CBIC CIC

CBIC lists a Prometric delivery channel for its certifications and offers a CIC Practice Test that it says is "designed to simulate the format and experience of the actual CIC® exam." The home page does not state the item count, appointment length or item type, so confirm those specifics in CBIC's Candidate Handbook and CIC FAQs before booking.

We do not state a number here because the CBIC home page retrieved for this profile publishes none. Item count, appointment length and the passing standard are set by CBIC and printed in the Candidate Handbook. Confirm them there before you schedule - study plans built on outdated secondhand figures are a common source of exam-day surprises.

The CBIC home page does not describe a retake policy or waiting period, so any specific rule quoted elsewhere should be verified. Check the current Candidate Handbook and the CIC FAQs on cbic.org before you schedule. Eligibility windows and fees are set by CBIC and can change from one handbook edition to the next.

It is aimed at practicing infection preventionists. CBIC notes the CIC® is recognized as the premiere infection prevention and control certification for nurses in Canada, and certificate holders describe using it across facility types. Newcomers to the field can consider CBIC's associate credential, a-IPC™, which is a separate certification with its own eligibility criteria.

CBIC reports 12,509 individuals certified in infection control, a figure the site dates 7/22/2026. For context it also lists 1,240 LTC-CIP® and 826 a-IPC™ certificate holders. Note that these are counts of credential holders; they say nothing about exam difficulty, pass rates or how many candidates sit the exam each year.

In CBIC's own survey figures, 79% of certificate holders find their CIC® very impactful, 36% earned a raise or better position after earning the certification, and 82% would recommend it to peers. These are self-reported holder perceptions rather than an independent outcomes study, so weigh them as marketing-adjacent evidence rather than proof of salary impact.

CBIC lists two routes: CIC® Recertification by Proctored Examination and CIC® Recertification by Continuing Education, with a separate IPU provider approval process. The length of the certification cycle is not stated on the home page, so verify the current cycle and the required IPU or contact-hour totals in the Candidate Handbook before your expiration date approaches.

Start with the content outline in the current Candidate Handbook and map every domain to your own experience, flagging the areas you never touch at work. Work through the CBIC and APIC preparation resources for those gaps, then use the CIC Practice Test late, under timed conditions, as a format rehearsal rather than as a score predictor.

CBIC publishes no item-level performance data, so any "common failure" list is anecdotal. The practical risks are studying only your own specialty when the outline is broader, treating the practice test score as a guarantee, and relying on secondhand outline weights and item counts instead of the current handbook. Build your plan from the official document.