MHP Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows

The Official Part II Pass Rate Numbers

Anyone researching Certification in Medical Health Physics wants one thing first: the numbers. The American Board of Medical Physics (ABMP), which administers this credential, publishes pass rate data for the Part II written Medical Health Physics specialty examination - the exam this site focuses on, as distinct from Part I General Medical Physics or the Part III oral exam. According to ABMP's own test information, Part II pass rates were 44% in 2023, 60% in 2024, and 57% in 2025.

These figures represent candidates who passed divided by candidates who took that year's exam - not a first-time-taker-only rate. That distinction matters. A candidate sitting for a second or third attempt is counted in the same pool as someone testing for the first time, which means the published rate blends outcomes across experience levels rather than isolating true "first attempt" success.

Why the Pass Rate Moves Year to Year

The swing from 44% in 2023 up to 60% in 2024, then a slight pullback to 57% in 2025, is not evidence of the exam getting dramatically easier or harder. A few structural factors are more likely explanations than any single change in difficulty:

• Passing standard recalibration: Because ABMP uses a Modified Angoff process rather than a static cut score, the passing threshold is reset based on item-by-item panel judgments for each form. Small shifts in item difficulty across exam forms can move the pass rate without any change in how "hard" the material feels.
• Candidate pool composition: Since the rate includes repeat test-takers alongside first-timers, a year with a larger proportion of well-prepared repeat candidates (who studied their weak domains after a prior attempt) can push the rate upward.
• Preparation quality: Candidates who work systematically through the full blueprint - rather than over-focusing on one or two familiar domains - are more likely to clear the Modified Angoff bar consistently.

For a deeper look at how demanding the material itself is independent of these yearly fluctuations, see How Hard Is the MHP Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026.

How the Blueprint Shapes Who Passes

The current online blueprint for the Part II exam has nine weighted content areas. Five of them - Standards and Regulations, Structural Shielding, Radiation Oncology, Diagnostic Imaging, and Nuclear Medicine (molecular imaging) - each carry 15% and together make up 75% of the exam. The remaining four domains fill out the rest:

The concentration of weight in five domains is the single most important structural fact behind the pass rate. Candidates who treat all nine domains as equally important, or who spend disproportionate time on the two 5% domains they find intellectually interesting, are working against the exam's actual scoring math. A full breakdown of what each domain covers and how to sequence your review is in MHP Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 9 Content Areas.

Question Format and Why It Trips Up Candidates

Part of what shapes the pass rate is format, not just content. The written exam is not a simple bank of single-answer multiple choice. It also includes matching sets, choose-all-that-apply items, and shared-stem "Type S" questions where several questions reference one scenario. Each format tests differently:

• Choose-all-that-apply items typically offer no partial credit logic that candidates can predict, so guessing strategies that work on single-answer questions often backfire.
• Shared-stem Type S sets punish a misread of the initial scenario across every linked question, making careful first-pass reading essential.
• Matching sets reward precise recall of terminology and regulatory categories rather than recognition alone.

Practicing exclusively with single-answer flashcards will leave gaps against this mixed format. Timed, mixed-format practice under exam-like conditions is one of the clearest, most concrete ways to close that gap - a strategy covered in detail in MHP Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt.

The Modified Angoff Standard, Explained

Unlike exams with a fixed "70% correct to pass" rule, ABMP sets its passing standard through a Modified Angoff process. In practical terms, a panel of subject-matter experts judges, item by item, what a minimally competent candidate should be expected to answer correctly, and those judgments are aggregated into the passing score for that specific form. This is why the passing threshold is not published as a flat percentage and why year-to-year pass rates can shift even without a change in exam difficulty as perceived by candidates.

For candidates, the practical implication is that there's no single magic number to memorize as your target score. What matters is broad, reliable competence across the weighted domains rather than narrow mastery of a few topics. A full explanation of how this standard is calculated and what it means for your prep is available in MHP Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.

Who Is Actually Sitting for This Exam

Eligibility for Part II is not open-ended. Candidates need a relevant graduate degree, degree- and residency-dependent supervised clinical experience, endorsements from both a board-certified physicist and a board-certified physician, and a completed MHP Training and Education Form. Most candidates arrive at Part II after earning Part I credit or an approved waiver; qualified Certified Health Physicists have a separate direct-to-oral pathway that bypasses the standard sequence. Because eligibility is this structured, the pool of people sitting for Part II each year is already a filtered, clinically-trained group - which is worth keeping in mind when interpreting a pass rate that hovers in the mid-40s to upper-50s percent range.

If you're still confirming whether you qualify to sit for the exam at all, the prerequisites are detailed in MHP Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify. And if you're weighing the cost against the eligibility burden, the full fee structure - including the 2026 Part II rate of $690 by check or $715 via PayPal - is broken down in MHP Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.

Allocating Study Time Against the Real Weighting

Generic study advice - spaced repetition, timed drills, active recall - only helps if it's pointed at the right targets. Given that Standards and Regulations, Structural Shielding, Radiation Oncology, Diagnostic Imaging, and Nuclear Medicine together account for 75% of the exam, a defensible allocation devotes roughly three-quarters of review time to those five domains, with Instrumentation getting moderate attention and Laboratory Design, Radiation Biology, and Non-ionizing Radiation receiving lighter, targeted review rather than deep dives.

This kind of weighting-aware scheduling is the practical difference between studying broadly and studying strategically. Structured practice questions built around this exact blueprint - available through our practice test platform - let you measure whether your recall holds up under the same choose-all-that-apply and shared-stem formats you'll see on test day, rather than just under flashcard conditions.

Who Hires MHP-Certified Physicists

The pass rate matters most in context of what the credential unlocks. Employers hiring for medical health physics roles - hospital radiation safety programs, academic medical centers, diagnostic and therapy departments needing regulatory compliance oversight - use this certification as a baseline screen for clinical competence. If you're evaluating whether the credential is worth the eligibility burden and exam difficulty, Is the MHP Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and MHP Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis cover the career-side calculus, while MHP Jobs looks at where these roles actually sit within healthcare organizations.

Planning Your Attempt Around Renewal and Deadlines

Certification is not a one-and-done event once you pass - it renews every five years, requiring 125 CE credits, including at least 65 Category 1 credits and no more than 60 Category 2 credits. Factoring this into your decision about when to sit for Part II matters, since testing earlier in your career gives you a longer runway to accumulate CE credits before your first renewal cycle closes. For the concrete windows and application deadlines, see MHP Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling. And if you want the entire credential's facts condensed onto a single reference page for quick review in your final week, MHP Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts pulls together blueprint weights, format details, and fee figures in one place.

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