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ODS Exam Prep Activities

NCRA offers candidates several online educational tools to prepare for the ODS Exam, including an online practice test (currently being updated for the 2025 exam) and the Online ODS Prep Archived Workshop sessions. There are also several publications available to assist in preparing for the exam, including the NCRA Study Guide for the ODS Exam, 2025 Edition and the Cancer Registry Management: Principles and Practices for Hospitals and Central Registries, Fourth Edition textbook.

To learn more about the exam, including upcoming testing dates, locations, eligibility requirements, and resources, click on the fact sheet below and visit the ODS Exam Website.

Note: NCRA makes no claims that by using any of its study tools, a candidate will pass the examination.

Special Note: NCRA has changed the name of its credential. Oncology Data Specialist (ODS) is the new name for the Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR) credential. Please note that any reference to the Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR) credential should be understood to be the Oncology Data Specialist (ODS) credential. For more information regarding the name change see the ODS Name Change.

SPECIAL NOTE: Registration for all NCRA learning activities is per-person only. It entitles only the paid registrant to view and participate. For details, see NCRA's Registration Policy.

2025 ODS Exam Online Practice Test

The online ODS Exam Practice Test was created to assist individuals in studying for the ODS Exam. It is an assessment tool to aid individuals in gauging their understanding of the different content areas. The questions are organized by the Domains of Competencies as identified by the Council on Certification. Two options are offered - one time access and unlimited use for 60 days. Once purchased, the practice test will automatically load into your Enrollments on the My Learning Activities page.

  • One Time Access - provides participants 30 days to complete each section of the test one time and view their results. 
  • Unlimited Use for 60 Days - provides participants up to 60 days to complete each section of the test multiple times.

For more detailed information, click on the titles below.

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ODS Exam Online Practice Test (One Time Access)

How much do you know? Use NCRA's Online ODS Exam Practice Test to assess your knowledge and understanding of the content areas for the 2025 exam.
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ODS Exam Online Practice Test (60 Days-Unlimited Access)

How much do you know? Use NCRA's Online ODS Exam Practice Test to assess your knowledge and understanding of the content areas for the 2025 exam.

2025 ODS Exam Prep Archived Webinar Sessions

These 90-minute archived sessions were presented in January/February 2025. They are designed to prepare candidates for the 2025 ODS Exam. Developed and facilitated by a team of experienced ODS-credentialled educators and allied-health professionals, the sessions provide a review of all aspects of the exam’s core competencies. 

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Part I: Casefinding and Solid Tumor Rules (STR)

Review casefinding guidelines and methods and discuss the Solid Tumor Rules, general instructions, equivalent terms and definitions, multiple primary rules, and histology rules.
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Part II: Abstracting & Coding I

Review the STORE Manual and assigning site-specific surgery codes.
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Part III: Abstracting & Coding II

Review of staging systems and their use (TNM, Summary Stage), diagnostic and staging procedures, and prognostic indicators.
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Part IV: Abstracting & Coding III

Review of standard of care treatment guidelines, STORE radiation instructions, first-course treatment vs. subsequent treatment, coding first-course surgical treatment, and systemic therapies.
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Part V: Follow-Up, Registry Organization, and Operations

Review the functions of hospital and central registry registries, follow-up principles and processes, confidentiality, legal requirements, and HIPAA regulations.
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Part VI: Data Usage, Analysis and Quality Assurance

Review the fundamentals of statistics, statistical validity, survival analysis principles, database management, epidemiology principles, quality control plan elements, and quality assurance techniques.
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Part VII: Cancer Program Accreditations

The faculty will review the Commission on Cancer (CoC) program accreditation and the standards. They will also address the role of the Cancer Committee and the Cancer Conference.

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