# CCHI vs NBCMI: Choose a Medical Interpreter Credential > Compare CCHI and NBCMI credentials, language coverage, exam fees, and eligibility. Include CoreCHI-P and the announced 2027 CoreCHI changes in your plan. Author: Mirkamol Published: April 15, 2026 Updated: September 8, 2026 Categories: Guides Canonical page: https://useinterpreter.com/blog/cchi-vs-nbcmi-certification/ CCHI and NBCMI offer national healthcare-interpreting credentials. Start with the credential your prospective employer accepts and the exams available for your language. Then compare prerequisites, testing locations, and total cost. The choice is no longer just CHI versus CMI. CCHI also offers CoreCHI-Performance, and it has announced the end of new standalone CoreCHI awards in 2027. Older comparisons can send you toward the wrong path. If you are still choosing training, read [how to become a medical interpreter](/blog/how-to-become-medical-interpreter/) first. Completion of a training course and certification by an examining organization are separate steps. ## The 30-second answer The organizations' current [CCHI eligibility](https://cchicertification.org/certifications/eligibility/) and [NBCMI program overview](https://www.certifiedmedicalinterpreters.org/overview) distinguish these routes: | Factor | CCHI | NBCMI | |---|---|---| | Bilingual performance credential | CHI: Arabic, Mandarin, Spanish | CMI: Cantonese, Korean, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese | | Route beyond those bilingual exams | CoreCHI-P uses an English-to-English performance exam | Hub-CMI is available regardless of target language | | Knowledge examination | CoreCHI exam | Written exam leading to Hub-CMI | | Important distinction | CoreCHI-P does not directly test interpreting between English and your other language | Hub-CMI does not include the bilingual CMI oral exam | Do not treat these credentials as interchangeable. Ask the hiring organization which exact credential it accepts for your language and assignment. ## What each credential is ### CCHI - Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters CHI combines CCHI's knowledge examination with a bilingual performance examination in an available language. CoreCHI-P combines the knowledge examination with the English-to-English ETOE performance examination. CCHI's [transition notice](https://cchicertification.org/sunsetting-corechi/) says it will stop awarding standalone CoreCHI certification on January 1, 2027. The CoreCHI knowledge exam remains part of its certification process. The notice also explains deadlines for current holders and new candidates. Read the section that matches when you earned or plan to take the knowledge exam; the transition does not give every candidate the same deadline. ### NBCMI - National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters [NBCMI](https://www.certifiedmedicalinterpreters.org/overview) offers Hub-CMI after its written exam and CMI after the required bilingual oral exam. It offers CMI in six languages and Hub-CMI regardless of target language. If NBCMI offers CMI in your language, its overview gives you two years after Hub-CMI to complete the oral exam. It says Hub-CMI in those languages expires without a renewal option. Check the separate rules for other languages. ## Language coverage - this alone may decide it for you Arabic has a CCHI bilingual CHI exam. Cantonese, Korean, Russian, and Vietnamese have NBCMI bilingual CMI exams. Both organizations offer a bilingual exam in Spanish and Mandarin, according to their linked program pages. That comparison concerns these organizations' bilingual tests. It does not mean interpreters in other languages lack a credentialing route: investigate CoreCHI-P and Hub-CMI, then ask whether your employer accepts them. An English-to-English performance test and a bilingual interpreting test measure different things. Be precise when describing your credential on an application. Our [broader certification guide](/blog/interpreter-certification-guide/) separates these paths. ## Cost breakdown Fees checked September 8, 2026: | Standard initial fees | CCHI CHI path | NBCMI CMI path | |---|---:|---:| | Application or registration plus knowledge/written exam | $231 | $40 registration + $190 written | | Bilingual performance/oral exam | $302 | $300 | | Sum of those fees | $533 | $530 | The figures come from [CCHI's fee schedule](https://cchicertification.org/certifications/fees/) and [NBCMI's fee update](https://www.certifiedmedicalinterpreters.org/fee-update). Training, language testing, travel, retakes, and rescheduling may add costs. Price your actual route. A knowledge-only credential and a path that includes performance testing do not have the same exam costs. Check the current ETOE fee if you are planning CoreCHI-P. Renewal is a separate budget. CCHI's [renewal guidance](https://cchicertification.org/faq/corechi-and-chi-renewal/) and NBCMI's [CMI renewal page](https://www.certifiedmedicalinterpreters.org/get-recertified) describe ongoing requirements. Hub-CMI has its own rules. Watch the units: continuing-education hours and CEUs are not interchangeable labels. Check the provider's approval and how the certifier counts the activity before buying a course. ## Exam content - what you're tested on ### Written exam content Both organizations assess professional knowledge as well as healthcare terminology. Read the current candidate handbook's content outline instead of choosing an exam based on a claim that one is the easy ethics test and the other is the vocabulary test. A medical background may help with some concepts. A language-teaching background may help with others. Neither removes the need to study interpreter ethics, role boundaries, and terminology in context. ### Oral exam content Use the exam guide for your exact credential. Bilingual CHI, English-to-English ETOE, and bilingual CMI are distinct examinations; a practice pack for one may leave gaps for another. Practice the interpreting modes and timing in that guide. Check whether it includes sight translation, consecutive or simultaneous tasks, and what materials you may use. Do not infer permission from how you work on a normal shift. Our [consecutive vs simultaneous guide](/blog/consecutive-vs-simultaneous-interpreting/) can help you understand the modes before you plan practice sessions. ## Eligibility - can you even sit for it? Both [CCHI](https://cchicertification.org/certifications/eligibility/) and [NBCMI](https://www.certifiedmedicalinterpreters.org/prerequisites) publish age, education, healthcare-interpreter training, and language-proficiency requirements. Review the accepted documentation before paying. The standard training threshold is at least 40 hours in the organizations' published requirements. Do not assume that an unrelated language course or work experience alone satisfies it; ask about your actual training record. [CCHI's language-proficiency rules](https://cchicertification.org/certifications/eligibility/linguistic-proficiency/) vary by language and credential. Do not assume that living in a country automatically exempts you from documentation or testing. NBCMI also lists several kinds of acceptable proficiency evidence. Check its requirements for your target language. A missing diploma does not prove that only one organization is open to you. > [!TIP] > Send the certifier a specific eligibility question before you pay: your language, intended credential, training record, and the proficiency documents you have. Keep its reply with your application records. ## Accreditation - does it matter? Accreditation applies to a particular certification program, not to every credential an organization offers. If a job requires an accredited credential, check the named program in the current accreditor directory and confirm it with the employer. Do not assume accreditation guarantees higher pay, or that an employer accepts every credential from the same organization. Your hiring requirement may be more specific than a comparison table. ## Which agencies prefer which? Requirements vary by job and contract. A recruiter accepting one credential for a general OPI role does not establish the rules for a different hospital client or a specialist assignment. Send the recruiter the exact credential name and language. Ask whether it satisfies the posting, whether the client requires a bilingual performance test, and whether a separate agency assessment remains necessary. ## How to decide - a flowchart Work through these questions in order: 1. Which exact credential does your target employer or client accept? 2. Which bilingual or language-independent route is available to you? 3. Can you document eligibility for that route? 4. Can you reach the required test location and meet the deadlines? 5. What will training, exams, possible retakes, and renewal cost you? If both routes fit, use the candidate materials to choose a realistic preparation plan. You do not need an invented universal ranking to make a good decision. ## Study resources for each ### For CCHI Start with [CCHI's preparation materials](https://cchicertification.org/certifications/preparing/) and the handbook for your intended credential. Use the published outline to identify gaps before buying a course. Our [interpreter code of ethics guide](/blog/interpreter-code-of-ethics/) provides practical situations to discuss with a trainer. It supplements the certifier's materials; it does not predict exam questions. ### For NBCMI Read the current [NBCMI candidate handbook](https://www.certifiedmedicalinterpreters.org/assets/docs/NBCMI_Handbook.pdf?v=20250108) and official practice information. Check the handbook version when you register. Use our [medical terminology guide](/blog/medical-terminology-for-interpreters/) to organize additional practice. Study unfamiliar concepts in context rather than collecting isolated equivalents. ## After certification - what changes A credential may qualify you for a job that requires it. It does not guarantee a pay increase, a contract, or more accommodating callers. Ask about the rate and the remaining hiring steps in the actual offer. Keep records of continuing education and renewal dates from the start. Medical certification also does not certify you for court work; that has a [separate credentialing path](/blog/court-interpreter-certification/). Our [medical interpreter salary guide](/blog/medical-interpreter-salary/) explains how employment type and paid time affect the amount you take home. ## The bottom line Choose the credential your intended work accepts, then verify the route and current rules with the certifier. Language coverage, documentation, and exam access can decide the question before a small fee difference does. If you plan to start with CCHI's knowledge exam, read the announced transition before scheduling. If you plan Hub-CMI in an available CMI language, include the oral-exam deadline in your budget and calendar.