- The Short Answer: What CEICC Stands For
- Why the Acronym Confuses People
- Who Issues the Credential
- What the Credential Covers
- How the Exam Works
- Eligibility Paths and the Project Sheets
- Cost, Validity, and Renewal
- Who Holds It and Who Hires For It
- Using the Meaning to Plan Your Prep
- Frequently Asked Questions
- CEICC means Council-certified Environmental Infection Control Consultant, issued by the American Council for Accredited Certification (ACAC).
- The exam is 120 multiple-choice questions in three hours, with a 75% passing threshold set by Modified Angoff.
- Initial cost is $500: a $100 examination fee plus a $400 certification fee.
- Eligibility requires a degree-plus-experience combination or eight years of field experience, plus four project sheets.
The Short Answer: What CEICC Stands For
CEICC stands for Council-certified Environmental Infection Control Consultant. It is a professional credential awarded by the American Council for Accredited Certification (ACAC) to people who can demonstrate competence in controlling infection risks that arise from the built environment, particularly in healthcare settings and during construction, demolition, and renovation work.
Each word in the title carries meaning:
- Council-certified: the credential is granted by a certifying council, ACAC, rather than by an employer or a training vendor.
- Environmental: the focus is the physical environment (air, water, surfaces, building systems, and construction activity) rather than clinical patient care.
- Infection Control: the goal is preventing the spread of infectious agents, especially to vulnerable patients.
- Consultant: the holder is expected to advise on, plan, and oversee infection control measures, not just follow a checklist.
If you want a deeper walk-through of the title and what it signals to employers, see our companion pages on what CEICC is and what CEICC stands for.
Why the Acronym Confuses People
Search for "CEICC" and you may find other organizations and credentials that use the same four letters. That overlap is a common source of wrong information, such as exam fees, dates, or requirements belonging to an unrelated certification.
A reliable habit is to verify any fact against ACAC's own materials: the CEICC Candidate Handbook, the credential page, the fee schedule, and the exam administration page. Those are the sources this article draws from, and they were checked on October 5, 2026.
Who Issues the Credential
ACAC administers the credential. Its exams are delivered through the testing provider Kryterion, either at a computer-based test center or through secure online video proctoring. Results are available immediately after you finish.
One feature worth knowing: the award of the certification requires unanimous board approval. Passing the exam is therefore necessary but not the whole picture. Your documentation and project sheets are reviewed as part of the decision. For a fuller overview of the credential itself, see our CEICC certification page.
What the Credential Covers
The handbook's Required Skills section identifies four competency areas, and the optional study guide corroborates them. These headings are unweighted. They tell you what the credential is about, but they do not establish exhaustive exam coverage or tell you how many questions come from each area.
Domain 1: Infectious Diseases and Their Modes of Transmission in the Healthcare Setting
This is the foundation. Candidates need to understand how infectious agents spread and which patients and settings are most vulnerable.
- Routes of transmission (airborne, droplet, contact, and waterborne pathways)
- Why immunocompromised patients change the risk calculation
- How environmental reservoirs connect to healthcare-associated infections
Domain 2: Principles of Infection Control During Construction, Demolition and Renovation
The defining area of the "environmental" in the title. Construction disturbs dust, moisture, and debris that can carry pathogens into occupied care areas.
- Containment and barrier concepts for work near patients
- Air pressure relationships and ventilation considerations
- Dust and moisture control as infection prevention measures
Domain 3: Infection Control Project Management
A consultant must translate principles into a workable plan: who does what, when, and how compliance is verified.
- Planning and documenting infection control measures for a project
- Coordinating among facility staff, contractors, and other stakeholders
- Monitoring and recordkeeping during the work
Domain 4: Effective Infection Control Practices
The practical toolkit that supports everything else, including protective equipment and exposure-related safeguards.
- Respiratory protection selection concepts
- Bloodborne pathogen safeguards
- Applying established guidance to real situations
For a full breakdown of how to approach each area, read our complete guide to the four CEICC exam domains.
Reference Editions Worth Knowing
ACAC's materials point to specific reference documents. Knowing the edition matters because guidance gets revised, and an exam question may be anchored to the version ACAC lists:
| Reference | Edition noted by ACAC |
|---|---|
| CDC environmental infection control guideline | 2003, updated 2019 |
| OSHA bloodborne pathogens standard | 29 CFR 1910.1030 |
| NIOSH Respirator Selection Logic | 2004 |
| ACAC Code of Conduct | Current |
| ASHRAE 170 | 2008 edition listed in the handbook |
How the Exam Works
Knowing the format removes a lot of anxiety. The CEICC exam is:
- 120 multiple-choice questions, each with at least four answer choices
- Three hours long, which works out to about 90 seconds per question
- Closed book, so you cannot bring or consult references
- Scored against a 75% threshold, set using the Modified Angoff method
The Modified Angoff method is a standard-setting approach in which subject-matter experts judge how a minimally competent candidate would perform on each question. The practical consequence is that the passing mark reflects a competence standard rather than a curve against other test-takers. At 75% on 120 questions, you need roughly 90 correct answers. For a precise explanation, see our page on the CEICC passing score.
Key Takeaway
Because the exam is closed book and consultant-oriented, expect scenario-style reasoning: which containment approach fits a situation, or which transmission route a described setting implies. Memorizing definitions alone will not carry you; practice applying them. Our CEICC practice tests are built around this style of question.
What About Pass Rates?
ACAC has published small historical pass ratios: in 2024, 3 passes out of 3 examinations, and in 2023, 1 out of 1. Those figures include retakes and state-license-only examinations, and the cohorts are far too small to be read as first-attempt success estimates. Treat them as record-keeping, not as a forecast of difficulty. We discuss this further in our CEICC pass rate analysis and in how hard the exam is.
Eligibility Paths and the Project Sheets
The CEICC is not an entry-level credential. ACAC requires a combination of education and documented field experience. There are three routes:
| Education | Qualifying Credits (if no degree) | Documented Field Experience |
|---|---|---|
| Relevant four-year degree | Equivalent 30 qualifying semester credits | Four years |
| Relevant two-year degree | Equivalent 15 qualifying credits | Six years |
| High-school diploma or GED | Not applicable | Eight years |
On top of that, applicants must submit four distinct project sheets and have them verified. These document your real-world work, which is why the credential skews toward experienced practitioners. There is no mandatory training course, so you may prepare however you like, including self-study. See our full CEICC requirements guide and our overview of CEICC training options.
Cost, Validity, and Renewal
What You Pay
| Item | USD |
|---|---|
| Examination fee | $100 |
| Certification fee | $400 |
| Initial total | $500 |
| Retake | $100 |
| Renewal | $400 |
The retake fee is only the examination portion, which makes a second attempt considerably cheaper than the first full outlay. For the full breakdown, see our CEICC certification cost guide.
How Long It Lasts
The credential is valid for two years. Renewal requires 40 recertification credits (RCs), made up of:
- 10 RCs for continued field activity
- 30 hours of professional development
Records are subject to audit, so keep documentation as you go. Note that the CEICC credential page describes the requirement differently, as 20 professional-development hours annually. ACAC's own materials disagree here, so confirm with ACAC which framing governs your renewal before you plan your continuing education.
Who Holds It and Who Hires For It
ACAC's December 31, 2025 activity report lists 25 current CEICC certifications. That is a count of current holders, not exam volume, and it tells you the credential is a specialized, relatively small community.
The work the credential describes sits where healthcare facilities, construction, and infection prevention overlap. Natural employers and engagers include:
- Hospitals and healthcare systems managing renovation and expansion
- Construction and facility-management firms working in occupied care environments
- Environmental, safety, and industrial hygiene consultancies
- Infection prevention and facilities teams that need documented competence on construction projects
We cover roles and openings in more depth on our CEICC jobs page, and weigh the investment in whether the certification is worth it. Because published earnings data specific to this credential is thin, we do not quote figures here; see the CEICC salary guide for how to think about compensation.
Using the Meaning to Plan Your Prep
The title tells you how to prepare. A "consultant" is judged on applied reasoning, so tie your sequence to the domains rather than studying at random.
Domain 1 foundations
- Transmission routes and healthcare-associated risk
- Why vulnerable patient populations change decisions
Domain 2 construction control
- Containment, pressure, dust and moisture concepts
- Read the CDC guideline and the ASHRAE 170 reference
Domain 3 project management
- Planning, coordination, and documentation scenarios
- Link back to your own project sheets
Domain 4 practices, then timed review
- OSHA 1910.1030 and NIOSH respirator selection logic
- Full 120-question timed run in three hours
Domain 1 comes first because Domains 2 through 4 all assume you understand transmission. Domain 2 gets two weeks because construction control is the most distinctive part of the credential. For a more detailed plan, use our CEICC study guide and keep the CEICC cheat sheet handy for final review. When you are ready to test yourself, start with the CEICC practice exams.
Frequently Asked Questions
CEICC means Council-certified Environmental Infection Control Consultant. It is a professional credential awarded by the American Council for Accredited Certification (ACAC) for competence in controlling infection risks related to the built environment and construction activity in healthcare settings.
ACAC awards the credential, and the exam is delivered through Kryterion at a test center or by online video proctoring. Award requires unanimous board approval after the exam and application review are complete.
The exam has 120 multiple-choice questions, each with at least four answer choices, taken in three hours with no reference materials. The passing threshold is 75%, set using the Modified Angoff method.
The initial total is $500, made up of a $100 examination fee and a $400 certification fee. A retake costs $100, and renewal costs $400. Always confirm current amounts on ACAC's fee page before paying.
The credential is valid for two years. The handbook describes renewal as 40 RCs, including 10 for field activity and 30 hours of professional development, while the credential page mentions 20 professional-development hours annually. Confirm the current requirement with ACAC before planning.