- What a NA-CLTM Actually Is
- Which NA-CLTM This Is (and Which It Is Not)
- What the Credential Does and Does Not Authorize
- NA-CLTM Versus CLTM
- Who Qualifies: Two Pathways
- The 50-Case Portfolio in Detail
- How the Examination Works
- The Four Exam Domains
- Report Writing and Terminology
- Fees, Dates, and Retakes
- Pass Rate, Renewal, and Career Context
- Preparing Around the Domain Weights
- Frequently Asked Questions
- NA-CLTM means NeuroAnalyst-CLTM, an advanced ABRET credential for long-term monitoring technologists who review EEG and write preliminary reports.
- It replaces CLTM in your signature rather than being added beside it.
- EEG/video analysis and semiology carries 70% of the exam; writing the NeuroAnalyst report carries 20%.
- Eligibility needs 50 documented reports, each from a distinct recording of at least 12 hours.
What a NA-CLTM Actually Is
A NA-CLTM is a neurodiagnostic professional who holds the NeuroAnalyst-CLTM credential from ABRET Neurodiagnostic Credentialing & Accreditation. It is the advanced step above the Certification in Long-Term Monitoring (CLTM). Where a CLTM technologist concentrates on acquiring quality long-term EEG recordings, a NeuroAnalyst reviews recorded EEG and video data, classifies what is on the screen, evaluates seizure semiology, and writes a structured preliminary report for the interpreting physician.
The credential is earned through a written and practical examination administered by ABRET, plus a documented portfolio of real reporting work. If you are new to the terminology, the companion pages on what NA-CLTM stands for and the meaning of the designation cover the naming in more depth, while the NA-CLTM certification overview covers the credential as a whole.
Which NA-CLTM This Is (and Which It Is Not)
Search results for this acronym can be confusing, so it helps to be precise. The credential discussed on this site is the ABRET NeuroAnalyst-CLTM and nothing else. It is not the prerequisite CLTM examination, it is not a generic EEG credential, and it is not a neonatal credential. Facts about fees, dates, pathways, and exam content in this article apply only to the NeuroAnalyst-CLTM exam. If you are comparing materials from different sources, confirm that they describe the ABRET NeuroAnalyst-CLTM before relying on any number.
What the Credential Does and Does Not Authorize
ABRET describes the NeuroAnalyst role as advanced EEG review with preliminary reporting. The NA-CLTM shows that a technologist can analyze long-term EEG and video, recognize urgent changes, separate artifact from cerebral activity, and communicate findings in a standardized report. It is not an authorization for independent medical diagnosis. The final interpretation remains with the physician, and your report supports that interpretation rather than replacing it.
In practice, this means day-to-day work centers on tasks such as:
- Reviewing continuous or long-term EEG with synchronized video and flagging clinically important events.
- Recognizing urgent EEG changes and escalating them according to facility protocol.
- Annotating seizures, patterns, and behavioral or consciousness changes.
- Producing a report with history, technical description, and EEG description that a physician can build on.
Those functions are described in ASET's role-development material on neuroanalyst skills and duties, and in employer descriptions of advanced EEG-review work. For what that work can mean for employment, see our page on NA-CLTM jobs.
NA-CLTM Versus CLTM
CLTM is the foundation credential and also a prerequisite for the NeuroAnalyst route. The two differ in purpose, in what you must document, and in how the exam tests you.
| Feature | CLTM | NA-CLTM (NeuroAnalyst-CLTM) |
|---|---|---|
| Core focus | Long-term monitoring technology and recording practice | Advanced EEG/video review, semiology, and preliminary reporting |
| Role in the pathway | Required first; you must earn it before NA-CLTM cases count | Advanced step; replaces CLTM in your signature |
| Portfolio | Not the 50-report portfolio described here | 50 documented technical reports on qualifying recordings |
| Exam emphasis | Separate CLTM blueprint | 70% analysis and semiology, 20% report writing |
| Administration | Governed by its own handbook | ABRET-proctored, in person, with Persyst-based EEG/video clips |
Do not mix the two when planning. CLTM scope and logistics come from the CLTM handbook; NA-CLTM scope comes from the NA-CLTM handbook. For a detailed look at the gap between the two, read how hard the NA-CLTM exam is.
Who Qualifies: Two Pathways
ABRET offers two alternative routes to eligibility. You need to satisfy one of them, not both. Both routes also require current CPR/BLS under the linked handbook.
| Requirement | Pathway I | Pathway II (practice track) |
|---|---|---|
| Education | At least a bachelor's degree | No degree requirement |
| Experience as CLTM technologist | Two years | Three years |
| Advanced-practice LTM CEUs | 30 | 50 |
| Documented technical reports | 50 | 50 |
The practice track is subject to annual continuation review and remains offered on ABRET's live 2026 page, so confirm its status when you apply. The full eligibility picture, including how to qualify step by step, is in NA-CLTM requirements: eligibility and prerequisites.
Advanced-Practice CEUs
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 rather than compulsory. Ordinary course hours are not automatically accepted as advanced-practice CEUs. ABRET's Advanced Practice LTM Continuing Education Qualifications document identifies qualifying ACNS, AES, and ASET education, along with physician-led or qualified NeuroAnalyst interactive review options. Named ASET courses are alternative preparation and eligibility-credit resources, not mandatory additional tests and not official exam domains.
The 50-Case Portfolio in Detail
The 50 reports are the part of eligibility that most often trips applicants up. The rules are specific:
Portfolio Checklist
Before you submit, verify each of these against the NeuroAnalyst-CLTM Documentation Form.
- Distinct sessions: each case must be a separate recording session of at least 12 hours. Multiple daily reports from one continuous recording do not become multiple cases.
- Timing: you must have reviewed and reported each case yourself after earning CLTM, and within five years.
- Patient age: patients must be at least one year old.
- Recency: the current form requires 10% of cases within the last 12 months.
- Normal recordings: normal recordings without patient events are capped at 20%.
- Setting: the ICU/EMU/ambulatory field 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.
Because retrospective review can qualify, you do not need a current NeuroAnalyst job title to build the portfolio. A technologist who has been reviewing and reporting recordings under supervision may already hold much of what is needed.
How the Examination Works
ABRET administers and proctors the NA-CLTM examination itself, in person, on its announced dates. It is not delivered remotely and should not be assumed to run through a PSI or Prometric booking channel. The format combines computer-based questions with live, reviewable EEG/video clips in Persyst. You can adjust sensitivity and montages, and two platforms are used simultaneously. ABRET standardizes the laptop, second monitor, and mouse, so you will not bring your own equipment.
Public sample questions are four-option multiple-choice examples, but ABRET has not published a complete breakdown of item types. A few rules are worth knowing in advance:
- 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.
The Four Exam Domains
The exam objectives come from pages 8 and 9 of the 2025 Handbook for Candidates. The weights below reflect the published outline. Our complete guide to all four content areas expands on each.
Domain 1: Validate patient identification and recording period, review the patient history and clinical data and information (5%)
This domain is about making sure the recording belongs to the right patient and the clinical context is understood before you analyze anything.
- Monitoring indications and clinical history and examination.
- Terminology and imaging findings.
- Age, neurologic and systemic comorbidities, and medications.
- Implanted or external devices and patient safety.
Domain 2: Review the technical description and recording parameters (5%)
Here you confirm the recording was acquired in a way that makes it interpretable.
- 10-10 and 10-20 electrode placement and montage changes.
- Filters, gain, epoch, amplifier, polarity, and common-mode rejection.
- Trends and automated detection, and post-acquisition review.
- Networks, audio-video, and ACNS guidance.
Domain 3: Analyze, classify, annotate, and delineate the EEG and video data, and evaluate seizure semiology based upon clinical and electrographic findings (70%)
This is the heart of the exam and the reason Persyst-style practice matters.
- Urgent EEG changes and activation procedures.
- Artifact recognition and removal.
- Waveform localization and cardiac/EEG associations.
- Behavioral and consciousness changes.
- Standardized electroclinical semiology.
Domain 4: Write the NeuroAnalyst Report (20%)
You must translate your analysis into a structured report using accepted terminology and classification.
- EEG-pattern and ILAE seizure and epilepsy classification.
- ACNS critical-care terminology and continuous-monitoring consensus.
- Pattern-associated syndromes in patients at least one year old.
- Reporting guidance.
Report Writing and Terminology
Report writing is its own domain at 20%, so it deserves its own preparation rather than being treated as an afterthought to the EEG analysis. The scoring weight alone means a candidate who reads EEG well but writes loosely can still struggle.
One point needs care. ABRET's FAQ states an exam-specific rule requiring ACNS 2021 terminology from January 2023, while its report-template text still permits 2012 or 2021. For the examination, follow the exam-specific 2021 rule and do not present 2012 as the current exam terminology. The handbook also names the 2015 ACNS continuous-EEG consensus and the 2017 ILAE classifications as the exam references; that describes what the exam uses, not whether 2017 is the newest ILAE classification in general.
Fees, Dates, and Retakes
The exam fee is USD 700, with no member or nonmember tier. Rescheduling carries its own charges: USD 225 if done at least 30 days before the appointment and USD 300 within 30 days. There are no refunds, extensions, or transfers of fees. A fuller breakdown lives in our NA-CLTM certification cost guide.
On dates, the posted 2026 sitting was October 3 at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport Marriott in Irving, Texas, with a September 1 application deadline. Both have already passed, and a subsequent 2027 date has not been verified. Check ABRET's current NA-CLTM exam page for live scheduling, and see NA-CLTM exam dates and deadlines for how to track upcoming sittings.
Each application provides one attempt. After three unsuccessful attempts, the current NA-CLTM page requires a six-month wait and ten advanced-practice CEUs before trying again. Results are unofficial within 72 hours according to the FAQ, and official results arrive in roughly two to four weeks; the handbook gives three to four weeks, so allow for the longer window.
Pass Rate, Renewal, and Career Context
Pass Rate
ABRET's Examination Statistics 2024 report a 60% pass rate for ten NA-CLTM candidates, excluding repeat examinees from the overall rate. That cohort is small, so treat it as a snapshot rather than an individual pass probability. A 2025 statistics download exists on ABRET's index but could not be retrieved during research, so no newer figure is verified here. Do not read the 2024 value as a 2026 result. For context, see what the NA-CLTM pass rate data shows.
Validity and Renewal
The credential is valid for five years and expires December 31 of its assigned year. The documented education renewal route requires 50 relevant continuing-education hours and a USD 100 recertification fee, with documentation uploaded through ABRET's credential-management system. A January 31 grace period is available for an additional USD 100; after that, you must go through the examination process again. ABRET policy also allows an examination renewal alternative, but if you choose it and fail, you cannot revert to continuing education for that renewal. Keep the initial 30 or 50 advanced-practice CEU requirement separate in your mind from the later 50-hour renewal requirement; they are different obligations.
Career Value
People often ask what the credential pays. No defensible credential-specific 2026 salary figure was established, and there is no verified causal pay premium for holding NA-CLTM, so this article does not offer one. What the sources do support is that advanced EEG-review functions are a distinct career track in ICU, epilepsy monitoring, and related settings. Our salary guide and the analysis of whether the certification is worth it discuss how to weigh the decision without leaning on an invented number.
Preparing Around the Domain Weights
Because Domain 3 is 70% of the exam, most of your preparation time should go to hands-on EEG and video analysis. Domain 4, at 20%, needs deliberate report-writing practice. Domains 1 and 2 are 5% each, so treat them as efficient review rather than a major time sink. The full plan is in our NA-CLTM study guide, and a quick refresher is available in the one-page cheat sheet.
Domains 1 and 2 plus terminology reset
- Review history, comorbidity, medication, and device considerations.
- Refresh montages, filters, gain, and common-mode rejection.
- Align your vocabulary to the ACNS 2021 rule for the exam.
Domain 3 intensive
- Practice artifact recognition and localization on reviewable EEG with adjustable montages.
- Work through seizure semiology and consciousness changes.
- Use ABRET's Persyst Mobile Guide so the interface is familiar.
Domain 4 and mixed review
- Write practice reports against ABRET's sample reports.
- Review ILAE classification and ACNS critical-care terminology.
- Take mixed sets of four-option questions under timed conditions.
Use official and legitimate materials. ABRET's October 2025 examination-security statement reinforces that candidates should prepare with original or authorized practice, not alleged actual or recalled exam questions. ABRET publishes sample questions and a Persyst guide, and third-party providers offer webinars and practice sets as supplements. If you want original practice questions mapped to these four domains, our NA-CLTM practice tests are built for that purpose, and you can start from the main practice test page at any time.
Frequently Asked Questions
A NA-CLTM is a technologist credentialed by ABRET to review long-term EEG and video, analyze and annotate findings, evaluate seizure semiology, and write a preliminary report. The credential supports the physician's interpretation and does not authorize independent medical diagnosis.
Yes. Eligibility requires time as a CLTM technologist, and the 50 reports must be reviewed and reported after you earn CLTM. Pathway I requires two years and Pathway II three years in that role.
Neither. ABRET administers and proctors the examination in person on its announced dates. It is not remote, and it should not be assumed to run through a standard commercial testing vendor.
ABRET has not published the total question count, the scored versus pretest split, or the timer in the retrieved handbook or live pages. Ignore unsupported vendor claims and plan around the four weighted domains instead.
Start with our overview pages on what NA-CLTM is and NA-CLTM training, then use the requirements and exam-domain guides to map your own experience against the credential.