First, there is the obvious need for technical knowledge. Everyone has their own method to gather this. Conventional wisdom tends to support knowledge gained through experience and the watchful guidance of a competent mentor. Many individuals take the examination to find out where they are weak with the intention of taking it again until they manage to pass. With the EndWise.com database of over 3,000 questions weak areas are easily identified so the first time you take the CIH examination will also be the last.

The Board's requirement for experience is based on activity on a professional or journeyman level. This causes a sticking point for many who find they are in a position that has them named as Industrial Hygienist, or Project Manager, when their scope of practice relies on strict adherence to a regulatory interpretation or exercise of very little independently and practicing with a scope of extreme variability and many unknowns. This should be portrayed in the Professional Reference Questionnaire (PRQ) to be fair to the applicant. Details are important to the Board in making their evaluation of an applicant.

The ABIH also has a process it follows to review each application and prepare each examination. Examinations are prepared in a minute detail. Each question is evaluated by a group of practicing CIH's to ensure it is correct and relevant to the practice of IH. Each item is rated on difficulty for its target audience- CORE or Comprehensive, and this is used to set the passing score for each test. Each question is also rated by professional testers to ensure its validity as a question for an examination. Questions are selected for use on an examination based on the latest survey of the practice of current practice and some historical knowledge. And after each presentation of the examination, questions are again reviewed for validity.