CCRN (Adult) Certification Examination
The adult CCRN is a 3-hour exam of 150 multiple-choice items, of which 125 are scored and 25 are unscored pretest items. Eighty percent of the exam is Clinical Judgment, split across five body-system categories, and twenty percent is Professional Caring and Ethical Practice drawn from the AACN Synergy Model. AACN sets the passing point by criterion-referenced standard setting, so there is no published raw cut score.
Content outline and weights
Passing: AACN sets the passing point by a criterion-referenced standard-setting process; there is no published raw cut score and results appear on screen immediately after a computer-based exam. (AACN Certification Corporation)
Format
- 150 items, of which 125 are scored and 25 are pretest items used to gather statistics. You cannot tell them apart.
- 3 hours.
- Delivered at a PSI test center or by live remote proctoring; computer-based results appear on screen immediately, with a detailed score report emailed within 24 hours.
- The passing point comes from a criterion-referenced standard-setting process — not a fixed percentage you can look up.
The test plan (exams on and after 12 November 2025)
| Section | Weight |
|---|---|
| I. Clinical Judgment | 80% |
| A. Cardiovascular | 13% |
| B. Respiratory | 12% |
| C. Endocrine, Hematology/Immunology, GI, Renal/GU, Integumentary | 21% |
| D. Musculoskeletal, Neurological, Behavioral/Psychosocial | 18% |
| E. Multisystem | 16% |
| II. Professional Caring and Ethical Practice | 20% |
Two things surprise most candidates. First, the combined "Endocrine/Heme/GI/Renal/Integumentary" category is the single largest at 21% — bigger than cardiovascular. Second, Professional Caring is a fifth of the exam and cannot be passed by clinical knowledge alone; it is tested as judgement in real situations using the Synergy Model's nurse characteristics.
What the exam is not
It is not a pharmacology exam and it is not a recall test of normal values. AACN is also moving to generic drug names only, so study drugs by class and mechanism rather than brand.
Exam guides
- CCRN exam cost: member, non-member and retest fees
The computer-based CCRN exam costs $260 for AACN members and $375 for non-members, and a retest costs $185 for members and $290 for non-members. Renewal by exam is the same as the retest fee. Because AACN membership is cheaper than the $115 fee difference, joining before you apply is usually the lower-cost route.
- CCRN eligibility: which clinical-hours option applies to you
To sit the adult CCRN you need a current, unencumbered US RN or APRN licence plus one of two clinical-practice options: 1,750 hours of direct care of acutely or critically ill adult patients in the previous two years with 875 hours in the most recent year, or 2,000 hours in the previous five years with 144 hours in the most recent year. Hours must be in direct care, regardless of where you practise.
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Primary references
- CCRN Exam Handbook — Direct Care (July 2026) — AACN Certification Corporation · primary · retrieved 2026-09-22, verified 2026-09-22
- AACN Synergy Model for Patient Care (in the CCRN Exam Handbook) — AACN Certification Corporation · primary · retrieved 2026-09-22, verified 2026-09-22