- The Credential at a Glance
- Exam Format and the Scoring Math
- The Five Domains and Their Weights
- Domain-by-Domain Fact Sheet
- Fees, Booking, and Test-Day Rules
- Retakes, Validity, and Recertification
- How to Read a DICO-C Scenario Question
- Scheduling the Domains in Your Final Weeks
- Who Uses This Credential
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The exam administers 125 questions in 2 hours 30 minutes, but only 100 are scored; the other 25 are unscored pilot items.
- Passing requires 70 correct answers among the 100 scored items, not 70 out of 125.
- Exposure Control Plan Components is the heaviest domain at 30%; transmission risks and post-exposure care are 20% each.
- Exam fees are $300 for NAPSICO members and $400 for nonmembers, and they are nonrefundable.
The Credential at a Glance
The Certified Designated Infection Control Officer credential, abbreviated DICO-C, is awarded by the International Board of Specialty Certification (IBSC). It was developed with the National Association of Public Safety Infection Control Officers (NAPSICO). It is built for emergency responders who work as, or could work as, an Infection Control Officer. That target audience shapes everything about the exam: the questions lean on applied, scenario-based judgment rather than textbook trivia.
This page is a one-page-style review of the facts you should be able to recite without looking anything up. If you want the full story on what the credential is, start with What Is DICO-C Certification?. If you want the broader preparation plan, pair this sheet with the DICO-C study guide.
| Item | Must-Know Fact |
|---|---|
| Credential | Certified Designated Infection Control Officer (DICO-C) |
| Certifying body | International Board of Specialty Certification (IBSC), developed with NAPSICO |
| Intended candidate | Emergency responder working as, or with potential to work as, an Infection Control Officer |
| Exam level | Specialty-level knowledge, not entry-level training |
| Validity | Three years |
Exam Format and the Scoring Math
The numbers to memorize
- 125 questions administered, made up of 100 scored items and 25 unscored pilot items.
- 2 hours 30 minutes of testing time.
- Computer-delivered, four-option, single-best-answer multiple choice.
- Applied and scenario content: expect situations to analyze, not definitions to recall.
Navigation and answer changes
The handbook permits backward and forward review and changing answers. That means a flag-and-return strategy is available: answer what you can on the first pass, mark the stubborn scenarios, and return with whatever time remains. With 125 items in 150 minutes, you have roughly a minute and a half per item on average, so a long scenario deserves no more than its share before you move on.
The Five Domains and Their Weights
The blueprint reference is the April 2026 candidate handbook, with a separately linked detailed outline dated October 7, 2020. Because the two documents differ in date, rely on the handbook for current expectations and use the detailed outline as a topic-level companion. The full breakdown lives in the DICO-C exam domains guide.
| Domain | Name | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laws Applicable to Infection Control | 15% |
| 2 | Exposure Control Plan Components for Bloodborne Pathogens, TB, and other Airborne/Droplet Transmitted Diseases | 30% |
| 3 | Risks for Disease Transmission | 20% |
| 4 | Vaccines and Immunizations | 15% |
| 5 | Post-Exposure Medical Care | 20% |
Notice the arithmetic: Domains 2, 3, and 5 together account for 70% of the exam. A candidate who is shaky on the plan itself, how diseases spread, and what happens after an exposure is in trouble no matter how well they know the law and vaccine material.
Domain-by-Domain Fact Sheet
Domain 2: Exposure Control Plan Components (30%)
This is the heart of the exam. The domain covers the written plan for bloodborne pathogens, tuberculosis, and other airborne or droplet-transmitted diseases. Think like the officer who has to build, maintain, and defend that plan.
- Be able to separate what belongs in a plan for bloodborne pathogens from what belongs in a plan for airborne or droplet diseases.
- Know how exposure determination, protective measures, training, and recordkeeping fit together as plan elements.
- Practice scenarios that ask which plan component addresses a given gap, such as a missing control measure or an undocumented training session.
- Expect questions about how TB is handled differently from bloodborne exposures.
Domain 3: Risks for Disease Transmission (20%)
This domain tests whether you can recognize how infections move between people and where responders are most exposed.
- Distinguish routes of transmission: bloodborne, airborne, and droplet, and connect each to realistic response settings.
- Identify high-risk tasks and situations in emergency response work.
- Choose the control that matches the transmission route rather than the control that merely sounds protective.
Domain 5: Post-Exposure Medical Care (20%)
When an exposure happens, the Infection Control Officer is often the person coordinating what comes next.
- Know the sequence of response after an exposure incident, from immediate actions through medical evaluation and follow-up.
- Understand confidentiality, documentation, and the officer's role in making sure the responder is directed to appropriate care.
- Expect questions framed as "what should the officer do first" or "what is the most appropriate next step."
Domain 1: Laws Applicable to Infection Control (15%)
Legal and regulatory knowledge supports every other domain. Focus on what the requirements obligate an employer or officer to do, not on memorizing citation numbers in isolation.
- Be able to match a described situation to the legal obligation it triggers.
- Understand how legal requirements shape the exposure control plan, training, and recordkeeping.
Domain 4: Vaccines and Immunizations (15%)
Vaccination questions are usually applied: which immunization is relevant to which risk, and how does an agency's program handle offers, declinations, and records?
- Link specific vaccine-preventable diseases to the exposure risks that make them relevant to responders.
- Know how an immunization program is administered and documented from the officer's seat.
Key Takeaway
Weight your study time roughly in proportion to the blueprint, but give Domain 2 a little extra. Its 30% share is the single biggest lever on your score, and its content feeds directly into the scenarios in Domains 3 and 5.
Fees, Booking, and Test-Day Rules
Fee table
| Item | NAPSICO Member | Nonmember |
|---|---|---|
| Exam fee | $300 | $400 |
| Optional NAPSICO study guide | $35 | $35 |
| Calculated exam-plus-guide subtotal | $335 | $435 |
Exam fees are nonrefundable. The subtotals above exclude membership dues, applicable tax or shipping, courses, and retakes. For a fuller budget view, see the DICO-C certification cost breakdown.
Eligibility in one line
You must be an emergency responder working as, or having the potential to work as, an Infection Control Officer, and you need an approved examination application and government-issued identification. Keep two ideas separate: certification eligibility is one thing, while your employer's appointment requirements and any course prerequisites are another. Details are in DICO-C Requirements: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
Provider and proctoring
The April 2026 handbook specifies TesTrac live remote proctoring, while IBSC and NAPSICO web pages also reference Prometric. Do not guess. Follow the provider and modality listed in your own current IBSC authorization for booking instructions. Scheduling windows and deadlines are covered in DICO-C Exam Dates: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.
Test-day conditions
- Closed-book and identity-checked: no notes, books, outside assistance, or unauthorized electronics.
- Remote sessions use audio and video monitoring.
- Accommodations require supporting documentation and approval, so start that process early rather than the week of your exam.
Retakes, Validity, and Recertification
If you do not pass
Retesting requires new registration, the full exam fee, and at least 30 days after the previous attempt. Under the standard retest rule, you get three total attempts. Because fees are nonrefundable and a retake costs the full amount again, a failed attempt is an expensive way to find out what you do not know. Taking practice questions under timed conditions first is cheaper. To gauge how demanding the test is, read How Hard Is the DICO-C Exam? and DICO-C Pass Rate: What the Data Shows.
Keeping the credential alive
| Renewal Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Validity period | Three years |
| Renew by | Examination, or 18 directly relevant infection-control CE hours during the cycle |
| CE route requirements | Maintain eligibility, submit completion documentation for audit, and pay the renewal fee |
| Submission timing | Submit the CE-renewal application two to four months before expiration |
| Late documentation | Documentation submitted less than 30 days before expiration incurs a $125 processing fee |
| If expired | Re-examination is required |
The practical lesson: start logging CE hours the day you pass, keep the completion documents in one folder, and calendar the two-to-four-month window well ahead of expiration. Missing the cycle entirely means sitting the exam again.
How to Read a DICO-C Scenario Question
Because the items are single-best-answer with four options and applied content, several options will often look plausible. A reliable approach for this specific exam:
- Identify the domain being tested. Is the scenario really about the plan (Domain 2), the transmission route (Domain 3), what to do after exposure (Domain 5), a legal duty (Domain 1), or an immunization question (Domain 4)?
- Find the officer's role. Many questions ask what the Infection Control Officer should do, which is often different from what a responder, supervisor, or physician does.
- Match the control to the route. Airborne, droplet, and bloodborne hazards call for different measures; an answer that protects against the wrong route is a trap.
- Look for sequence words. "First," "next," and "most appropriate" signal that more than one option is useful but only one comes at the right moment.
- Do not hunt for the pilot. You cannot identify the 25 unscored items, so give every question full effort.
Scheduling the Domains in Your Final Weeks
If you have a few weeks left, sequence by weight and dependency instead of by the order the domains appear in the outline. Plan content first, since transmission risk and post-exposure scenarios build on it.
Domain 2 core
- Work through exposure control plan components for bloodborne pathogens.
- Add the TB and other airborne or droplet diseases material.
- Write a one-paragraph summary of what a complete plan contains.
Domains 3 and 5
- Map each transmission route to its controls.
- Rehearse the post-exposure sequence until you can narrate it unprompted.
- Take a timed set of scenario questions in both domains.
Domains 1 and 4, then a full simulation
- Review the legal obligations and vaccine programs, tying each back to the exposure control plan.
- Sit a full-length practice session: 125 questions in 150 minutes.
- Re-study only the domains where your misses cluster.
For more practice material by topic, use the question sets on the DICO-C practice test site, and for the broader preparation framework see the study guide.
Who Uses This Credential
The audience is emergency responders: people in fire, EMS, law enforcement, and other public-safety roles who carry infection-control duties or are positioned to take them on. The credential signals specialty-level knowledge in the exact areas an agency's exposure program depends on. For roles and settings, see DICO-C Jobs.
On pay, compare your underlying emergency-response or healthcare role and your employer rather than assuming the certification itself carries a premium. A designated officer role may come with added responsibility, but the compensation is set by your position and organization. The DICO-C salary guide and Is the DICO-C Certification Worth It? walk through how to think about that honestly.
Key Takeaway
Treat this sheet as a checklist: if you can state the format, the 70-of-100 scoring rule, the five domain names with their weights, the fee structure, and the renewal rules from memory, you have the logistics covered, and your remaining time belongs to scenario practice in Domains 2, 3, and 5.
Frequently Asked Questions
The IBSC DICO-C FAQ specifies 70 correct answers among the 100 scored items. The exam administers 125 questions, but 25 are unscored pilot items, so the passing figure should not be calculated against all 125.
Exposure Control Plan Components for Bloodborne Pathogens, TB, and other Airborne/Droplet Transmitted Diseases is the largest domain at 30%. Risks for Disease Transmission and Post-Exposure Medical Care are 20% each, while Laws and Vaccines and Immunizations are 15% each.
The exam fee is $300 for NAPSICO members and $400 for nonmembers, and fees are nonrefundable. The optional NAPSICO study guide is $35, giving calculated subtotals of $335 for members or $435 for nonmembers, excluding membership dues, tax, shipping, courses, and retakes.
You must register again, pay the full exam fee, and wait at least 30 days after your previous attempt. The standard retest rule allows three total attempts, so use your score feedback to focus your next round of preparation.
The credential is valid for three years. You can renew by retaking the exam or by completing 18 directly relevant infection-control CE hours, maintaining eligibility, submitting documentation for audit, and paying the renewal fee. Submit the CE application two to four months before expiration to avoid the $125 late-documentation fee, and note that an expired credential requires re-examination.