Old names and new names
| Before 2023 | Now |
|---|---|
| North American Menopause Society (NAMS) | The Menopause Society |
| NCMP: NAMS Certified Menopause Practitioner | MSCP: Menopause Society Certified Practitioner |
| "The NAMS exam", "the NCMP exam", "the NAMS menopause certification exam" | The MSCP competency examination |
| menopause.org | menopause.org (unchanged) |
If you hold the NCMP credential, it now goes by MSCP. And if you've been looking for the NAMS exam, the MSCP exam is the one you'll apply for.
What hasn't changed
The new name didn't change the exam itself. It's still 100 multiple-choice questions, each with three options and one best answer, taken in two hours. It still covers the same five domains: physiology, symptoms, health disorders in midlife, treatment, and preventive care and counseling. The full content outline lists every sub-topic.
The exam is still open to any licensed healthcare professional, including physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, midwives and pharmacists. The credential still lasts three years, and you can renew it by re-examination or continuing education.
What has changed: the guidance behind the answers
The exam tests current practice, and several things that candidates learned in the NAMS era are now out of date or incomplete.
- Hormone therapy. The Society's 2022 hormone therapy position statement replaced the 2017 version. It's now the reference point for questions about who can start hormone therapy, when, and for how long.
- Nonhormone treatment of hot flashes. The 2023 nonhormone therapy position statement revised which options are recommended. It recommends against many supplements and some older drugs. It added fezolinetant, a neurokinin 3 receptor antagonist approved in 2023 that has since gained a boxed warning for liver injury. Elinzanetant, a dual neurokinin 1 and 3 receptor antagonist, was approved in 2025.
- Primary ovarian insufficiency. The 2024 international guideline accepts a single FSH above 25 IU/L alongside the menstrual criteria. Older sources required two measurements.
- Screening and vaccines. Under the 2024 USPSTF recommendation, breast cancer screening now starts at 40, and adult RSV and pneumococcal vaccine recommendations have changed too. Preventive care makes up nearly a fifth of the exam, so these updates matter.
How to prepare for the MSCP exam today
A simple way to start:
- Plan around the exam's weights. The MSCP exam prep guide shows where the questions come from and how to pace your preparation.
- Practice in the real format. Start with the free MSCP practice questions, then move on to a full MSCP question bank written to current guidance.
- Review the current guidance in one place. The High-Yield Study Guide included with Menopause QBank condenses the most-tested material by domain, including the updates above, and points out where newer guidelines differ from the textbook.
1,300+ questions weighted to the MSCP content outline
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Menopause QBank is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by The Menopause Society. "MSCP" and "The Menopause Society" are marks of their owner.