- Which CPD This Cheat Sheet Covers
- The Credential at a Glance
- The Three Official Domains
- Eligibility and Clinical Hours
- Fees: Board Costs vs. Training Tuition
- Exam Format and Test-Day Rules
- Scenario Patterns to Rehearse
- Recertification Math
- Sequencing Your Review by Domain
- Credential, Licensure, and Career Context
- Frequently Asked Questions
- CPD here means Certified Professional Doula, issued by the National Doula Certification Board (NDCB), not any other credential sharing the acronym.
- The exam outline has exactly three domains: Professional Practices, Care Practices, and Business Practices, with no published percentage weights.
- Board fees total $400 ($50 application plus $350 exam); retakes cost $100; recertification costs $300 every three years.
- The exam is multiple-choice with a two-hour limit and a 70% passing score; question-count wording varies around 140.
Which CPD This Cheat Sheet Covers
The acronym "CPD" is shared by several unrelated credentials, so start by pinning down the one you are studying. This page covers the Certified Professional Doula credential awarded by the National Doula Certification Board (NDCB). It is a full-spectrum, non-medical doula credential. It is not CAPPA's Certified Postpartum Doula, and it is not another organization's perinatal doula certificate. If you are still sorting out the terminology, our explainers on what CPD stands for and what CPD certification is cover the basics.
Use this sheet as a fast, one-pass refresher. For depth, pair it with the CPD study guide, and when you are ready to test yourself, work through the question sets on the CPD practice test site.
The Credential at a Glance
| Item | Must-Know Fact |
|---|---|
| Credential | Certified Professional Doula (CPD) |
| Governing body | National Doula Certification Board (NDCB) |
| Scope | Full-spectrum, non-medical doula support |
| Official exam objectives | NDCB Certified Professional Doula Content Outline, v3, May 2024 |
| Domains | Three: Professional, Care, and Business Practices |
| Format | Multiple-choice, two-hour limit |
| Question count | Described as 140, at least 140, or approximately 140 depending on the source |
| Passing score | 70% |
| Delivery | Assess.AI platform with MonitorEDU remote proctoring |
| Validity | Three years |
For a deeper look at the numeric cutoff, see CPD passing score. No cohort or first-attempt pass-rate statistic was verified in the official sources reviewed, so be skeptical of any site quoting one; our CPD pass rate article explains what can and cannot be said.
The Three Official Domains
NDCB's v3 content outline (May 2024) lists exactly three domains, each with tasks and supporting knowledge and skills. No percentage weights are published, and the fact that each domain has the same number of tasks does not mean the exam is weighted equally. Study all three, and do not assume any one is a throwaway. The full breakdown lives in the CPD exam domains guide; here is the compressed version.
Domain 1: Professional Practices
The standards-and-judgment domain. Expect questions on what a doula does and does not do.
- Professional standards and scope of practice, including the line between non-medical support and clinical care
- Using evidence appropriately when sharing information with clients
- Communication skills, including respectful, nonjudgmental dialogue
- Confidentiality of client information
- Recognizing and addressing bias in your own practice
Domain 2: Care Practices
The client-facing domain, organized around a cycle of assessing, planning, supporting, and following through.
- Assessment of client needs, preferences, and circumstances
- Individualized planning rather than one-size-fits-all support
- Delivering support across the client's experience
- Evaluation of how support is going and follow-up afterward
- Referral when needs exceed doula scope
Domain 3: Business Practices
The domain candidates most often under-study, because it feels less like "doula work."
- Operating a practice, including how services are structured and delivered
- Record keeping and documentation habits
- Contracts, fees, and what belongs in client agreements
- Insurance considerations
- Safety, for both client and practitioner
What "full-spectrum" means for your studying
The credential's full-spectrum coverage reaches fertility, prenatal, birth, and postpartum support, feeding and sleep, early childhood, loss, terminal illness, and end-of-life support. Two cautions keep your prep accurate. First, these are not additional official domains; they are the range of situations in which the three domains apply. Second, they do not grant medical practice privileges. A scenario involving pregnancy loss or end-of-life care will still test the same underlying skills: scope, communication, individualized planning, referral, and sound business boundaries.
Eligibility and Clinical Hours
Applicants must be at least 18 and qualify through one of two routes, per the Applicant & Candidate Handbook 2024-2025 (v5). The complete walk-through is in CPD requirements; this is the cheat-sheet version.
| Pathway | Core Requirement |
|---|---|
| Approved training program graduate | Complete an approved program (AlloDoula Academy is listed); completion evidence must be within one year of application |
| Prior or individual learning | 200 combined training hours completed within four years, plus 75 documented clinical hours |
Breaking down the 75 clinical hours
- 55 hours in a medical facility
- 20 hours in-home
- Within that total: five live births and 20 postpartum hours
- Clinical work is described as noncompensated and preceptor-verified, with appropriately qualified medical preceptors
Supporting documentation checklist
- CPR
- Professional liability insurance
- OSHA/bloodborne-pathogen, universal-precautions, and Personal Safety training
- Business and client-contract documentation, or applicable employer verification
- Professional background materials
- Agreement to the code and scope
Fees: Board Costs vs. Training Tuition
Keep two budgets separate: what you pay NDCB and what you pay your training provider. The board's published USD fees are below; for the tuition side and the full picture, see the CPD certification cost breakdown.
| Fee | Amount (USD) |
|---|---|
| Application | $50 |
| Examination | $350 |
| Board total before training | $400 |
| Retake | $100 |
| Recertification (every three years) | $300 |
NDCB's FAQ publishes no annual dues and no member/nonmember exam pricing tier. Training tuition is additional and set by the school you choose. If you are weighing whether the total spend makes sense, the ROI analysis and the salary guide address that question honestly; notably, no reliable NDCB-CPD-specific salary distribution or earnings premium from certification was verified.
Exam Format and Test-Day Rules
Delivery and scheduling
The current exam-delivery page names the Assess.AI examination platform with MonitorEDU remote proctoring. Be aware of a documented conflict: the older linked handbook names Prolydian/ProctorU. When the two disagree, rely on the current exam-delivery page for scheduling. No adaptive-testing or calculator specification was verified.
Two separate clocks
The exam page describes two timing rules that candidates frequently merge into one:
- Test within one year of training completion.
- Schedule within 90 days of application approval.
These are separate clocks, not a single eligibility window, and they must be reconciled with your pathway (the prior-learning route has its own training lookback). See CPD exam dates for scheduling detail.
Test-day conduct
- Have valid identification ready.
- Use an appropriate clear, private testing area.
- No outside materials or personal items at your station.
- Remain in the testing space for the session.
- Do not copy or record questions.
- Accommodation requests are due at least seven days before testing.
Attempts
The published pathway allows three attempts per application. The first retake is described as within 30 days, at the $100 retake fee. Three unsuccessful attempts require a new application. Because the format is demanding for first-timers, read how hard the CPD exam really is before you set expectations.
Scenario Patterns to Rehearse
Doula exams reward judgment more than recall. Below are original practice patterns that mirror how the three domains tend to surface in multiple-choice form. They are illustrative reasoning drills, not actual exam items.
Pattern 1: The scope boundary (Professional Practices)
A client asks you to interpret a lab result and tell her whether to accept a recommended medical intervention.
- The strongest answer supports her in getting information from her care provider and in asking questions, rather than interpreting or advising on the medical decision.
- Watch for distractors that sound caring but quietly cross into clinical territory.
Pattern 2: The grief scenario (Care Practices)
A client you have supported prenatally experiences a loss. She stops responding to messages for several days.
- Best answers combine individualized, low-pressure follow-up with respect for her pace, and referral when needs exceed your scope.
- Weak answers either vanish entirely or push her toward a particular way of grieving.
Pattern 3: The end-of-life request (Care Practices and Professional Practices)
A family member of a person with a terminal illness asks you to administer comfort care that is medical in nature.
- Full-spectrum coverage includes end-of-life support, but not medical practice privileges.
- The right choice offers non-medical presence and support while directing medical tasks to qualified clinicians.
Pattern 4: The contract gap (Business Practices)
A prospective client wants you to begin services on a handshake and pay "whenever things settle down."
- Expect the answer that favors a written agreement covering services, fees, and boundaries.
- Also consider documentation, insurance, and safety when the scenario involves a home setting.
Key Takeaway
When two answers both sound kind, choose the one that stays inside doula scope, keeps the client's own decision-making at the center, and creates a record or referral where appropriate. That single filter resolves a large share of scenario questions across all three domains.
Recertification Math
The credential is valid for three years, and recertification costs $300. The detailed instructions on NDCB's recertification page break the requirement into two pieces:
- 20 continuing-education contact hours
- 10 Keeping Current contact hours
- Total: 30 contact hours (do not convert this into "30 CEUs")
Keeping Current can be satisfied with a preapproved 10-hour course, or through current-topic study with practice validation that includes at least three client contracts and feedback. You must also maintain CPR/first aid, insurance, and compliance with the code and scope.
Sequencing Your Review by Domain
A compact schedule works best when it follows how the domains build on one another. Here is one way to sequence a short review window, assuming you have already completed training.
Professional Practices first
- Scope, confidentiality, evidence, bias, and communication form the lens for every other question.
- Drill the scope-boundary pattern until the filter is automatic.
Care Practices
- Walk the assessment, planning, support, evaluation, follow-up, and referral cycle.
- Apply it to full-spectrum situations, including loss and end-of-life.
Business Practices, then mixed sets
- Contracts, fees, records, insurance, and safety.
- Finish with mixed timed sets to simulate the two-hour limit.
Business Practices sits last because it is the easiest domain to neglect and the easiest to cram once the other two give you context. Because no domain weights are published, avoid dropping any of the three entirely. For the longer-form plan, use the CPD study guide.
Credential, Licensure, and Career Context
Certification is not licensure
NDCB's Fact Sheet (uploaded April 2025) distinguishes its credential from licensure and from regulation of all doulas. It also reports 2024 ANAB accreditation, whereas older handbook text discusses seeking accreditation; treat the fact sheet as the more recent statement. If you are comparing pathways, the separate DONA birth doula certification is a different route with its own requirements, so verify details directly with that organization rather than assuming equivalence.
Where the credential fits
Because the scope is full-spectrum, the credential is relevant to independent practice as well as to employer-based roles. Employer verification can also substitute for some business documentation during the application. For a view of how roles are structured, browse CPD jobs and CPD training options. As noted earlier, there is no verified NDCB-CPD-specific salary figure, so evaluate earnings claims with caution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Three: Professional Practices, Care Practices, and Business Practices, per the NDCB Certified Professional Doula Content Outline v3 (May 2024). No percentage weights are published, so study all three.
The passing score is 70%. The exam is multiple-choice with a two-hour limit. The question count is described as 140, at least 140, or approximately 140 depending on the source, and the scored/unscored split is not disclosed.
$400 before training: a $50 application plus a $350 examination. A retake costs $100, and recertification is $300 every three years. Training tuition is separate and set by your school.
75 documented clinical hours: 55 in a medical facility and 20 in-home, including five live births and 20 postpartum hours, alongside 200 combined training hours completed within four years.
You have three attempts per application. The first retake is described within 30 days at a $100 fee. After three unsuccessful attempts, a new application is required.
Every three years, complete 20 continuing-education contact hours plus 10 Keeping Current contact hours (30 total), pay the $300 fee, and maintain CPR/first aid, insurance, and code and scope compliance.
Keep this sheet handy, then confirm every figure against NDCB's current pages before you apply, since policies and platforms can change. When you are ready to turn recall into performance, take a timed set on the CPD practice test and review any missed items by domain.