BOC exam format: questions, time, cost, and windows
The BOC athletic training exam is a computer-based Board of Certification sitting. BOC currently describes 175 scored and unscored items, four hours, mixed stand-alone formats plus focused testlets, and a passing scaled score of 500 on a 200 to 800 scale.
Confirm every figure in the live 2026 through 2027 Candidate Handbook before you budget or book. This page is for athletic trainers seeking ATC, not for the CDR sports dietetics exam.
What the sitting actually looks like
You will see stand-alone items (multiple choice, multi-select, drag-and-drop, hot spot) and focused testlets built on a scenario. Experimental items are mixed in. You cannot tell them apart. BOC says you can move forward and back through the whole exam.
The appointment is four hours. There is no scheduled break in the standard sitting. Results post to your BOC profile two to four weeks after the last day of the window, not at the center.
The exam is administered at Meazure Learning testing centers during multi-week windows. BOC currently runs several windows a year. You schedule after you register and pay, once Meazure emails credentials. We are not the scheduler.
What the fees are this year
BOC’s current candidate page publishes a non-refundable application fee and a separate exam fee:
- Application: $75 for NATA members, $100 for non-members, $100 for reinstatement by exam, $125 for International Arrangement
- Exam, testing in the United States or Canada: $375
- Exam, testing outside the United States or Canada: $495 ($375 plus a $120 international surcharge)
Those numbers move. The 2026 through 2027 handbook is the controlling document. We do not collect BOC’s fee.
The fee does not include your CAATE program, Emergency Cardiac Care documentation, or prep materials, including ours. Reschedule and other add-on fees live in the handbook.
What “format” should change in your prep
A four-hour mixed-format exam punishes two habits that work in clinic:
- Knowing the right next step after a long pause
- Drilling only four-option recall
Mastery is accuracy + velocity. A correct answer delivered slowly still shows as a gap once the clock is real.
That is why a random 20-question quiz is a weak rehearsal. It can return a score without telling you which Practice Analysis domain produced the misses, and it rarely includes a testlet.
MasteryEngine’s athletic training bank is not live. There is no AT Free Readiness Check and no AT full mock here. Aim practice at the current Practice Analysis until there is a bank. BOC’s own sample questions and optional self-assessment exams are the official format rehearsal.
Common questions
How many questions are on the BOC exam?
BOC currently says 175 items, a mix of scored and unscored. Confirm the live handbook.
How long is the BOC exam?
Four hours, per the current candidate materials.
When is the BOC exam offered?
In published windows, not year-round walk-in. Deadlines are 5 p.m. CT. Confirm the current calendar on bocatc.org.
How much does the BOC exam cost?
Application plus exam fee, at the amounts BOC publishes this year ($75 or $100 to apply for most domestic candidates, then $375 to test in the US or Canada). Confirm the live table.
What to do next
Read the handbook, then keep the Practice Analysis next to a named weakest domain.
The BOC athletic training exam prep hub is the public overview. The study guide is the checklist. If you want a live Free Readiness Check, that offer is CSSD sports dietetics.
MasteryEngine is independent exam prep. We are not affiliated with BOC, NATA, or CAATE. ATC and related marks belong to their owners. We do not provide BOC continuing-education credit and we do not guarantee eligibility or a pass. Confirm official facts on bocatc.org.