- What the NeuroAnalyst-CLTM Credential Actually Is
- Two Eligibility Pathways, Not One
- Building the 50-Case Portfolio
- How the ABRET Exam Is Delivered
- The Four Exam Domains and Their Weights
- Terminology and Reference Frameworks
- Fees, Rescheduling, and Dates
- Results Timing and Pass-Rate Context
- Aligning Preparation to the Weights
- Validity, Renewal, and Career Use
- Frequently Asked Questions
- NA-CLTM is ABRET's advanced credential; it replaces CLTM in your signature rather than sitting beside it.
- EEG/video analysis and semiology carry 70% of the exam; report writing carries another 20%.
- Eligibility requires one of two pathways, plus 50 documented reports and current CPR/BLS.
- The fee is USD 700, and the October 3, 2026 sitting and its September 1 deadline have already passed.
What the NeuroAnalyst-CLTM Credential Actually Is
NeuroAnalyst-CLTM (NA-CLTM) is an advanced-level credential issued and administered by ABRET Neurodiagnostic Credentialing & Accreditation. It is built on top of the CLTM (Certification in Long-Term Monitoring) credential, but it is a different examination with a different purpose. It is not the prerequisite CLTM exam, not a generic EEG credential, and not a neonatal credential.
ABRET frames the role as advanced EEG review and preliminary reporting. A certificant analyzes long-term EEG and video, classifies patterns, evaluates seizure semiology, and drafts a structured report. The credential does not, on its own, authorize independent medical diagnosis. That distinction matters in interviews and in how you describe your scope to employers.
One practical detail surprises many candidates: once you earn NA-CLTM, it replaces CLTM in your signature line. You do not write both side by side. If you are still sorting out terminology, our explainers on what NA-CLTM is and what NA-CLTM stands for cover the basics, and the NA-CLTM certification overview ties the pieces together.
Two Eligibility Pathways, Not One
You qualify through one of two alternatives. You do not need to satisfy both. Both require 50 documented technical reports, and the linked handbook additionally requires current CPR/BLS.
| Requirement | Pathway I | Pathway II (practice track) |
|---|---|---|
| Education | At least a bachelor's degree | No degree requirement |
| CLTM experience | Two years as a CLTM technologist | Three years as a CLTM technologist |
| Advanced-practice LTM CEUs | 30 | 50 |
| Documented reports | 50 | 50 |
| CPR/BLS | Current | Current |
The practice track is subject to annual continuation review, though it remained offered on the live 2026 page. For the full prerequisite walk-through, see our NA-CLTM requirements guide.
How advanced-practice CEUs work
Advanced-practice CEUs must be earned within five years of the examination. No more than half may come from documented in-house or remote live review, and that live-review component is optional, not compulsory. Ordinary course hours are not automatically accepted as AP-CEUs. ABRET's Advanced Practice LTM Continuing Education Qualifications document identifies qualifying ACNS, AES, and ASET education, along with physician or qualified NeuroAnalyst interactive review options. Check a course against that document before you pay for it.
Building the 50-Case Portfolio
The case portfolio is where many applications stall, so treat it as a project with its own checklist. ABRET's current NeuroAnalyst-CLTM Documentation Form and handbook establish these rules:
Portfolio Checklist
Every one of the 50 cases must meet these conditions.
- Distinct recording sessions of at least 12 hours each. Multiple daily reports from one continuous recording do not count as multiple cases.
- Reviewed and reported by you after you earned CLTM, and within five years.
- Patients at least one year old.
- Recency: the form requires 10% of cases within the last 12 months.
- Normal-recording cap: normal recordings without patient events are limited to 20% of cases.
- Setting: the form has an ICU/EMU/ambulatory field, but it does not impose an unprinted quota for each setting.
- Signatures: each page must be signed by the medical director or an actively ABRET-credentialed supervisor, verifying the work and recommending you.
Retrospective review can qualify, so a current NeuroAnalyst job title is not required. If you have been reviewing long-term recordings in a technologist role and keeping records, you may be closer than you think. If you have not been saving reports, start now.
What each report must contain
Candidate reports require a history, a technical description, and an EEG description. An impression and clinical correlation are optional only where facility protocol permits. ABRET publishes sample reports that show the expected structure, and they are worth studying for the exam as well as the portfolio, since Domain 4 tests this exact skill.
How the ABRET Exam Is Delivered
The exam is administered and proctored by ABRET in person on its announced dates. It is not remote, and it should not be assumed to run through a PSI or Prometric booking channel. The 2026 sitting was held at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport Marriott in Irving, Texas.
The format combines two components:
- Computer-based questions. The public sample questions are four-option multiple choice. A complete item-type distribution has not been published.
- Live, reviewable EEG/video clips in Persyst. You can adjust sensitivity and montages, and you work across two platforms simultaneously. ABRET standardizes the laptop, second monitor, and mouse.
Personal electronic devices, books, notes, reference materials, and calculators are prohibited. Supplied scratch material or a whiteboard is allowed. You may not leave the examination room while the test is in session.
Practice with the real interface
Because the Persyst interface is part of the test, familiarity is a genuine advantage. ABRET provides a public practice page, public sample questions, and a Persyst Mobile Guide. These are public preparation examples; no access to protected exam items is claimed here, and you should not seek any.
The Four Exam Domains and Their Weights
The examination's formal objectives and published weights are below. These are not optional training modules; they are the exam blueprint. For a deeper breakdown, see the complete domains guide.
| Domain | Name | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Validate patient identification and recording period, review the patient history and clinical data and information | 5% |
| 2 | Review the technical description and recording parameters | 5% |
| 3 | Analyze, classify, annotate, and delineate the EEG and video data, and evaluate seizure semiology based upon clinical and electrographic findings | 70% |
| 4 | Write the NeuroAnalyst Report | 20% |
Domain 1: Patient Identification, History, and Clinical Data (5%)
Short on weight, but it frames every later judgment about what a finding means.
- Monitoring indications, clinical history, and examination findings
- Terminology and imaging results
- Patient age, neurologic and systemic comorbidities
- Medications and their EEG effects
- Implanted or external devices
- Patient safety during monitoring
Domain 2: Technical Description and Recording Parameters (5%)
You must recognize whether the recording was set up and acquired in a way that supports the conclusions you draw.
- 10-10 and 10-20 electrode placement
- Montage changes
- Filters, gain, epoch, amplifier, polarity, and common-mode rejection
- Trends and automated detection
- Post-acquisition review
- Networks and audio-video systems
- ACNS guidance
Domain 3: EEG/Video Analysis and Semiology (70%)
This is the exam. Seven of every ten points depend on your ability to read the recording and the patient.
- Urgent EEG changes and activation procedures
- Artifact recognition and removal
- Waveform localization
- Cardiac and EEG associations
- Behavioral and consciousness changes
- Standardized electroclinical semiology
Domain 4: Writing the NeuroAnalyst Report (20%)
Reporting is its own scored domain, not an afterthought to analysis.
- EEG-pattern classification and ILAE seizure/epilepsy classification
- ACNS critical-care terminology and continuous-monitoring consensus
- Pattern-associated syndromes in patients at least one year old
- Reporting guidance and report structure
Terminology and Reference Frameworks
Terminology is a quiet source of lost points. The live FAQ's exam-specific rule requires ACNS 2021 terminology from January 2023. The FAQ's report-template text still allows 2012 or 2021, but for the exam, use the 2021 rule and do not treat 2012 examples as current exam terminology. If your facility or older study material still uses 2012 phrasing, translate it before test day.
The handbook names the 2015 ACNS continuous-EEG consensus and the 2017 ILAE classifications as the exam references. These are the retrieved exam references, not a claim that 2017 remains the newest ILAE classification in general. Study what the exam cites.
Fees, Rescheduling, and Dates
The exam fee is USD 700, with no member/nonmember tier. For a full cost picture including CEUs and renewal, see the NA-CLTM certification cost breakdown.
| Item | Amount or Rule |
|---|---|
| Examination fee | USD 700 (no member/nonmember tier) |
| Rescheduling, at least 30 days before appointment | USD 225 |
| Rescheduling, within 30 days | USD 300 |
| Refunds, extensions, fee transfers | Not offered |
| Attempts per application | One |
| After three unsuccessful attempts | Six-month wait and ten advanced-practice CEUs |
Where the dates stand
The posted 2026 sitting was October 3 at the Irving, Texas venue, with a September 1 application deadline. Both have already passed. A subsequent 2027 date was not verified, so do not plan around an assumed window. Check ABRET's current exam page and our maintained NA-CLTM exam dates guide for updates.
Results Timing and Pass-Rate Context
Unofficial results are available within 72 hours per the FAQ. Official results arrive in approximately 2-4 weeks per the FAQ, while the handbook says 3-4 weeks. Plan for the longer figure if you have a job or CEU deadline attached.
The Board sets a minimum-competence passing standard and matches forms for difficulty and content, but a numeric pass mark was not verified. See our passing score discussion for how to prepare without a published cut score.
Aligning Preparation to the Weights
Because Domain 3 carries 70% and Domain 4 carries 20%, your calendar should reflect that imbalance. Domains 1 and 2 are only 5% each, but they feed the interpretive reasoning in Domain 3, so treat them as short, early foundations rather than skipped topics.
Foundations: Domains 1 and 2
- Review montages, filters, gain, polarity, and common-mode rejection until you can predict their effect on a waveform
- Rehearse how medications, devices, and comorbidities change what you expect to see
Core: Domain 3 (longest block)
- Work live Persyst cases daily, adjusting sensitivity and montages as the exam allows
- Practice artifact recognition, localization, and cardiac/EEG associations
- Pair every seizure with its video semiology and describe it in standardized terms
Reporting: Domain 4
- Rewrite your own portfolio reports against ABRET's sample reports
- Drill ACNS 2021 terminology and ILAE classification until the language is automatic
Integration
- Run mixed case sets that move from history through analysis to a written impression
- Review weak areas using timed practice questions
Your portfolio doubles as study material. Every report you wrote for eligibility is a rehearsal for Domain 4. For broader planning, see the NA-CLTM study guide and keep the one-page cheat sheet for final review.
Choosing preparation resources carefully
Several resources overlap with NA-CLTM preparation, and they differ widely in scope. Search-visible examples include OpenExamPrep, Stratus/EEG U (with a case-based ACNS ICU terminology course), the Central Society of Electroneurodiagnostic Technologists (preparing-for-NA-CLTM and cEEG report-writing webinars), Neurodiagnostic Exam, and ASET's broader EEG and advanced-practice education. Course and store descriptions were reviewed, not all paid lessons or question banks, and ASET's broader education is not a complete NA-CLTM mock exam. This is not a ranking. Whatever you choose, favor interactive EEG cases that match the 70% analysis domain and report-writing exercises that match the 20% domain, and see our NA-CLTM training overview for how to evaluate options.
Key Takeaway
Use only original or authorized practice material. ABRET issued an October 2025 examination-security statement on NA-CLTM, and so-called exam dumps or recalled questions carry real risk to your credential. Public ABRET samples plus quality case-based practice are the safe route.
Validity, Renewal, and Career Use
The credential is valid for five years and expires December 31 of its assigned expiration year. The documented education renewal route requires 50 relevant continuing-education hours and the USD 100 recertification fee, with CE documentation uploaded through ABRET's credential-management system. General policy allows a January 31 grace period for an additional USD 100; after that, you must repeat the examination process.
Two cautions. First, ABRET policy also permits an examination renewal alternative, and if you choose it and fail, you cannot revert to CE for that renewal. Second, keep the two CEU concepts separate: the initial 30 or 50 advanced-practice CEUs are an eligibility requirement, while the 50-hour figure is a renewal requirement.
Who uses the skills
The credential maps to advanced EEG-review functions in long-term monitoring settings, as described in ASET's role-development material and in employer descriptions such as Stratus's. No credential-specific 2026 salary or causal NA-CLTM pay premium was established, so no figure is offered here. For a discussion of value without invented numbers, read the ROI analysis, the salary guide, and the NA-CLTM jobs overview.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. CLTM is the prerequisite credential. NA-CLTM is the separate advanced-level ABRET credential for EEG/video review and preliminary reporting, and it replaces CLTM in your signature once earned.
ABRET has not published the total question count, the scored/pretest split, or the timer in the retrieved handbook or live pages. The format combines four-option multiple-choice questions with live Persyst EEG/video clips. Check ABRET directly for updates.
No. ABRET administers and proctors the exam in person on its announced dates, using standardized equipment, and you may not leave the room while the test is in session.
The Board sets a minimum-competence standard and matches forms for difficulty and content, but a numeric pass mark was not verified. Prepare to demonstrate competence across all four domains rather than aiming at a specific number.
Not necessarily. Pathway I requires at least a bachelor's degree, two years as a CLTM technologist, 30 advanced-practice LTM CEUs, and 50 reports. Pathway II has no degree requirement under the practice track but requires three years, 50 CEUs, and 50 reports. Both also require current CPR/BLS.