The 8 Areas of Responsibility: What NCHEC Expects You to Know

Every question on the CHES and MCHES exams traces back to a single framework: the Eight Areas of Responsibility for Health Education Specialists. Developed and maintained by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC), this framework defines the full scope of what a competent health education specialist should know and be able to do in professional practice.

Understanding these areas is not just an academic exercise. They are the blueprint for the exam, the organizing structure for your study plan, and a practical guide for how the profession defines its own standards. Whether you are preparing for the CHES exam or the MCHES credential, this framework is your starting point.

What Are the Areas of Responsibility?

The Areas of Responsibility represent the core functions of health education practice. They were originally developed through a role delineation study, a research process that surveyed practicing health educators to identify the knowledge, skills, and abilities essential to the profession. NCHEC periodically updates this framework through the Health Education Specialist Practice Analysis (HESPA) to ensure it reflects current practice.

Each area contains multiple competencies, and each competency includes specific sub-competencies that describe measurable tasks. The CHES exam tests entry-level sub-competencies, while the MCHES exam adds advanced-level sub-competencies on top of those same areas.

Area-by-Area Overview

Area I: Assessment of Needs and Capacity

This area focuses on determining the health needs, assets, and capacity of individuals and communities. It includes gathering primary and secondary data, engaging stakeholders in the assessment process, and analyzing findings to identify priority health issues. Assessment is the foundation of all program work because effective interventions depend on understanding the population you serve.

For a detailed breakdown, see Area I: Assessing Needs, Resources, and Capacity.

Area II: Planning Health Education and Promotion

Planning translates assessment findings into actionable program designs. This area covers setting goals and objectives, selecting evidence-based strategies, applying relevant theories and models, and developing implementation timelines. Strong planning skills ensure that programs are grounded in data and theory rather than assumptions.

Explore the details in Area II: Planning Health Education.

Area III: Implementing Health Education and Promotion

Implementation is where plans become action. This area addresses the delivery of health education interventions, including managing logistics, training staff, adapting strategies to meet emerging needs, and monitoring implementation fidelity. It also covers the practical skills needed to facilitate learning experiences across diverse audiences and settings.

Read more in Area III: Implementing Health Education.

Area IV: Evaluation and Research

This area covers designing and conducting evaluations to assess program effectiveness, as well as interpreting and applying research findings to inform practice. Competencies include selecting appropriate evaluation designs, developing data collection instruments, analyzing quantitative and qualitative data, and reporting findings to stakeholders. This area connects practice to evidence.

Learn more in Area IV: Evaluation and Research.

Area V: Administration and Management

Health education specialists often manage programs, budgets, personnel, and organizational processes. Area V addresses the administrative competencies required to lead health education initiatives, including securing funding, managing resources, facilitating collaboration among partners, and ensuring compliance with organizational and regulatory requirements.

See the full guide at Area V: Administration and Management.

Area VI: Serving as a Health Education Resource Person

This area focuses on the role of the health education specialist as a source of accurate, evidence-based health information. Competencies include responding to requests for health information, tailoring content for specific audiences, consulting with stakeholders, and establishing information dissemination systems. Being an effective resource person requires both subject matter knowledge and communication skill.

Explore the details in Area VI: Serving as a Resource Person.

Area VII: Communicating, Promoting, and Advocating for Health and the Profession

Communication and advocacy are central to the practice of health education. This area covers developing health communication strategies, using media and technology to reach audiences, advocating for policies that support health, and promoting the profession itself. It also addresses skills in health literacy, social marketing, and coalition building.

Read more in Area VII: Communication and Advocacy.

Area VIII: Ethics and Professionalism

The final area addresses the ethical principles and professional responsibilities that guide health education practice. Competencies include applying ethical standards in decision-making, maintaining professional competence through continuing education, and contributing to the advancement of the profession. This area emphasizes the values that underpin all other areas of practice.

See the full guide at Area VIII: Ethics and Professionalism.

Pro Tip: Do not study the eight areas in isolation. In practice and on the exam, they overlap. A scenario-based question might require you to integrate assessment findings (Area I) into a program plan (Area II) while considering ethical constraints (Area VIII). Practice connecting concepts across areas.

How the Areas Map to the Exam

The CHES and MCHES exams do not weight all eight areas equally. Some areas carry a larger share of the exam's 150 scored questions, which means your study plan should reflect that distribution.

While NCHEC publishes the exact percentage breakdown for each testing cycle, the general pattern is consistent:

• Assessment (Area I) and Planning (Area II) together typically account for a significant portion of the exam, reflecting their foundational importance to practice.
• Evaluation and Research (Area IV) also carries substantial weight, consistent with the profession's emphasis on evidence-based practice.
• Ethics and Professionalism (Area VIII) tends to carry a smaller share of total questions but appears frequently in scenario-based items that test judgment and professional decision-making.
• The remaining areas fall somewhere in between, with their weightings reflecting their relative importance in day-to-day practice.

For MCHES candidates, the distribution shifts to reflect advanced-level competencies. The advanced sub-competencies in areas like administration, advocacy, and evaluation receive additional emphasis.

Pro Tip: Download the most current competency framework and exam content outline from the NCHEC website before you build your study plan. The percentage weights can shift slightly between exam cycles, and studying from the current outline ensures your preparation aligns with the actual test.

Using the Areas to Guide Your Study Plan

The Areas of Responsibility are more than exam content categories. They are a roadmap for organizing your preparation. Here is how to use them effectively:

Start with a self-assessment. Rate your confidence in each area on a simple scale. This helps you identify where to invest the most time rather than studying everything with equal intensity.

Align your study time with exam weights. Spend proportionally more time on the areas that carry greater weight on the exam. If Assessment and Planning together represent a large fraction of the test, they deserve a corresponding share of your study schedule.

Practice application, not just recall. The exam tests your ability to apply competencies in realistic situations. For each area, practice working through scenarios that require you to make decisions, not just recite definitions.

Connect theory to practice. Many competencies reference health behavior theories, program planning models, and evaluation frameworks. Make sure you understand how these tools apply within each area rather than memorizing them as standalone concepts.

Review sub-competencies at the task level. Each area's sub-competencies describe specific tasks. Use them as a checklist: can you describe what each task involves and how you would perform it in a professional setting?

Building your study plan around the Areas of Responsibility gives your preparation structure and purpose. It ensures you cover the full scope of the exam while focusing your energy where it matters most.

This content is not affiliated with or endorsed by NCHEC. CHES and MCHES are registered trademarks of NCHEC.