The Child Life Professional Certification Examination measures the knowledge and skills needed for entry-level practice as a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS). This guide covers the current eligibility requirements, exam format, content outline, fees, testing windows, scoring, retake rules, and study resources.
What Is the Child Life Certification Exam?
The Child Life Professional Certification Examination is administered through the Child Life Certification Commission (CLCC). Passing the examination is one of the requirements for earning the Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) credential.
Child life specialists provide developmentally appropriate psychosocial support to children and families experiencing illness, injury, hospitalization, medical procedures, grief, loss, and other potentially stressful healthcare experiences.
Certification requires more than passing the exam. Before you can register, you must complete the required academic coursework, a qualifying clinical internship, and the CLCC Eligibility Assessment.
Who Is Eligible to Take the Exam?
Eligibility includes both academic and clinical requirements.
Academic Requirements
You must hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. The degree may be in any field.
You must also satisfy the child life coursework requirement through one of two pathways.
Graduate from an academic program that has been endorsed by the Association of Child Life Professionals.
Complete the 10 specific college courses required by CLCC.
Required Coursework
If you do not graduate from an ACLP-endorsed academic program, you must complete the following 10 courses:
1 child life course taught by a Certified Child Life Specialist
2 child development courses
1 family systems course
1 play course
1 loss/bereavement or death/dying course
1 research course
3 additional courses in approved related subject areas
Clinical Internship Requirement
You must complete a child life clinical internship consisting of at least 600 hours under the direct supervision of a Certified Child Life Specialist.
The internship is designed to develop the practical knowledge and independent clinical skills needed for professional child life practice.
A practicum is not required for certification. Volunteer work, practicums, and other pre-internship experiences may help when applying for competitive internships, but CLCC does not require a practicum or other specific pre-internship experience to sit for the certification exam.
Eligibility Assessment
Before registering for the certification exam, you must complete a CLCC Eligibility Assessment.
The assessment is used to verify your degree, coursework, and clinical internship. Official transcripts and other supporting documents must be submitted as required.
Child Life Exam Format
The Child Life Professional Certification Examination contains 150 multiple-choice questions. Of those, 125 are scored and 25 are unscored pretest questions.
The pretest questions are being evaluated for possible use on future exams. They are mixed throughout the test and are not identified, so you should approach every question as though it contributes to your result.
What Is on the Child Life Exam?
The current exam content outline became effective January 1, 2024. The exam is divided among three domains.
| Content Domain | Exam Weight |
|---|---|
| Professional Responsibility | 26% |
| Assessment | 37% |
| Intervention | 37% |
Current blueprint: Older study materials may still show Professional Responsibility at 20% and Assessment and Intervention at 40% each. That outline is obsolete. The current weighting is 26% / 37% / 37%.
Professional Responsibility – 26%
This domain focuses on ethical, professional, legal, and collaborative responsibilities in child life practice.
Topics include:
Professional boundaries and therapeutic relationships
Confidentiality and privacy
Ethical decision-making and professional accountability
Child and family safety, rights, consent, assent, and mandated reporting
Trauma-informed care and emotional safety
Diversity, equity, inclusion, and culturally responsive practice
Evidence-based practice and continuous professional improvement
Burnout, compassion fatigue, secondary trauma, and professional self-care
Documentation, education, advocacy, and interdisciplinary collaboration
Assessment – 37%
This domain measures your ability to assess children and families and use the information you gather to establish appropriate priorities and plans of care.
Topics include:
Psychosocial risk and patient/family needs
Using play as part of assessment
Psychosocial assessment techniques and tools
Trauma-informed assessment
Impact of illness, injury, diagnosis, treatment, and healthcare experiences
Physical, cognitive, communication, social, and emotional development
Child development, coping, resilience, attachment, and family systems
Family composition, dynamics, strengths, needs, and support systems
Cultural, contextual, social, and structural factors affecting care
Intervention – 37%
The Intervention domain focuses on selecting and carrying out child life services that support coping, understanding, participation, emotional safety, and family-centered care.
Topics include:
Patient- and family-centered care
Therapeutic relationships and interdisciplinary collaboration
Normalizing, developmental, healthcare, therapeutic, and child-directed play
Psychological preparation and healthcare education
Coping strategies such as alternative focus, breathing, and guided imagery
Pain-management support and advocacy
Procedure support and individualized coping plans
Support during diagnosis, treatment, and transitions of care
Grief, bereavement, legacy building, memory making, and end-of-life support
How Much Does the Child Life Exam Cost?
The exam fee depends on whether you are an ACLP member.
The Eligibility Assessment fee is separate from the certification examination fee.
When Is the Child Life Exam Offered?
The certification exam is offered during three computer-based testing windows each year.
| Testing Window | Registration Deadline |
|---|---|
| March 15–30 | March 10 |
| August 15–30 | August 10 |
| November 1–15 | October 27 |
You must establish your eligibility before registering for a testing window. Appointment availability at individual testing centers is limited, so schedule as soon as you receive instructions from the testing provider.
Where Is the Exam Taken?
The Child Life Professional Certification Examination is computer based and is delivered at authorized testing centers through CLCC’s testing-administration network.
After registering, you receive instructions from the testing partner explaining how to select an available testing center, date, and appointment time within your approved testing window.
The testing network includes locations throughout the United States and internationally.
How Do I Register?
1. Complete the academic requirements.
Earn your bachelor’s degree and complete either an ACLP-endorsed program or the required coursework pathway.
2. Complete your clinical internship.
Finish at least 600 hours under the direct supervision of a Certified Child Life Specialist.
3. Complete the Eligibility Assessment.
Submit your academic and clinical documentation and pay the assessment fee.
4. Wait for eligibility approval.
CLCC must approve your eligibility before you can register for the certification exam.
5. Register for an exam window.
Select the March, August, or November administration and pay the applicable examination fee.
6. Schedule your appointment.
Follow the instructions from the testing provider to choose an available center, date, and time.
What to Know Before Test Day
Bring the admission document supplied by the testing provider.
Bring a valid government-issued photo ID.
Make sure the name on your ID matches the name used for your exam registration.
Expect 150 questions even though only 125 contribute to your score.
Treat every item as scored because the 25 pretest questions are not identified.
Arrive early. Late arrivals do not receive additional testing time and may be denied admission if they arrive too late.
How Is the Child Life Exam Scored?
The certification examination is a criterion-referenced exam. This means your performance is compared with an established minimum standard of competence rather than with the performance of other candidates.
CLCC uses statistical equating to account for small differences in difficulty among examination forms.
Candidates generally receive a preliminary result before leaving the testing center. The result is considered final after it is posted in the candidate’s online profile.
There is no useful published percentage to memorize as a passing score. Candidates who meet or exceed the established cut score are told that they passed but are not given a numerical passing score. Candidates who do not pass receive a scaled score and performance information for the three content domains.
What If I Don’t Pass?
You may take the Child Life Professional Certification Examination again, but CLCC limits both the frequency and total number of attempts.
One attempt per testing window: You cannot take the exam more than once during the same March, August, or November administration.
First three attempts: Because there are three exam windows each year, a candidate may make up to three attempts in one year.
After three unsuccessful attempts: You must skip one testing window before attempting the exam again.
After a fourth unsuccessful attempt: You must skip another testing window before attempting the fifth time.
Total attempt limit: Candidates are normally limited to five total attempts. Additional attempts require approval through the CLCC appeals process.
If certification eligibility requirements have changed since your previous attempt, you may also have to reestablish eligibility before registering again.
How Long Does CCLS Certification Last?
CCLS certification follows a five-year certification cycle.
Credential holders pay annual certification maintenance fees during the first four years of the cycle. In the fifth year, they must recertify.
Recertification may be completed by meeting the required Professional Development Unit requirements or by retaking and passing the Child Life Professional Certification Examination.
How Can I Prepare for the Child Life Exam?
Make sure your study materials are aligned with the current 26% / 37% / 37% content outline. Older resources based on the former 20% / 40% / 40% weighting no longer match the official blueprint.
The exam is designed to test application of child life knowledge, not just vocabulary. Expect questions that require you to evaluate a child’s developmental level, psychosocial risk, family situation, coping behavior, healthcare experience, and individual needs before selecting an appropriate response.
Child Life Exam Study Checklist
Use the current Professional Responsibility, Assessment, and Intervention blueprint.
Review child development across physical, cognitive, communication, social, and emotional domains.
Know developmental, coping, attachment, resilience, family-systems, and trauma-related concepts.
Practice identifying psychosocial risk and prioritizing which patients and families need child life intervention first.
Review normalizing, developmental, healthcare, therapeutic, and child-directed play.
Practice selecting developmentally appropriate psychological preparation and procedure-support techniques.
Review grief, bereavement, end-of-life support, legacy building, and family education.
Know professional ethics, confidentiality, boundaries, documentation, consent, assent, advocacy, and mandated reporting.
Complete timed practice so you are comfortable maintaining concentration over a four-hour exam.
Child Life Exam Study Resources
Use these resources to review current Child Life Professional Certification Exam content and practice before your testing window.
CCLS® and Certified Child Life Specialist® are associated with the Child Life Certification Commission and Association of Child Life Professionals. These organizations are not affiliated with StudyGuideZone or Mometrix Test Preparation and do not endorse these products or services.