SDS exam guide
About the Sleep Disorders Specialty (SDS) exam
The NBRC Sleep Disorders Specialty examination spans the complete sleep-testing and therapy workflow: clinical intake, montage and sensor setup, overnight acquisition and intervention, scoring and analysis, laboratory operations, individualized treatment, education, adherence, and follow-up. Strong preparation combines physiologic recognition with technical accuracy and patient-centered problem solving.
MedPorium is an independent education platform and is not affiliated with or endorsed by National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC). Exam details can change; confirm them with the official source before applying.
SDS exam format at a glance
- Questions
- 180
- 160 scored; 20 unscored
- Time
- 4 hours
- Delivery
- Computer-based testing at PSI assessment centers
Knowledge to review for the SDS exam
These foundations support the practical tasks in the official examination matrix.
Clinical intake and recording preparation
- Sleep symptoms, medical and medication history, comorbidities, risk, culture, language, disability, informed consent, study selection, orders, and patient explanation
- PSG, HSAT, MSLT, MWT, actigraphy, oximetry, diagnostic and therapeutic studies, montage selection, calibrations, audiovisual confirmation, and equipment readiness
- EEG, EOG, chin and leg EMG, airflow, effort, snoring, position, ECG, SpO2, exhaled and transcutaneous CO2, impedance, signal quality, and physiologic calibrations
Acquisition, scoring, and analysis
- Artifact recognition and correction, event recognition, PAP and oxygen initiation and optimization, oral appliances, positioning, coaching, emergencies, documentation, and post-study procedures
- Adult and pediatric staging, arousals, apnea, hypopnea, RERA, periodic breathing, hypoventilation, limb movements, rhythms, EEG changes, seizures, parasomnias, and HSAT validation
- Latency, efficiency, recording and sleep time, stage percentages, indices, oxygen and CO2 statistics, treatment tolerance, technical issues, adverse events, and objective reporting
Treatment and laboratory quality
- Patient and caregiver needs, barriers, interfaces, equipment, prescriptions, education, comprehension, behavior change, comorbidity, and individualized treatment planning
- PAP downloads, mask fit, oximetry, repeat HSAT, actigraphy, adherence, efficacy, outcomes, communication, and treatment-plan revision
- Confidentiality, secure archiving, equipment troubleshooting and processing, inventory, safety, patient satisfaction, quality improvement, and inter-scorer reliability
SDS examination matrix
The percentages below are the approximate exam-score weights published by National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC). Use them to allocate study time, then adjust for your own weak areas.
18.1%
PRE-TESTING
Assess sleep-disorder risk, select and prepare the appropriate study, review orders and records, explain the procedure, and apply the complete sensor montage.
- Identify symptoms, risk, comorbidities, medications, patient needs, and the appropriate PSG, HSAT, MSLT, MWT, actigraphy, oximetry, or therapeutic approach
- Review orders and critical records, recommend modifications when appropriate, obtain consent, and explain testing and possible interventions
- Select, apply, calibrate, test, and document EEG, EOG, EMG, ECG, airflow, effort, oximetry, position, snoring, and CO2 channels
23.1%
SLEEP DISORDERS TESTING
Maintain technically valid recordings, recognize clinical events, initiate and optimize therapy, respond to emergencies, and document the study accurately.
- Recognize and correct inadequate signals and artifacts while preserving traceability
- Identify sleep, respiratory, cardiac, neurologic, pulmonary, and other abnormalities and respond safely to emergencies
- Initiate and optimize PAP, advanced noninvasive support, oxygen, oral appliances, and positioning and complete event, intervention, and post-study documentation
33.1%
STUDY ANALYSIS
The largest area covers sleep staging, event scoring, HSAT validation, statistics, indices, physiologic abnormalities, technical summaries, and written reporting.
- Score adult and pediatric stages, arousals, respiratory events, limb movements, rhythms, EEG findings, seizures, parasomnias, hypoventilation, and periodic breathing
- Validate HSAT data and evaluate respiratory, oximetry, rhythm, and artifact information
- Calculate and verify latency, efficiency, time, stages, MSLT or MWT measures, event and desaturation indices, oxygen and CO2 statistics, and objective reports
5%
ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS
Maintain secure records, reliable equipment, inventory, safety procedures, patient-satisfaction improvement, and scoring quality.
- Store and archive patient information securely and protect confidentiality
- Correct acquisition and equipment problems and perform processing, inventory, and biomedical quality control
- Implement safety, patient-satisfaction, quality-improvement, and inter-scorer reliability processes
20.7%
TREATMENT PLAN
Assess barriers, individualize therapy and education, evaluate adherence and efficacy, document outcomes, and recommend evidence-based plan revisions.
- Assess patient and caregiver needs, culture, disability, insurance, education, equipment, interface, and other barriers
- Develop and communicate individualized behavioral, equipment, education, comorbidity, and prescription-support strategies
- Interpret PAP downloads and follow-up tests, evaluate comprehension and outcomes, and recommend treatment-plan revision
How to use this SDS diagnostic
The 15 questions sample all five September 2023 areas. For every miss, identify the stage of work—pre-test, acquisition, analysis, administration, or treatment—and whether the underlying gap was clinical selection, sensor or signal quality, intervention, safety, scoring rules, calculations, reporting, education, adherence, or follow-up.
High-yield SDS study priorities
Priority 1
Give analysis one-third of study time
Practise staging, event definitions, indices, time and latency calculations, oximetry and CO2 statistics, HSAT validity, artifacts, and concise objective reporting.
Priority 2
Trace every channel from patient to report
For each signal, know placement, calibration, expected waveform, artifact, correction, physiologic meaning, scoring consequence, and documentation.
Priority 3
Use intervention thresholds safely
Rehearse when and how to initiate or optimize PAP, advanced support, oxygen, oral appliances, positioning, and emergency response under the order and protocol.
Priority 4
Treat adherence as a diagnostic problem
Use download data, symptoms, mask fit, leak, pressure, comfort, beliefs, literacy, insurance, comorbidity, and caregiver context to select the next intervention.
SDS exam FAQ
How many questions are on the SDS examination?
The current SDS examination contains 180 multiple-choice questions: 160 scored items and 20 unscored pretest items.
How long is the SDS examination?
Candidates currently have 4 hours to complete the examination.
Which SDS outline does this guide use?
This guide follows the NBRC detailed content outline effective September 2023. Its scored weighting is approximately PRE-TESTING 18.1%, SLEEP DISORDERS TESTING 23.1%, STUDY ANALYSIS 33.1%, ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS 5%, TREATMENT PLAN 20.7%.
What is the largest SDS content area?
STUDY ANALYSIS is the largest area at approximately 33.1% of scored content. Use that weighting to allocate study time without neglecting the remaining domains.
Who should verify eligibility for SDS?
Candidates should verify the current credential, education, experience, application, and testing requirements directly with NBRC before applying. This study page does not determine eligibility.
Does this diagnostic predict whether I will pass?
No. A 15-question diagnostic is a low-confidence baseline, not a validated pass prediction. Review every rationale and confirm patterns with larger mixed and domain-specific sets.
Is MedPorium affiliated with NBRC?
No. MedPorium is an independent education platform and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Board for Respiratory Care.
Review and official source
Clinical reviewer: A. J. Grace
Exam format and matrix information were checked against the NBRC SDS examination page and detailed content outline. Source reviewed October 16, 2026.
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