CCEP Practice Test

The CCEP (Certified Chiropractic Extremity Practitioner) is awarded through the Council on Extremity Adjusting after a series of in-person seminars and a final practical exam. This page gives candidates free practice sets by topic, worked example questions with explanations, a study plan, and a plain summary of the verified seminar, scoring and timing rules.

CCEP Exam at a Glance

What the CCEP is and how it works

According to Council on Extremity Adjusting, “The CCEP consists of seven 15 hour seminars plus an exam.”^[1]

The CCEP is a certification run through the Council on Extremity Adjusting and taught in person at host schools. It consists of 7 seminars of 15 hours each, and every seminar ends with a written exam on that material.

Seminars run over a weekend: Saturday from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM with a lunch break, and Sunday from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM. To sit for the final practical exam you must complete all 7 seminars with an overall average of 75% across the written exams. The practical exam is held on site.

The practical exam is offered after each module. You may take it toward the end of any module at any time within 5 years of your first course. If you are seeking certification, all 7 modules must be finished within 5 years. Registration for the final practical needs to be confirmed and paid ($200) with the CEA one month before your final class.

We could not verify retake rules, the detailed format of the practical exam, or which seminar dates and locations are currently scheduled. These may vary by host school, so confirm them with the Council on Extremity Adjusting and your host school before you book. This page is practice material written with AI tools. It is not the official exam, and the questions here are not real exam questions.

Worked examples: how to reason through CCEP questions

These are practice questions written for this site, not questions from the real exam. Each explanation shows why the right answer is right and why the others are wrong.

Example 1

Question: Which clinical test is primarily used to detect a SLAP lesion of the shoulder?

1. Speed's test
2. O'Brien's active compression test
3. Neer's impingement test
4. Hawkins-Kennedy test

Answer: B. O'Brien's active compression test

Explanation:

O'Brien's active compression test is the correct answer because it is built to provoke a SLAP lesion: the examiner compresses the superior labrum with resisted adduction and compares pain in internal versus external rotation. Speed's test mainly stresses the biceps tendon, so it is not specific to the labrum. Neer's test and the Hawkins-Kennedy test are impingement tests, which look at subacromial structures rather than the labrum. Rule to remember: match the test to the structure it loads. Impingement tests point to the subacromial space, Speed's points to the biceps, and O'Brien's points to the superior labrum.

Example 2

Question: Which maneuver differentiates a glenohumeral posterior capsule restriction from a rotator cuff tear before adjustment?

1. Drop arm test
2. Posterior capsular stretch (sleeper stretch) pain reproduction
3. Speed's test
4. Hawkins-Kennedy impingement test

Answer: A. Drop arm test

Explanation:

The drop arm test is the keyed answer because it screens for a rotator cuff (supraspinatus) tear. A positive result matters before adjusting, since a cuff tear is a contraindication to high-velocity glenohumeral adjustment, and it helps separate a tear from a simple capsular restriction. The sleeper stretch is a way to reproduce posterior capsule tightness, so it points to the capsule rather than the cuff. Speed's test loads the biceps tendon, and Hawkins-Kennedy tests for impingement. The wording of this question is loose, so read the explanation, not just the key. Rule to remember: rule out a structural tear before choosing a thrust technique.

Example 3

Question: Which professional attribute is most valued in soft tissue techniques within the CCEP field?

1. Working in isolation
2. Accountability and commitment to standards
3. Avoiding challenging situations
4. Prioritizing personal convenience

Answer: B. Accountability and commitment to standards

Explanation:

Accountability and commitment to standards is correct because consistent, safe soft tissue work depends on a practitioner who owns their decisions and follows accepted practice. Working in isolation is wrong because it cuts you off from feedback, referral and shared standards. Avoiding challenging situations is wrong because difficult cases are where careful judgment is needed most. Prioritizing personal convenience is wrong because it puts the practitioner's comfort ahead of the patient's care. Rule to remember: on professional-attribute questions, choose the option that protects the patient and the quality of care, and reject answers built around avoidance or convenience.

How to use these practice tests

Start with the official material from the Council on Extremity Adjusting and your host school, because the seminar exams and the practical are set there. Use our practice sets to find weak spots, not to predict questions.

1. Take the main CCEP practice test cold and note which topics feel slow.
2. Work through the topic sets that match your upcoming seminar, for example Orthopedic Testing, Extremity Anatomy or Joint Mobilization.
3. After each wrong answer, read the explanation and write the general rule in your own words.
4. Before each seminar exam, rework the sets for that seminar. Because the overall average is what qualifies you for the practical, no single seminar is a safe one to skip.
5. Before the practical, review Patient Management and Clinical Decision Making, and practise the hands-on techniques in class, since practice questions cannot replace that.

Sources & last verified

1. ce.lifewest.edu — number of questions, passing score, validity, eligibility (official source). “The CCEP consists of seven 15 hour seminars plus an exam.” Verified Oct 22, 2026 · source checked Oct 22, 2026.
2. Council on Extremity Adjusting — delivery, registration deadline (official source). “All weekend seminars start on Saturday from 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM (with a one-hour lunch break), and go through Sunday from 8:00 AM -…” Verified Oct 24, 2026 · source checked Oct 24, 2026.

How we verify: editorial & fact-checking policy. Report an error: contact us.