- PASC is Pediatric Audiology Specialty Certification from the American Board of Audiology, awarding Board Certified in Pediatric Audiology (BC-PA).
- The exam has 120 questions: 100 scored, 20 unscored beta items, in 2 hours 30 minutes.
- Assessment and Diagnosis carries 24% of the exam, with Case Management and Counseling next at 22%.
- Eligibility needs 550 pediatric direct-patient hours and 50 case-management hours; externship hours do not count.
What This Credential Is (and Is Not)
PASC stands for Pediatric Audiology Specialty Certification, a program run by the American Board of Audiology (ABA). Candidates who pass and meet all requirements earn the designation Board Certified in Pediatric Audiology (BC-PA). This page condenses the facts you are most likely to need into one scannable review, with every number drawn from the issuer's published materials as checked on October 14, 2026.
Two identity points trip up newcomers. First, the certification is voluntary. Second, it is independent of other certification: under the current handbook and program page, general ABA certification, the CCC-A and professional membership are not prerequisites. If you are still orienting yourself on terminology, our explainers on what PASC certification is and what PASC stands for cover the basics, and the PASC certification overview gives the broader picture.
Eligibility Snapshot
Eligibility is where most of the paperwork lives, and it is the stage where applicants most often get stuck. The core requirements are:
- A graduate audiology degree from a regionally accredited institution.
- An appropriate audiology license or work authorization. The current handbook requires a permanent U.S. audiology license, or valid license/work authorization for international and U.S.-territory applicants.
- Paid post-degree professional experience.
- 550 pediatric direct-patient hours and 50 pediatric case-management hours, accumulated over two consecutive years within the preceding five years.
- Two professional references, including a supervisor.
- An official transcript, documented experience and an ethics agreement.
Externship hours do not qualify toward the pediatric hour requirements. That single sentence disqualifies a surprising number of early-career clinicians who assume their fourth-year placement counts.
For a deeper walkthrough of documentation, read our full guide to PASC requirements and how to qualify.
Exam Format at a Glance
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Total questions | 120 |
| Scored items | 100 |
| Unscored beta items | 20 (indistinguishable from scored items) |
| Time allowed | 2 hours 30 minutes |
| Answer options | Four per question |
| Single-answer items | One correct answer |
| Multiple-response items | Two or three correct answers |
| Guessing penalty | None |
| Language | English only (standard testing) |
| Reference materials | Closed book |
Two format details deserve extra attention. The multiple-response items mean you cannot rely on a "pick the single best option" reflex; each of those questions requires you to identify two or three correct choices out of four, so partial knowledge is riskier. And because there is no guessing penalty, leaving an item unanswered offers no scoring advantage. Answer everything, even when you are unsure.
The 20 unscored beta items are mixed in with the scored ones and you will not know which are which, so treat every question as if it counts. If the format feels intimidating, our breakdown of how hard the PASC exam is puts the difficulty in context.
The Six Domains and Their Weights
The exam draws from six formal content domains. The current handbook publishes scored-item allocations of 24, 21, 22, 16, 9 and 8 out of 100, and the ABA's November 13, 2023 revised-blueprint announcement publishes the matching percentage weights, so the percentages below are the issuer's own.
| Domain | Name | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Assessment and Diagnosis of Auditory and Vestibular Disorders | 24% |
| 2 | Habilitation/Rehabilitation | 21% |
| 3 | Case Management and Counseling | 22% |
| 4 | Medical Audiology | 16% |
| 5 | Professional and Regulatory Issues | 9% |
| 6 | Educational Audiology | 8% |
Domain 1: Assessment and Diagnosis (24%)
The largest slice of the exam. Expect questions on selecting and interpreting pediatric test batteries for auditory and vestibular disorders.
- Match the assessment approach to the child's developmental level
- Interpret findings across multiple measures and decide next steps
- Recognize vestibular considerations in children, not only hearing findings
Domain 3: Case Management and Counseling (22%)
The second-heaviest domain, and one that rewards clinical judgment over memorization.
- Family-centered counseling and communicating diagnoses
- Coordinating care across providers and services
- Follow-up planning after identification
Domain 2: Habilitation/Rehabilitation (21%)
Intervention and management decisions once a hearing difference has been identified.
- Choosing and verifying amplification or other technology for children
- Monitoring outcomes and adjusting the plan over time
The lighter domains still matter. Medical Audiology (16%), Professional and Regulatory Issues (9%) and Educational Audiology (8%) together account for 33 of the 100 scored items, which is a third of your result. One naming note: the 2023 announcement adds the phrase "patients with" to Domain 1, but the current handbook and live-page wording controls the heading used above. For the full topic list for each content area, see our complete guide to all six PASC exam domains.
Key Takeaway
Domains 1, 2 and 3 together make up 67% of the scored exam. That makes them the highest-yield place to spend your review hours, though the remaining 33% is far too large to ignore.
Fees, Dates and Deadlines
The fee structure separates the application from the exam registration, and prices differ for Academy members and non-members.
| Item | Academy Member | Non-Member |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | USD 125 | USD 160 |
| Exam registration fee | USD 395 | USD 440 |
| Combined first application and exam | USD 520 | USD 600 |
These figures exclude membership dues. A second-certification application receives a USD 50 reduction on the application fee. For the full cost picture, including renewal, see our PASC certification cost breakdown.
Next Window
- Exam window: May 3-17, 2027
- Application deadline: March 9, 2027
- Exam registration period: January 12-April 13, 2027
Notice that the application deadline (March 9) falls before the registration period closes (April 13). Do not wait for the end of the registration period to start your application, because approval has to come first. Our PASC exam dates guide tracks testing windows and scheduling in more detail.
Remote Testing Rules
The exam is delivered through Prolydian with Proctor360 live remote proctoring. Older references to Examity delivery appear in some earlier materials; those must not override the current Prolydian/Proctor360 instructions.
Equipment and Environment
- A desktop or laptop computer, a webcam and a microphone
- A private room, with identity and room checks before you begin
- Current government-issued photo and signature ID matching your registered name
- Not accepted: tablets, phones and Chromebooks do not meet the testing-device requirements
What Is Prohibited
Standard testing is closed book. No calculators, notes, dual monitors or ordinary breaks are allowed. Approved accommodations are governed separately, so if you need one, request it through the ABA's process well ahead of your window rather than on exam day.
Scoring, Results and Pass-Rate Numbers
Passing is criterion-referenced. The ABA uses modified Angoff standard setting, and the result is based on your overall raw score on the 100 scored items, with difficulty adjustment. There is no fixed universal passing percentage you can aim for, which is why you will see no single "pass at X%" figure in official materials. Our PASC passing score explainer unpacks what that means in practice.
Results arrive approximately eight weeks after the administration.
Reading the Pass-Rate Numbers Correctly
The August 6, 2026 issuer report gives two numbers that are easy to conflate:
- 82.6% was the Spring 2026 first-time pass rate.
- 20 of 25 candidates passed overall, a different denominator that includes everyone who tested.
The reported 2025 first-time rate of 86.9% describes a different cohort and should not be treated as a 2026 figure. For more on interpreting these cohorts, see what the PASC pass rate data shows.
Source Conflicts to Know About
Because the program's documentation has evolved, several sources disagree. Rather than guessing, here is how to handle each one:
| Topic | Conflict | How to Treat It |
|---|---|---|
| Eligibility window | The current handbook permits testing and retakes for five years beginning on the first day of the next testing window after application approval; an older FAQ counts from the first test date. | Follow the current handbook. |
| Experience hours | The live application says a minimum of 2,000 professional hours within two years; the handbook says two years of post-degree, full-time (2,000) hours. | Keep both wordings in mind and confirm with the ABA. Do not invent a higher threshold. |
| Prerequisites | The January 2024 handbook introduction lists other-certification prerequisites. | Superseded by the current handbook. |
| Proctoring vendor | Older materials mention Examity. | Use the current Prolydian/Proctor360 instructions. |
Once your five-year eligibility period expires, you must submit a new application, documentation and fees to test again. That makes the retake window a real constraint worth planning around, not a formality.
Renewal Math
BC-PA renewal runs on a three-year cycle. The requirements are:
- 60 CE hours total
- Continued ethics and licensure compliance
- A USD 360 fee for either membership group
The part candidates misread most often is how the CE categories relate to one another. These are subsets of the same 60-hour total, not additional hours stacked on top:
- 30 pediatric hours
- 15 Tier 1 hours
- 3 professional-ethics hours
A single qualifying course can count toward more than one category, but the grand total is still 60. Excess hours do not carry forward into the next cycle, so there is no benefit to banking extra credit early.
If you are weighing whether the ongoing cost and effort pay off, our ROI analysis of the PASC certification and the PASC salary guide discuss the career side, and PASC jobs looks at the employers and settings where pediatric audiology specialization is relevant.
Sequencing Your Review by Domain
Rather than a generic study schedule, sequence your preparation around the blueprint. A pediatric audiologist usually has strong clinical instincts in the testing domain and weaker spots in areas touched less often in daily practice, such as regulatory and educational audiology topics. Here is one way to order the work, with the reasoning attached to each block:
Domain 1 (24%): Assessment and Diagnosis
- Biggest weight, so build this foundation first
- Review pediatric test selection by developmental age, including vestibular considerations
- Practice multiple-response items here, since interpreting several findings often yields two or three correct answers
Domains 3 and 2 (22% and 21%): Case Management, Counseling and Habilitation
- These are judgment-heavy, so work through scenario-style questions
- Pair counseling with intervention planning, as the two connect in real cases
Domain 4 (16%): Medical Audiology
- Review medical conditions and referral reasoning that affect pediatric hearing and balance
Domains 5 and 6 (9% and 8%): Professional/Regulatory and Educational Audiology
- Smaller weights, but together 17 scored items
- Often the quickest gains for clinicians outside school-based practice
Finish with timed mixed sets under the 2 hour 30 minute limit. A 120-item exam in that time leaves roughly a minute and a quarter per question, so practicing pacing matters. For a fuller planning framework, see the PASC study guide for passing on your first attempt and the overview of PASC training. You can also drill realistic questions on the main PASC practice test site.
Key Takeaway
Do not spend equal time on every domain. Weight your hours toward the 24%, 22% and 21% domains, then use the final weeks to close gaps in the three smaller ones. Re-check the current handbook before your window in case the blueprint is updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Under the current handbook and program page, general ABA certification, CCC-A and professional membership are not prerequisites. Older documents that list other-certification prerequisites, including the January 2024 handbook introduction, are superseded.
No. Externship hours do not qualify. The 550 direct-patient hours and 50 case-management hours must be accumulated over two consecutive years within the preceding five years.
There is no guessing penalty, so leaving items unanswered offers no scoring advantage. Answer every question, including the multiple-response items that have two or three correct answers.
The exam has 120 questions, but only 100 are scored. The other 20 are unscored beta items mixed in with the rest, and candidates cannot tell which are which.
The current handbook permits testing and retakes for five years beginning on the first day of the next testing window after application approval. An older FAQ counts from the first test date, but the current handbook controls. After eligibility expires, a new application, documentation and fees are required.
Keep this cheat sheet alongside the issuer's current handbook, since the ABA's materials control if anything here differs. For related reading, explore more PASC cheat sheet resources and our primer on what PASC is.