- What Pass-Rate Data Actually Exists for the CPM Exam
- The 2025 Form-Specific Results
- What Those Numbers Are Not
- The Scoring-Scale Conflict: 245 vs. 75
- Why the Format Shapes the Results
- Where Candidates Win or Lose: The Seven Domains
- Retakes, Wait Times and Costs
- Who Is Sitting the Exam? Route Context
- Turning Pass-Rate Data Into a Domain-Weighted Plan
- What to Expect for 2026
- Frequently Asked Questions
- NARM's 2025 Annual Report lists a 60% pass rate (229 candidates) for one form and 63% (192 candidates) for the other.
- Those figures are form-specific 2025 results, not first-attempt rates, a combined rate, or a 2026 forecast.
- The written exam is 300 closed-book multiple-choice questions across two three-hour sessions.
- Labor, Birth, and Immediate Postpartum carries 35% of the blueprint, so it deserves the largest share of study time.
What Pass-Rate Data Actually Exists for the CPM Exam
If you are preparing for the Certified Professional Midwife written examination, one of the first questions you probably ask is simple: what share of candidates pass? The honest answer requires some care. The North American Registry of Midwives (NARM), which issues the CPM credential, publishes pass-rate information in its annual reports, and those reports are the most authoritative public source available. But the data is narrower than many candidates assume, and a lot of the figures circulating in forums and social media groups do not trace back to any official document.
This article walks through what the retrieved NARM 2025 Annual Report actually says, what it does not say, and how to translate the numbers into a realistic preparation strategy. If you want a broader view of difficulty beyond pass rates, our guide on how hard the CPM exam is covers the question from several angles, and you can pressure-test your own readiness with the practice questions on the main CPM Exam Prep practice test site.
The 2025 Form-Specific Results
Page 2 of the NARM 2025 Annual Report reports results for two examination forms administered during 2025. Both forms used the same scaled passing standard of 245. The table below reproduces the reported figures exactly.
| Exam Form | Candidates | Scaled Passing Standard | Pass Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 343-21-A0-ENG | 229 | 245 | 60% |
| 343-21-B0-ENG | 192 | 245 | 63% |
Two things stand out. First, the two forms produced similar but not identical outcomes, a 3-percentage-point difference. That gap is a reminder that exam forms are assembled from different sets of questions, and small differences between forms are normal in any large-scale credentialing exam. Second, the candidate counts are modest: 229 and 192 test-takers. In a pool that size, year-to-year movement of a few points should not be read as a dramatic trend.
What Those Numbers Are Not
Responsible use of pass-rate data means knowing its limits. The 60% and 63% figures are specific to two forms in 2025. They should not be treated as any of the following:
- A first-attempt pass rate. The report figures as retrieved do not separate first-time candidates from repeat candidates, so you cannot conclude that 60% to 63% of first-time takers pass.
- An official combined rate. NARM did not publish a single blended figure in the material reviewed. Averaging the two numbers yourself would be an unofficial calculation, and the forms had different candidate counts.
- A 2026 forecast. Nothing in the annual report predicts what next year's rate will be, particularly as NARM works on an updated outline (more on that below).
The Scoring-Scale Conflict: 245 vs. 75
Here is a wrinkle that trips up many candidates. The 2025 Annual Report gives a scaled passing standard of 245 for both forms. Meanwhile, NARM's FAQ page still describes a 75-point scaled passing standard. These two source statements do not agree on their face, and the material reviewed does not reconcile them.
The practical advice is to avoid doing any arithmetic with either number. In particular:
- Do not convert 245 into a percentage of 300 questions. Scaled scores are not raw percentages, and the relationship between the two depends on how the scale is built.
- Do not convert 75 into a percentage either, for the same reason.
- Confirm the applicable score scale directly with NARM before you rely on any single number in your planning.
For a deeper treatment of how scoring works and where the sources diverge, see our dedicated page on the CPM passing score.
Why the Format Shapes the Results
Pass rates do not exist in a vacuum. The structure of the exam influences who passes and why. The CPM written examination is a 300-question multiple-choice test delivered in two three-hour sessions, six hours in total, and it is closed-book. That is a long, sustained test of recall and clinical judgment.
Several format features are worth internalizing:
- Stamina is a real variable. Six hours of testing, split into two sessions, rewards candidates who have practiced under timed conditions. Short commercial quizzes of 20 or 50 questions do not replicate that experience.
- Closed-book means true recall. You cannot look up a dosage, a lab threshold, or a sequence of steps in an emergency. Everything must be in your head.
- Written-exam time is separate from clinical training. Your preceptor-supervised births and competency assessments are a different part of the certification route. Strong clinical experience helps, but it does not substitute for deliberate review of written content.
Current provider references identify Professional Testing Corporation (PTC) with Prometric test-center delivery and ProProctor remote delivery. Follow the instructions in your own testing authorization, since delivery details can vary by candidate. Older references to a previous testing provider may still appear on some pages, but NARM's provider-transition notice states that Prov ceased to be its testing provider on September 1, 2021, so legacy references should not guide your logistics.
Where Candidates Win or Lose: The Seven Domains
The preserved blueprint available for review is the Written Test Specifications, revision 2017, reproduced in the June 2025 Candidate Information Bulletin. The nominal weights are printed in the detailed specifications. Because the pass rate sits at 60% to 63% for the 2025 forms, every domain matters, but the weighting tells you where marginal study hours pay off most.
| Domain | Nominal Weight |
|---|---|
| Domain 1: Professional Issues, Knowledge, and Skills | 5% |
| Domain 2: General Healthcare Skills | 5% |
| Domain 3: Maternal Health Assessment | 10% |
| Domain 4: Prenatal Care | 25% |
| Domain 5: Labor, Birth, and Immediate Postpartum | 35% |
| Domain 6: Postpartum | 15% |
| Domain 7: Well-Baby Care | 5% |
Domain 5: Labor, Birth, and Immediate Postpartum (35%)
The single largest block. Roughly one in three questions comes from this area, so weakness here is very hard to offset elsewhere.
- Recognizing normal labor progress versus deviations that call for consultation or transfer
- Immediate postpartum assessment and management of complications
- Newborn transition in the first moments after birth, including resuscitation decision-making
Domain 4: Prenatal Care (25%)
The second-largest block, and one where steady, methodical review pays off because the content is broad.
- Routine prenatal assessment schedules and screening
- Identifying risk factors that change the plan of care
- Counseling, nutrition and common pregnancy complaints
Domain 6: Postpartum (15%)
Often underestimated because it comes after the dramatic content of birth, yet it carries more weight than the three smallest domains combined.
- Maternal recovery assessment and warning signs
- Lactation support and common feeding challenges
- Follow-up care and when to refer
The official matrix on page 32 of the CIB permits ranges around these nominal weights: 4-6%, 4-6%, 8-12%, 23-27%, 33-37%, 13-17% and 4-6%, respectively. In other words, a given exam form may land slightly above or below the printed percentage in any domain. Treat the numbers as planning guides, not guarantees. Our complete guide to all seven CPM exam domains breaks down the content areas in detail.
Retakes, Wait Times and Costs
Because roughly four in ten candidates on each 2025 form did not pass, retake rules are not a footnote. They are part of realistic planning.
- Retake fee: $210 per NARM's Payments and Fees page.
- Waiting period: two months before you can retest.
- Retesting window: after that waiting period, the examination page requires you to retest within six months.
Compare that with the first-attempt charge. Depending on route, the written-examination fee is $1,155 on its own, or it is bundled into a larger application charge (for example, $1,365 for a MEAC graduate application including the examination, $1,210 for a UK-licensed applicant, or $1,260 for a CNM/CM applicant). PEP candidates pay application phases of $240, $450, $450 and $135 plus the $1,155 examination fee. These are NARM charges, not education tuition, and the live fee page takes precedence over any older schedule. For a full breakdown, see our CPM certification cost guide.
Key Takeaway
The $210 retake fee is modest next to the original exam cost, but the two-month wait and six-month retesting window are the real price of a miss: lost time and delayed entry into independent practice, where legally permitted. Preparing thoroughly the first time is the cheapest strategy.
Who Is Sitting the Exam? Route Context
The reported pass rates blend candidates from different backgrounds, though the annual report as retrieved does not break results out by route. It helps to know the main pathways because they shape how candidates prepare.
- PEP (Portfolio Evaluation Process): Candidates document clinical training with registered preceptors. The retrieved June 2025 CIB describes at least two years and 55 births across observer, assistant, supervised-primary and final primary stages for the complete PEP certification route, plus documented prenatal, newborn and postpartum experience and professional and client references. These PEP minima are not universal prerequisites for every route.
- MEAC graduates: NARM's MEAC pathway has an 18-month provisional recognition period from October 1, 2026 through March 31, 2028. Applicants must meet the current pathway-specific rules, and NARM recognition does not determine state licensure eligibility.
- Other routes: Approved-state-license applicants, UK-licensed applicants, and CNM/CM applicants each have their own application and fee structure.
Across routes, eligibility includes education, clinical documentation, competency verification, current hands-on adult CPR and neonatal-resuscitation credentials, cultural-awareness education and required practice-document affirmations. A high-school diploma or equivalent is required, and PEP clinical work must follow that qualification. For the full picture, read our guide to CPM requirements and eligibility.
Turning Pass-Rate Data Into a Domain-Weighted Plan
Given that 60% to 63% is the best official figure available, a sensible approach is to build your schedule around the blueprint rather than around whatever feels most comfortable. The timeline below is one illustration of how to allocate weeks according to domain weight. Adjust it to your own baseline and exam date, and see our CPM study guide for a fuller method.
Domain 5 foundation (35%)
- Normal labor mechanics, stages, and progress benchmarks
- Immediate postpartum hemorrhage recognition and response
- Newborn transition and resuscitation decision points
Domain 4 (25%) and Domain 3 (10%)
- Prenatal visit content, screening, and risk identification
- Maternal health assessment, history, and physical findings
Domain 6 (15%)
- Postpartum maternal recovery and warning signs
- Lactation and feeding support
Domains 1, 2 and 7 (5% each) plus full-length rehearsal
- Professional issues, general healthcare skills, and well-baby care
- At least one extended, timed session to build six-hour stamina
Whatever schedule you choose, practice with scenario-based questions that force clinical reasoning, not just definition recall. The CPM Exam Prep practice tests are built for that purpose, and our one-page CPM cheat sheet is a handy last-week review aid.
What to Expect for 2026
It would be tempting to publish a prediction for the 2026 pass rate. The responsible position is that no such figure exists in the official sources reviewed, and any number presented as a "2026 pass rate" before NARM reports it should be treated with suspicion.
What can be said is that the testing landscape is in motion. NARM's July 29, 2026 test-development announcement describes an updated outline based on the 2024 Job Task Analysis and ongoing exam modernization. That announcement does not supply a replacement live blueprint or an implementation date. Meanwhile, the currently linked February 2, 2026 Candidate Information Bulletin was too large to retrieve in the review underlying this article, so the blueprint discussed here is the preserved, dated 2017 specification within the June 2025 CIB, not a newly verified 2026 outline.
Key Takeaway
Before you commit to a study plan, download the current Candidate Information Bulletin directly from NARM and check whether the content outline has changed. If a new outline takes effect during your preparation, the domain percentages in this article may shift, and the official document always overrides secondary summaries.
Candidates also sometimes wonder how exam difficulty ties to career payoff. Pass rates are only one input into that decision. For the earnings side, see our CPM salary guide and the broader analysis of whether CPM certification is worth it. Keep in mind that nurse-midwife salary statistics are not a substitute for CPM earnings, since the two credentials follow different pathways.
Frequently Asked Questions
The NARM 2025 Annual Report, page 2, lists a 60% pass rate for form 343-21-A0-ENG (229 candidates) and a 63% pass rate for form 343-21-B0-ENG (192 candidates). Both used a scaled passing standard of 245. These are form-specific figures, not an official combined rate.
No. The report figures as retrieved do not separate first-time candidates from repeat candidates, so they should not be interpreted as first-attempt rates. Treat them as overall results for each form.
The 2025 Annual Report cites a scaled passing standard of 245, while NARM's FAQ still describes a 75-point scaled standard. The sources conflict, so confirm the applicable scale with NARM and avoid converting either number into a percentage of 300 questions.
You can retake the exam for $210 after a two-month wait, and you must then retest within six months following that waiting period. Check NARM's examination page for the current rules before scheduling.
No official 2026 figure was available in the sources reviewed, so any prediction would be speculation. NARM has announced an updated outline based on the 2024 Job Task Analysis but has not supplied a replacement blueprint or implementation date, so monitor NARM's announcements and the current Candidate Information Bulletin.
Pass-rate numbers are a useful reality check, but they are not a verdict on your individual chances. A candidate who studies the weighted blueprint, rehearses the six-hour format, and verifies current requirements directly with NARM is working with the best information available. To keep building, explore our overview of CPM certification and the exam dates and scheduling guide, then test yourself on the practice test site.