CHA Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify

What the CHA Is and Who Must Meet Its Requirements

The Crossover Hiring Assessment (CHA) is the cognitive-aptitude screening stage that Crossover uses to evaluate candidates applying to its remote roles. Rather than a licensing exam tied to a professional board, the CHA is built around Criteria's Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT) - a standardized, timed measure of reasoning ability. If you're applying for a Crossover-affiliated position, meeting the CHA's requirements is a mandatory checkpoint before your application can move forward, regardless of the role's seniority or department.

Because the acronym "CHA" is shared by several unrelated credentials in other industries, it's worth being explicit: this article covers only the Crossover Hiring Assessment requirements - the CCAT-based screening and its live-proctored follow-up. If you landed here wanting the bigger picture first, our What Is CHA? and CHA Meaning explainers lay out the full context before you dive into eligibility specifics.

Baseline Eligibility: Degrees, Experience, and Background Checks

Unlike certifications that require a specific degree, a minimum number of years in a field, or sponsorship from a supervisor, the CHA does not impose formal academic or professional prerequisites. There is no transcript to submit and no proof of prior employment required simply to sit for the assessment. Eligibility is functionally tied to being an active candidate in Crossover's application process - once you're invited to test, you're eligible.

That said, "no formal prerequisite" doesn't mean "no preparation needed." Because the assessment measures raw reasoning speed and accuracy rather than job knowledge, candidates without recent practice on timed, multiple-choice reasoning tests often underperform relative to their actual ability. This is why understanding the exam's structure in advance - covered in depth in our CHA Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 3 Content Areas - functions as the real prerequisite, even if it isn't formally required.

The Core Requirement: Passing the CCAT Stage

The heart of the CHA requirement is straightforward: complete the CCAT and meet the threshold set for the role you're pursuing. The assessment itself has a fixed, well-defined format:

• 50 multiple-choice questions total
• 15 minutes to complete the entire test
• Delivered as a free online assessment - no exam fee to sit for the initial screening
• Covers three fixed content areas: verbal reasoning, math and logic, and spatial reasoning
• No penalty for wrong answers, meaning guessing on unanswered questions is always better than leaving them blank
• Calculators are prohibited, but pen and paper are allowed for working through math and logic items

Because candidates typically answer far fewer than all 50 questions correctly in 15 minutes, pacing is arguably the single most important "requirement" that isn't written down anywhere explicitly. If you're trying to gauge whether your baseline pace and accuracy are competitive, our How Hard Is the CHA Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 breaks down what makes the timing so unforgiving.

Domain-by-Domain Requirements

To meet the CHA's requirements, you need working competence across all three tested domains - a strong result in one area does not offset a weak one, since the 50 questions are distributed across all three. Here's what each domain actually demands.

Because time is split across all three areas, many candidates find it useful to diagnose which domain slows them down most before test day. Our CHA Exam Domains 2026 guide walks through sample question types and pacing strategy for each of the three areas in more detail.

Score Thresholds You Need to Qualify

Crossover sets thresholds on a role-by-role basis rather than applying one universal passing score to every position. That said, there are useful benchmarks to calibrate your expectations:

Note that thresholds vary by the specific role and team you're being screened for, so 35/50 should be treated as a common reference point rather than a guaranteed cutoff. For a deeper breakdown of how these numbers apply across different Crossover roles, see CHA Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass and our companion analysis in CHA Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows.

The Live-Proctored PCCAT Requirement for Finalists

Passing the initial CCAT is not the final requirement for finalist candidates. Crossover requires finalists to repeat the same 50-question test format under live-proctored conditions, known as the PCCAT. This stage exists to confirm that your initial score reflects your own, unaided performance. The proctored requirement includes:

• A valid government-issued ID for identity verification
• A functioning computer webcam pointed at your face throughout the test
• A second camera device positioned to capture your hands, desk, and surroundings
• A live workspace scan before the test begins, confirming no unauthorized materials or people are present

Because the PCCAT mirrors the original CCAT's format and difficulty exactly, the same domain knowledge and pacing strategy apply - there's no separate content to learn, only a stricter testing environment to prepare for logistically. Make sure your webcam, secondary device, and internet connection are tested well ahead of time to avoid disqualification for technical reasons unrelated to your actual ability.

Registration Mechanics and Retake Rules

Meeting the CHA's requirements also means understanding the process mechanics, not just the content. Key rules to know:

• The initial CCAT is a free online assessment - there's no upfront exam fee to attempt it as part of the Crossover hiring flow.
• A passing score is valid for six months from the date you take it.
• If you don't meet the required threshold, you must wait six months before you're eligible to retake it.
• Finalists move to the proctored PCCAT stage only after clearing the initial score threshold.

The six-month retake wait makes first-attempt preparation far more consequential than it might seem for a "free" screening test. For candidates weighing how much time and effort to invest given this wait period, our Is the CHA Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and CHA Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown articles cover the broader cost-benefit picture, while CHA Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling covers scheduling specifics.

Approved Preparation Requirements

One requirement that's easy to overlook: how you prepare matters. Crossover officially endorses only its own official guide and 12minprep as an approved third-party resource. This site, CHA Exam Prep, is not affiliated with Crossover, Criteria, or 12minprep, and it does not reproduce live CCAT or PCCAT questions. Our goal is to help you understand the format, domains, and pacing demands so you walk in prepared - not to claim official endorsement or provide leaked content.

If you want to practice the reasoning skills each domain demands under realistic time pressure, our practice test platform offers timed exercises modeled on the CCAT's structure, alongside our detailed CHA Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt for a full first-attempt strategy.

A Realistic Timeline to Meet Every Requirement

Since the CCAT is short but unforgiving on time, most candidates benefit from a compressed, focused prep window rather than months of open-ended study. Here's a structure that maps directly onto the exam's three domains:

This timeline is deliberately short because the CCAT rewards sharp, timed reasoning more than accumulated knowledge - over-studying content rarely helps as much as building speed and comfort with the format. For a more granular breakdown of what to review in each domain, revisit the CHA Exam Domains 2026 guide alongside your practice runs on our practice platform.

Frequently Asked Questions