and charts. These are presentation styles within the nine domains, not extra domains of their own. You will need to read a case, interpret a repertory chart, and select the single best answer, all in a closed-book setting with no calculators or personal reference materials.
Retake Timing and the One-Year Rule
Retake rules affect your calendar more than most candidates realize, and they are an area where older information conflicts with current policy. Plan around the correct version.
What the July 2026 Handbook Says
- Retakes cannot occur in the same examination cycle in which you tested.
- The retake fee is $325.
- After a second failure, you must skip an examination cycle and wait one year before another attempt.
- That next attempt also requires documentation of a school refresher or certification-exam bootcamp with at least 40 hours.
- Subsequent attempts must be similarly spaced.
The Older FAQ Conflict
An older CHC FAQ page places the one-year wait after three failures rather than two. The newer July 2026 handbook controls. In practice, rely on the handbook and on the retake authorization CHC issues to you personally, not on the older FAQ wording. If your authorization letter and any web page disagree, follow the authorization and ask CHC to clarify in writing.
| Attempt | Timing Rule | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| First attempt | Any date in your chosen window | $500 |
| First retake | Cannot be in the same cycle | $325 |
| After a second failure | Skip a cycle, wait one year, document 40+ hour refresher or bootcamp | Per issued authorization |
The strategic takeaway is that your first attempt carries real weight on the calendar. A failed sitting in the fall cycle, for example, may push a retake to the following spring, but a second failure stretches the delay to a full year plus a documented refresher. Preparing properly the first time is faster and cheaper than relying on retakes. Our CCH Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt is built around that logic.
Mapping the Nine Domains to Your Calendar
Once you have a target window, work backward and assign domains to weeks. The nine domains do not have published percentage weights, so do not assume they are equally weighted or invent a weighting scheme. The official scope is the CHC Domains and Statements (Content Outline) 2025, updated October 16, 2025. Treat it as your blueprint, and treat the supplementary materials on the CHC Preparation Resources page, which include a 2021 remedy list, a pathology study guide, and sample items, as aids that keep their original dates rather than replacements for the outline.
Here is one way to sequence the nine domains over a preparation window. Adjust the order to your own strengths, since the goal is to tackle your weakest areas early enough to revisit them.
Foundations and Theory of Classical Homeopathy; Health Science
- Anchor the theoretical framework that every other domain builds on.
- Refresh anatomy, physiology, and human pathology, since the standard preparation requires college-level coursework here.
Materia Medica and Repertory
- Materia Medica is memory-heavy, so start early and revisit often.
- Practice reading repertory graphs and charts, since they appear as question presentations.
Homeopathic Case Taking and Case Analysis
- Work through case studies, since the exam presents scenarios in that format.
- Practice selecting the single best answer under time pressure.
Posology; Follow-up and Case Management; Ethics and Professional Practice
- Review dosing and potency decisions, and follow-up assessment logic.
- Revisit ethics, confidentiality, scope of practice, and medical-referral safeguards.
This sequencing puts theory and health science first because Materia Medica, Case Analysis, and Posology all depend on them. Ethics and Professional Practice is scheduled late here only to keep it fresh, but you should touch it throughout since scope-of-practice and referral judgment can surface in any case-based question. For deeper coverage of each area, use CCH Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 9 Content Areas, and for rapid last-week review, CCH Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts.
Where Calendar Mistakes Hide
The weeks closest to your exam date should be reserved for timed, mixed-domain practice, not first-pass learning.
- Take full-length practice sets that mimic the 250-260 question, four-hour format.
- Use the issuer's linked sample items as supplementary practice.
- Rehearse your delivery choice: sit uninterrupted for four hours if testing remotely.
To pressure-test your timing and find weak domains before committing to a date, try the CCH practice test and use your results to decide whether your target window is realistic.
After the Exam: Renewal Dates to Know
Your calendar does not end when you pass. CCH certification renews annually, and the deadline is fixed at December 31 each year, beginning in the calendar year after your initial certification. If you pass in the fall cycle, that deadline arrives only a short time after certification, so understand the obligations early.
- Continuing education: 15 CEUs, including at least 10 Category I homeopathy units and at most five optional Category II professional-development units.
- Attestations: Required annually as part of recertification.
- Fee: $170 USD.
The CHC Recertification Handbook, updated July 23, 2026, governs these requirements. Treat the first renewal as part of your overall plan, not an afterthought. If you are weighing whether the credential is worth these recurring commitments, see Is the CCH Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026. Practice income varies widely and is never guaranteed, so evaluate the credential as a professional qualification rather than an assured earnings path.
Key Takeaway
Put December 31 on your calendar the moment you pass. Renewal is annual, requires 15 CEUs, and starts the calendar year after certification.
Frequently Asked Questions
The spring window runs April 1 to September 30, and the fall window runs October 1 to November 30. Both exclude weekends and federal holidays. These dated 2026 notices supersede older generic April and October wording, but confirm with CHC before booking.
No. Candidates must be physically located in the United States or Canada at the time of testing, including when using live remote proctoring through Kryterion and Webassessor.
No. Retakes cannot occur in the same examination cycle. The retake fee is $325. After a second failure, the July 2026 handbook requires skipping a cycle, waiting one year, and documenting a refresher or bootcamp of at least 40 hours.
The exam has 250-260 single-best-answer questions in four hours. Remote sessions must be continuous with no breaks. At a test center, restroom breaks are allowed, but the exam clock keeps running.
No. The passing score is 255 on a 100-300 scaled-score range, not an 85% raw percentage. You should not convert it into a percent-correct target. See the passing score guide for details.
Choosing your exam date is a decision about readiness as much as logistics. Verify the current windows with CHC, confirm your eligibility pathway, map the nine domains across your preparation weeks, and use realistic timed practice to decide when you are ready. If you want a structured way to check your readiness, start with the CCH Exam Prep practice test.