- The Number You Need: 113 of 150
- Why NAPS Calls It 75% and What That Means for You
- What Those 150 Questions Look Like
- Two Hours, 150 Questions: The Pacing Math
- Where the Points Come From: The 10 Preparation Topics
- Fees, Retests and What a Miss Costs You
- Reading the 97% Claim Correctly
- A Domain-Ordered Plan Built Around the Cut Score
- After You Pass: Keeping the Credential Active
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The CTS exam has 150 questions, and NAPS requires 113 correct answers to pass.
- You get 2 hours total, which averages out to under one minute per question.
- Questions are multiple-choice, true/false and case-based multiple-choice, so scenario reading matters.
- Retests cost $150 for members and $300 for nonmembers; initial registration is $300 or $600.
The Number You Need: 113 of 150
If you are searching for the Certified Temporary-Staffing Specialist passing score, the answer is refreshingly concrete. The National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS) administers the examination, and a candidate must answer 113 of 150 questions correctly to pass. That is the figure to build your preparation around.
Many certification exams use scaled scoring, where a raw count is converted to a number on an arbitrary range and the cut point is hidden from candidates. The CTS description from NAPS is simpler: a fixed count of correct answers out of a fixed number of questions. You can walk into the exam knowing exactly how many you can afford to miss, which is 37.
For a broader look at how demanding this threshold is in practice, see our guide on how hard the CTS exam is. This article stays focused on the score itself and how to plan around it.
Why NAPS Calls It 75% and What That Means for You
NAPS describes the 113-correct requirement as 75%. If you are the type to check arithmetic, you will notice that 113 divided by 150 comes to roughly 75.3%, so the published percentage is a rounded description of the count rather than a separate scoring rule. The practical takeaway is that the count is what matters. Do not aim for "about 75%." Aim for a comfortable margin above 113 correct answers.
Here is the cushion in plain terms:
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Total questions | 150 |
| Correct answers required | 113 |
| Maximum misses and still pass | 37 |
| Time allowed | 2 hours |
| Description from NAPS | 75% |
One thing the public materials do not state is whether individual questions carry different weights or whether any questions are unscored. NAPS describes the requirement as a count of correct answers, so the safest planning assumption is that every question matters equally and every answer should be committed to, even when you are unsure. Since the public descriptions only mention correct answers, leaving a question blank is never a better strategy than making your best choice.
What Those 150 Questions Look Like
The CTS examination mixes three question styles: standard multiple-choice, true/false, and case-based multiple-choice. Each style tests the same body of knowledge differently, and the passing score depends on handling all three.
Multiple-choice and true/false
These are the fast items. Multiple-choice questions test whether you can recognize the correct rule or definition among plausible alternatives. True/false items reward precision. In a field like temporary staffing, where legal rules often hinge on a single qualifier, a statement that is almost right is wrong. Train yourself to notice absolute words and conditions in the wording.
Case-based multiple-choice
Case-based items present a situation and ask what should happen. Think of a scenario involving a staffing firm, a client company and a temporary worker, followed by a question about obligations or risk. These take longer to read, and they are where applied understanding separates candidates who memorized terms from those who can use them. The case style also tends to blend topics, so a single scenario might touch on screening practices and discrimination law at the same time.
Because the exam is built around the legal and operational realities of the temporary-services business, strong performance comes from understanding why a rule exists, not just reciting it. Our CTS study guide walks through how to build that kind of understanding.
Two Hours, 150 Questions: The Pacing Math
The exam gives you 2 hours for 150 questions. That is 120 minutes divided by 150 items, or 48 seconds per question on average. The pace sounds tight, but the mix of formats helps: true/false and straightforward multiple-choice items can be answered quickly, which banks time for the longer case-based questions.
A sensible approach is to move briskly through the definitional and true/false items, spend your reading time on the case-based questions, and reserve the last stretch for revisiting anything you flagged. If you are taking the exam online through the NAPS Certification Center, confirm how navigation and flagging work in the interface before exam day. If you attend an optional Certification Immersion Class and test on paper, the same logic applies, only with a pencil.
Where the Points Come From: The 10 Preparation Topics
NAPS does not publish a weighted exam blueprint for the CTS. The public materials list preparation topics, and this site groups them into ten headings. These are unweighted curriculum topics rather than an official statement of how many questions each area contributes, so treat them as a checklist of subjects to master rather than a point allocation. For a deeper tour of each area, read our complete guide to the CTS exam domains.
Because you need 113 correct answers across the whole exam and no weighting is published, the sensible goal is breadth: no topic should be a blind spot. A candidate who is excellent in six areas and weak in four will struggle to reach 113, because the weak topics will cost several answers each.
Laws of Discrimination
Foundational to temporary staffing, where firms constantly make decisions about who to recruit, screen and place.
- Know which protected characteristics anti-discrimination law covers
- Practice applying rules to hiring and assignment scenarios, not just naming them
Application and Interview Practices
What a staffing firm may and may not ask, record and consider during intake.
- Distinguish lawful job-related inquiries from risky ones
- Expect case questions built around interview conversations
Contracts
The agreements that structure the relationship among the staffing firm, its clients and its temporary workers.
- Understand what each party is promising and where liability sits
- Watch for scenarios testing what a contract does and does not control
Employer/Employment Definitions
Who counts as an employer and what counts as employment, a question that sits at the heart of the three-party staffing model.
- Be precise with definitions; true/false items punish near-misses
Screening and Selection of Temporary Workers
How firms evaluate candidates and decide who gets placed.
- Link screening methods to the legal limits covered in the discrimination and ADA topics
Laws Unique to Temporary Services Work
Rules that apply specifically because of how temporary staffing is structured.
- Learn the staffing-specific rules, since general HR knowledge will not cover them
Family Leave
Obligations tied to leave for family and medical reasons and how they intersect with temporary assignments.
- Focus on how leave rules apply in a staffing context
ADA
Disability-related obligations in hiring and employment.
- Connect ADA concepts to application, screening and accommodation scenarios
Drug Testing
When and how testing may be used in temporary staffing.
- Understand the practical and legal considerations around testing programs
Joint Employer
The concept that more than one entity may bear employer responsibilities for the same worker.
- Expect case-based questions involving staffing firm and client company responsibilities
Notice how much these topics overlap. A single case question about a candidate with a medical condition could draw on screening, the ADA, application practices and joint employer responsibility at once. That overlap is good news for your score: mastering the connections lets one body of knowledge earn points across several question types.
Fees, Retests and What a Miss Costs You
Knowing the passing score is only half of the planning equation. The other half is understanding what a failed attempt costs, because that shapes how long you should prepare before sitting the exam.
| Item | NAPS Member | Nonmember |
|---|---|---|
| Registration (includes legal manual, examination and certificate) | $300 | $600 |
| Retest | $150 | $300 |
A retest costs half the initial registration price in both categories. That is not trivial, but it is far less painful than paying full price again. It also means the financial case for readiness is straightforward: the cheaper path is to pass on the first attempt. For the full financial picture, including renewal, see our CTS certification cost breakdown.
Key Takeaway
Because registration includes the legal manual, you already own your primary study resource once you register. Use the manual early, not as a last-minute skim, and treat the retest fee as a reason to wait until your practice scores clear 113-equivalent with room to spare.
Also note that NAPS membership is not required to sit for the exam. Nonmembers simply pay the higher fees. Candidates must accept NAPS ethical standards and program rules. On eligibility, the public pages are not perfectly aligned: the current CTS page extends access to HR professionals and hiring managers, while the Certification Program Rules page retains a requirement to be a currently employed, full-time owner, partner, manager or employee in the temporary-service business. Before you register, confirm your own eligibility directly with NAPS, and review our overview of CTS requirements for the details.
Reading the 97% Claim Correctly
NAPS advertises a 97% pass rate for participants in its Certification Immersion Classes, covering both the CPC and CTS credentials. It is tempting to read that as "97% of people pass the CTS." That reading is wrong, and it matters for how you judge your own risk.
- The figure applies to immersion participants, a self-selected group that chose to attend a structured class.
- It is a combined figure across two credentials, not a CTS-only rate.
- It is not an overall CTS pass rate for all candidates, including those who test online without attending a class.
The accurate takeaway is that structured preparation appears to be associated with strong outcomes for that cohort, but you should not treat 97% as your personal odds. For a fuller discussion of what pass data does and does not tell you, see our article on the CTS pass rate.
A Domain-Ordered Plan Built Around the Cut Score
Since 113 correct answers requires breadth, the plan below sequences the ten topics so that the most interlocking material comes first, giving later weeks something to build on. Adjust the pacing to your own schedule; the order is the point.
Definitions and Foundations
- Employer/employment definitions and contracts, since nearly every other topic assumes you understand the three-party staffing relationship
- Read the corresponding sections of the legal manual that came with registration
Discrimination, Interviews and Screening
- Laws of discrimination first, then application and interview practices, then screening and selection of temporary workers
- Work through scenarios where one hiring decision touches all three
Protected Situations
- ADA, family leave and drug testing, which each add conditions to the screening and employment practices from Week 2
- Practice spotting which law a scenario is really testing
Staffing-Specific Rules and Joint Employer
- Laws unique to temporary services work and joint employer responsibility, saved for last because they synthesize earlier material
- Finish with full-length timed practice at 150 questions in 2 hours
The reason joint employer and staffing-specific laws come last is that case-based questions on those topics often require you to combine definitions, contract terms and legal obligations in one answer. If you can handle those, you are likely close to the 113 line. When you are ready to test yourself under realistic conditions, our CTS practice tests mirror the question styles described above, and the CTS cheat sheet is useful for last-day review.
After You Pass: Keeping the Credential Active
Clearing 113 is not the end of the obligations. The CTS is maintained through continuing education: 20 contact hours (2.0 CEUs) annually, including 17 hours of NAPS-approved content. There is also an annual renewal fee of $35 for individuals at member firms or $50 for nonmembers, due on the examination anniversary.
The manual and examination are updated annually, and the public descriptions do not identify a specific current manual edition. That means you should rely on the materials you receive at registration rather than older copies or secondhand notes, since the legal landscape the exam covers does shift.
If you are weighing whether the effort and ongoing maintenance are worthwhile, our analysis of whether the CTS certification is worth it lays out the trade-offs, and you can explore CTS jobs to see where the credential is relevant in the temporary-staffing industry.
Frequently Asked Questions
NAPS requires 113 correct answers out of 150 questions. NAPS describes this threshold as 75%. That means you can miss up to 37 questions and still pass.
The examination allows 2 hours for all 150 questions. Averaged out, that is 48 seconds per question, so pacing matters, particularly for the longer case-based items.
You can retest. The retest fee is $150 for NAPS members and $300 for nonmembers, compared with initial registration fees of $300 and $600 respectively.
No. The 97% figure applies to participants in NAPS Certification Immersion Classes across both the CPC and CTS credentials. It is not an overall pass rate for all CTS candidates.
NAPS does not publish a weighted blueprint for the CTS. The ten preparation topics are unweighted, so the safest strategy is to build competence across all of them rather than betting on a few.