This CCHT cheat sheet boils the NNCC Certified Clinical Hemodialysis Technician exam down to the facts examiners test most, mapped to all four Dialysis Practice Areas. It's a premium cheat sheet built by Capital Prep — the one premium prep we trust — and it's yours free. Reinforce it with the rest of your free CCHT toolkit: the practice test, study guide, and flashcards.
CCHT exam at a glance
- Questions: 150 multiple-choice (~125 scored + ~25 unscored pilot)
- Time: 3 hours (180 minutes), computer-based via C-NET
- Passing score: Scaled standard score of 95 (about 74% correct)
- Cost: ~$225 exam fee (dated anchor — verify on the NNCC application); recertify every 3 years
What’s on the CCHT cheat sheet
- Clinical (48–52%) — dialysis principles (diffusion, osmosis, ultrafiltration, convection), vascular access and cannulation, fluid management and dry weight, intradialytic complications, and key labs — the largest area.
- Technical (21–25%) — the dialysis machine and extracorporeal circuit, dialysate and conductivity, the water-treatment train, and dialyzer reprocessing.
- Environment (13–17%) — standard and dialysis-specific precautions, bloodborne pathogens, hepatitis B isolation, disinfection, and facility and emergency safety.
- Role Responsibilities (10–14%) — scope of practice under RN supervision, privacy and confidentiality (HIPAA), documentation, and patient communication and education.
How to use it in your final week
- Front-load Clinical — it's roughly half the exam (48–52%). If you master one area from the sheet, make it dialysis principles, vascular access, dry weight, and intradialytic complications.
- Drill the two distinctions examiners lean on: diffusion removes wastes (solute, concentration gradient) while ultrafiltration removes fluid (water, transmembrane pressure); and hepatitis B needs isolation while hepatitis C needs only standard precautions.
- Memorize the emergency responses cold — air embolism is left-lateral, head and chest down; hemolysis means stop, clamp, and don't return the blood; hypotension means lower the UF rate, Trendelenburg, and a saline bolus per protocol.
- Read the sheet the morning of the test to lock in the number targets — passing scaled score 95, URR ≥ 65%, Kt/V ≥ 1.2, and the AAMI chloramine and bacteria limits — then pace yourself at about 70 seconds per question.
The cheat sheet is your review layer — your CCHT practice test drives the exam-readiness ring at the top of this page. Download it, review, then take a full practice exam (or drill with the study guide and flashcards) to see where you stand.
CCHT cheat sheet FAQ
Yes — the CCHT cheat sheet downloads as a PDF with no sign-up and no account. It's part of Career Employer's free NNCC toolkit alongside the practice test, study guide, and flashcards, so you can grab it, print it, and start reviewing in seconds.
It condenses the highest-yield facts across the four NNCC Dialysis Practice Areas: Clinical (diffusion vs. ultrafiltration, vascular access, dry weight, complications), Technical (the circuit, conductivity, water treatment, reprocessing), Environment (standard precautions and hepatitis B isolation), and Role Responsibilities (scope, HIPAA, documentation).
It's built from the NNCC's current CCHT test specifications and the CMS Conditions for Coverage, with AAMI water limits and CDC dialysis-safety guidance behind the technical facts. We review it against the NNCC candidate handbook so the domain weights and passing standard stay accurate.
No — the sheet is a last-mile review layer, not a full course. You need a scaled standard score of 95 (about 74% correct) across 150 questions, and roughly two-thirds are application-level scenarios, so pair the sheet with the practice test to build the clinical judgment those items reward.
Click the download button or the preview card at the top of this page to open the PDF instantly. Bookmark the page so you can pull it back up on your phone the morning of your exam for one last pass over the memory hooks.
References
- 1.Nephrology Nursing Certification Commission (NNCC). “CCHT Certification — Test Specifications & Candidate Handbook.” NNCC, 2026. ↑
- 2.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). “Conditions for Coverage for End-Stage Renal Disease Facilities (42 CFR §494).” CMS. ↑
- 3.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Dialysis Safety: Recommendations and Core Interventions to Prevent Infections.” CDC. ↑
- 4.Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI/ANSI). “Water Quality and Reuse Standards for Hemodialysis.” AAMI. ↑
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