CTP Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows

What the 52% Figure Actually Means

Search for a Certified Transplant Preservationist pass rate and you will find one number worth taking seriously: the American Board for Transplant Certification (ABTC) March 2025 statistical report records a 2024 CTP pass rate of 52% among 86 candidates. That is the entire public data point, and it deserves careful handling.

Here is what the figure is not. It is not a 2026 pass rate, because the report describes the prior calendar year. It is not a passing score, because a pass rate describes how many candidates succeeded, not what mark they needed. And it is not a documented first-attempt-only rate, so you cannot treat it as the odds a fresh candidate faces on a first sitting. Some of those 86 candidates may have been retaking the exam.

If you are still orienting yourself on what this credential covers, our overview of what CTP certification is explains the role and the certifying body before you dive into exam statistics.

Reading the Sample: 86 Candidates and What They Tell You

An 86-candidate cohort is small. That matters for interpretation. A pass rate calculated on a few dozen test-takers can swing noticeably from year to year without any change in exam difficulty, simply because a handful of additional passes or failures shifts the percentage. Treat 52% as a rough historical anchor, not a precise forecast.

A few sensible readings of the number:

• It signals a real exam. A roughly even split between passing and not passing suggests the exam discriminates between prepared and underprepared candidates. It is not a formality.
• It does not predict your outcome. Your result depends on your preparation, your hands-on exposure to recovery and preservation work, and how well you handle the question style.
• It is a single year. Without multiple years of comparable data, you cannot call 52% a trend. Do not extrapolate it forward to 2026 as though it were a guaranteed baseline.

For a broader look at how this credential's difficulty is perceived, see How Hard Is the CTP Exam?, which pairs the available data with a domain-by-domain difficulty discussion.

Why There Is No Published Passing Percentage

Candidates often want a single threshold: "I need X out of 100." ABTC does not publish one. Passing is based on overall performance against an expert-established examination standard, not on separate domain passes and not on a fixed numeric mark that ABTC advertises. Anyone telling you the CTP requires, say, a specific percent correct is supplying a number that is not in the issuer's public materials.

Two practical consequences follow:

1. You cannot study to a number. Instead of aiming for a magic percentage, aim for consistent competence across all five domains, since performance is judged overall.
2. Domain-level compensation is plausible but unquantified. Because the standard is overall rather than per-domain, strength in a heavily weighted area can help offset weakness elsewhere, but ABTC does not provide a formula, so do not build a strategy around skipping a domain.

Our dedicated CTP passing score article goes deeper on how to think about scoring without inventing a threshold the issuer never published.

The Exam Behind the Numbers

To interpret any pass-rate figure, you need to know what candidates actually sat for. The CTP examination is computer-based and delivered at PSI test centers. It is closed book, calculators are prohibited, and you must present two forms of identification.

Two details shape how you should read the data. First, "one best answer" means several options may be partially defensible, and you must choose the most correct one. That rewards applied judgment over rote recall. Second, the 10 unscored pretest items are indistinguishable from scored ones, so you must give every question full effort.

Where Candidates Likely Lose Points

ABTC does not publish a domain-by-domain breakdown of where candidates fail, so any claim that a specific domain has a specific failure rate would be invented. What we can do is use the official content outline to see where the scored items concentrate, then reason about risk.

Summing the outline's recall, application, and analysis columns gives these scored-item allocations. They are counts out of 100, not issuer-published percentage weights.

For a full walkthrough of what each area covers, read the complete guide to all five CTP exam domains.

The Cost of a Miss: Fees, Waiting Periods, and Retake Rules

A roughly even historical split between passing and not passing makes the retake rules worth understanding before you ever register. Each attempt carries a fixed price and a mandatory delay.

The arithmetic is straightforward: a candidate who needs a second attempt pays the $645 total a second time and waits at least 90 days. After three unsuccessful attempts, you must earn 20 Category 1 CEPTCs (continuing education points) before ABTC will accept a new application. That is a meaningful detour, which is the strongest argument for preparing thoroughly the first time.

Our CTP certification cost breakdown lays out every fee, including renewal, so you can budget the full lifecycle of the credential.

Timing Your Attempt Inside the Eligibility Window

To sit for the exam you need 12 months of organ-preservation work experience, which does not have to be your full-time responsibility, along with a supervisor employee attestation. Once you are approved, ABTC provides a 90-day examination-eligibility window.

Because the window is finite, the sequencing matters: complete most of your preparation before you apply, so the 90 days function as a testing window rather than a study window. If you apply first and study second, you risk running out of time and paying again. For the eligibility mechanics in full, see CTP requirements and how to qualify, and for scheduling logistics see CTP exam dates and testing windows.

Sequencing Your Prep by Domain

Given the scored-item counts above, a sensible plan front-loads the heavy domains and leaves the smaller procedural ones for reinforcement closer to test day. This is one way to do it, not an issuer-prescribed schedule.

You can pressure-test this plan against real question formats with our CTP practice test, which uses original questions rather than protected exam items. For a fuller preparation framework, the CTP study guide covers resources and first-attempt strategy, and the CTP cheat sheet gives you a compact must-know review for the final days.

One optional tool worth knowing about: PSI's public store lists an official $60, 30-question Self-Assessment Examination with 60-day access and one scored attempt. Only that public listing was reviewed, not the paid question bank itself, so weigh it as a short calibration check rather than a full substitute for broader practice.

What the Data Cannot Tell You About Value

A pass rate says nothing about whether the credential pays off. This article makes no assumption that certification carries a pay premium, and no salary figure should be read into the 52% statistic. If you are weighing the investment, the analysis of whether CTP certification is worth it and the CTP salary guide treat the question qualitatively, and our overview of CTP jobs looks at the kinds of roles where the credential is relevant.

Passing is also not the end of the cost curve. Certification is valid for three years, and renewal requires 60 CEPTCs, including at least 20 Category 1 and 10 Category 2 points, or successful re-examination. The single-certification renewal fee is $395. Plan for that when you assess the long-run commitment.

Finally, remember that this is exam-preparation content. Educational review of recovery, preservation, and transport topics is distinct from clinical instruction, and any clinical policy should be verified against your organization's current protocols rather than taken from a study article.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you are new to the credential itself, start with what CTP is, then use the pass-rate context above to decide how much preparation time to build in. The data points to an exam worth respecting, not one to fear.