CHMM exam outline: twelve domains and weights
The Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM) exam is the Institute of Hazardous Materials Management's (IHMM) exam for people who manage hazardous materials and waste. IHMM's candidate handbook gives 140 multiple-choice questions in 3 hours, closed book, and its blueprint spreads them across twelve domains with no single domain above 11%. Breadth matters more than any one topic, so use your free check to find the domains where your score trails.
- Questions
- 140
- Time
- 180 minutes
- Exam fee (paid to IHMM, not us)
- $360
- Where
- Kryterion test centers (computer-based); remote online proctoring paused
The twelve domains
- Health and safety (10.6%) and shipping and transporting hazardous waste and hazardous materials (10.3%).
- Planning for materials with hazards (9.4%), storing materials with hazards (9.2%) and facility operations involving materials with hazards (9.1%).
- Disposition of materials with hazards (8.5%), training personnel (8.1%), response and recovery (8.0%) and record keeping and reporting (7.5%).
- Management systems (6.6%), remediation (6.5%) and environmental studies (6.4%).
The exam in brief
- Length: 140 multiple-choice questions in 3 hours, each with four options and one correct answer. IHMM may include unscored pretest items on some forms without saying how many.
- Book: closed book. A calculator and scratch space are provided on screen.
- Where you test: computer-based at a Kryterion test center. Remote online proctoring is paused.
- Passing score: IHMM sets it by a criterion-referenced method and does not publish a number. You see pass or fail at the test center when you submit.
- Cost: a $175 application fee and a $360 exam fee, and the exam fee is paid at each attempt.
- Retakes: retake within 12 months of a failed attempt. After a third failure, wait one year and reapply as a new applicant.
Try one question
Question 1 of the free 10-question check on CHMM. No signup. Then ask Kick, the AI study assistant, why the answer is right and the others are wrong.
Store Materials with Hazard
A small quantity generator's nearest facility able to treat its waste is 150 miles away. How long may it accumulate hazardous waste on site?
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Who can apply
IHMM asks for a bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university, with no waiver of the degree, and four years of relevant experience in hazardous materials management or a related field, verified by an employer.
Working in construction safety too? The CHST exam outline covers BCSP's construction exam, and CHST vs CSP vs ASP compares the BCSP exams.
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Available now · instant accessLearn each of the twelve CHMM blueprint domains, then prove it on full-length timed practice exams.
- 12modules of lessonsEvery task on the outline
- 2full-length timed exams140 questions in 180 minutes each
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Sources
Show the list
- CHMM blueprint, Institute of Hazardous Materials Management, read 9 November 2026.
- Candidate handbook, January 2026, Institute of Hazardous Materials Management, read 9 November 2026.
- CHMM, Institute of Hazardous Materials Management, read 9 November 2026.
Exam facts
| Questions | 140 multiple-choice questions, four options and one correct answer each; the data needed to answer an item is in the item. IHMM may include unscored pre-test items on some forms; no count is given |
| Time | 180 minutes |
| Book | Closed book: no books, reference materials or papers other than those the proctor provides (only the CDGP is open book) |
| Calculator | A calculator and scratch space are provided on screen at the test center; electronic devices of any kind are not permitted |
| Passing | Criterion-referenced minimum passing score (Modified Angoff and Bookmark methods), adjusted by equating; no number is published. Pass or fail is shown at the test center on submission |
| Where you test | Kryterion test centers (computer-based); remote online proctoring paused |
| Exam fee (paid to IHMM, not us) | $360 |
| Retakes | Pay the exam fee at each attempt and retake within 12 months of the failed attempt. After a third failure, wait one year and reapply as a new applicant with full fees. The retake fee itself is unconfirmed (see field_sources.retake) |
| Eligibility | A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university (applied or related science preferred; no waiver of the degree) and four years of relevant experience in hazardous materials management or a related field, with transcript upload and third-party employment verification |
What the exam covers
| Planning for Materials with Hazards | 9.35% |
| Shipping and Transporting Hazardous Waste and Hazardous Materials | 10.34% |
| Store Materials with Hazard | 9.22% |
| Facility Operations Involving Materials with Hazards | 9.12% |
| Disposition of Materials with Hazards | 8.46% |
| Record Keeping and Reporting | 7.49% |
| Training Personnel | 8.07% |
| Response and Recovery | 7.95% |
| Remediation | 6.5% |
| Management Systems | 6.58% |
| Environmental Studies | 6.35% |
| Health and Safety | 10.57% |
Facts come from IHMM's own documents (sources above); the latest source retrieval was . If something has changed, tell us and we will correct it within 2 business days.
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