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Facts last checked Nov 14, 2026independent and free

1 field2 exams

Now PracticingBoard certification reference for practicing RNs

Specialty certification for RNs who already practice it

Now Practicing is a free reference for registered nurses who work in a specialty and plan to certify in it. For each certification exam it sets out the content tested, the scoring scale, the entry rules, the booking steps and the rules about to change, beginning with two ANCC exams, in ambulatory care and in psychiatric-mental health nursing. Every fact is tagged with its source document and a comparison date, and every practice question explains all four of its options.

Browse fields and examsWhich exam fits my practice?

Run on its own and free to read. No certifying body has looked over these pages or paid for them.

Certification fields

A field gathers the exams of one certifying system. Its page covers the process those exams share, and every exam in it gets five pages of its own.

ANCC Specialty Certification

2 exams on the site

ANCC awards specialty credentials to registered nurses with two years of practice and hours in the field.

AMB-BCAmbulatory Care Nursing Certification

Given by American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).

Questions
150125 scored
Time
3 h
Scaled score
Pass at 350of 500
Fee
$395from $295 for members
Where
Prometrictest center only

Sources ANCC page[1] ANCC outline 2026[2] ANCC handbook 2025[3] ANCC readiness test[4]

PMH-BCPsychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Certification

Given by American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).

Questions
150125 scored
Time
3 h
Scaled score
Pass at 350of 500
Fee
$395from $220 for members
Where
Prometrictest center only

Sources ANCC page[5] ANCC outline 2024[6] ANCC handbook 2025[3] ANCC readiness test[4]

Next in this field, not on the site yet: Cardiac Vascular Nursing Certification (CV-BC), Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification (MEDSURG-BC), Gerontological Nursing Certification (GERO-BC), Pain Management Nursing Certification (PMGT-BC).

Key numbers

One figure per box, what it means, and the document behind it.

Both exams at a glance

checked Nov 14, 2026
Passing score
350 of 500
Both exams. Scaled score needed to pass, with 500 as the ceiling. ANCC publishes no percent-correct match for it.
ANCC handbook 2025[3]
Window to test
120 days
Both exams. Appointments cannot be made before the authorization arrives or after it expires.
ANCC page[1][5] ANCC handbook 2025[3]
Wait before a retake
60 days
Both exams. The retest application can go in 5 days after the exam; it is reviewed like a new one, against the eligibility rules in force on that day, and the whole exam is taken again.
ANCC handbook 2025[3] ANCC score reports[10]
First-time pass rate
77%
AMB-BC. In 2025: 1,209 of 1,562 first-time takers passed.
ANCC data 2025[7] ANCC data 2024[8]

Start from your unit or role

Rows are sorted by practice setting. Exams that have no pages yet are shown as plain text.

If you are a nurse who works…Exam to look at
RN in a primary care, specialty or hospital-based outpatient clinicAMB-BC (ANCC)Eligibility asks for 2,000 or more clinical hours in ambulatory care nursing, logged during the 3 years before applying.
Telephone triage, nurse advice line or telehealth RNAMB-BC (ANCC)Triage in person, by video and by telehealth is named in the Assess and Evaluate domain, the largest on the outline.
Inpatient psychiatric or behavioral health unit RNPMH-BC (ANCC)Implementation is the biggest part of the outline, with 58 of the 125 scored questions.
RN in community mental health, crisis services or an outpatient psychiatric clinicPMH-BC (ANCC)The same RN-level exam; the hours count if they are psychiatric-mental health nursing practice.
Psychiatric nurse practitioner, or an RN in a PMHNP programPMH-BC (ANCC)PMH-BC is the RN exam. PMHNP-BC is a separate nurse practitioner exam, outside the scope of these pages.

Not on the site yet. Cardiac, telemetry or vascular unit RN: CV-BC (ANCC); Medical-surgical unit RN: MEDSURG-BC (ANCC); RN caring for older adults in long-term care or geriatrics: GERO-BC (ANCC); Hemodialysis technician or nephrology RN: CCHT or CNN; PACU, pre-op or ambulatory surgery RN: CPAN or CAPA.

Length, pass mark, price and pass rate

FactAMB-BC. ANCCPMH-BC. ANCC
Questions150 [1][2]150 [5][6]
Exam time3 h [1]3 h [5]
Passing score350 of 500 [3]350 of 500 [3]
Exam fee$395 [1]$395 [5]
First-time pass rate77% (2025) [7][8]71% (2025) [7][8]
Credential holders7,956 [7]10,900 [7]

Every row checked Nov 14, 2026.

The two exams match in length, timing and scale; where they part is the member discount. ANA membership lowers both prices, AAACN only the ambulatory care fee, and APNA or ISPN only the psychiatric one. The pass rates are first-time results for one calendar year as ANCC reports them, and 350 is a position on a reporting scale rather than a percent correct.

What changed, and where to read it

  • Since Sep 11, 2026, AMB-BC has used a new test content outline: the same four domains, with new question counts. The ambulatory care study guide sets the old and new counts side by side.
  • PMH-BC questions still follow the outline effective Sep 16, 2024; the PMH-BC study guide is arranged by its four domains.

until January 31, 2027

  • On February 1, 2027 the ANCC renewal handbook changes, and three pathways replace the eight categories of professional development. The field page lays out the old and the new rule.

Documents behind these figures: ANCC outline 2026[2] ANCC page[1] ANCC outline 2024[6] ANCC role study[9]

Source first, then the page

Every figure about these exams comes from the credentialing center's exam pages, test content outlines, certification handbook, renewal handbooks and yearly certification data. Other bodies' documents are cited only for what those bodies decide themselves, such as who awards a look-alike credential. Prep companies and forums are not used as sources. A figure the center does not publish, such as the retest fee, is marked as unpublished, and nothing from elsewhere fills the gap. About and methods describes the checks on facts and on practice questions.

Last comparison with ANCC's documents

  • November 14, 2026, AMB-BC: exam page, test content outlines effective September 11, 2026 and December 20, 2021, certification handbook, both renewal handbooks, 2025 and 2024 certification data, sample questions and Readiness Tests page.
  • November 14, 2026, PMH-BC: exam page, test content outline effective September 16, 2024, role delineation study summary, certification handbook, both renewal handbooks, 2025 and 2024 certification data, sample questions and Readiness Tests page.

About using Now Practicing

Is Now Practicing part of ANCC or a nursing association?

No. Now Practicing has no tie to ANCC, the American Nurses Association, AAACN, APNA, ISPN or Prometric, and none of them has reviewed its pages. Their names appear only to identify the credentials and services described.

Can I see the answer explanations without signing in?

Yes. There is no sign-in of any kind, and once you answer, each practice question gives the reasoning behind the key and against every distractor.

Why does the site cover only a few exams so far?

New exams arrive a few at a time, and only after their facts have been read in the certifying body's documents; each then gets the standard five pages. The fields and exams already planned are listed above as plain text until their pages are out.

Sources

  1. [1]ANCC: Ambulatory Care Nursing Certification (AMB-BC) page nursingworld.org; checked Nov 14, 2026
  2. [2]ANCC: AMB-BC Test Content Outline (PDF), effective September 11, 2026, file revised June 29, 2026 nursingworld.org; checked Nov 14, 2026
  3. [3]ANCC: Foundations of ANCC Certification: Your Essential Guide (PDF; June 2025 edition, revision 5 posted Oct 12, 2026) nursingworld.org; checked Nov 14, 2026
  4. [4]ANCC: Readiness Tests, practice exam page nursingworld.org; checked Nov 14, 2026
  5. [5]ANCC: Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Certification (PMH-BC) page nursingworld.org; checked Nov 14, 2026
  6. [6]ANCC: Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Test Content Outline (PDF), effective September 16, 2024, file revised August 28, 2025 nursingworld.org; checked Nov 14, 2026
  7. [7]ANCC: 2025 ANCC Certification Data (PDF) nursingworld.org; checked Nov 14, 2026
  8. [8]ANCC: 2024 ANCC Certification Data (PDF), April 24, 2025 Wayback Machine snapshot web.archive.org; checked Nov 14, 2026
  9. [9]ANCC: Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing role delineation study, executive summary (PDF) nursingworld.org; checked Nov 14, 2026
  10. [10]ANCC: Test score reports and retest application, policy page nursingworld.org; checked Nov 14, 2026
  11. [11]ANCC: Certification Renewal Handbook (PDF) for renewals from February 1, 2027 onward nursingworld.org; checked Nov 14, 2026