Ambulatory care nursing certification cost and registration
Last checked Set against ANCC: Ambulatory Care Nursing Certification page and 6 further documents listed in Sources
- list price, Nov 2026
- $395
- to test once authorized
- 120 days
- to extend the window
- $100, once
- where you sit it
- Test center only
ANCC page[1] ANCC handbook 2025[2] ANCC readiness test[3]
Ambulatory care nursing certification costs $395 at list price as of November 14, 2026, and $295 for members of ANA or AAACN. Of either price, $140 is an administrative fee that you forfeit if you withdraw. You apply online; once approved, the Authorization to Test gives you 120 days to schedule with Prometric and complete the exam.
What to gather before applying
- Your RN license details.
- A count of your clinical hours in ambulatory care over the last three years, and a supervisor who would confirm them in writing if the application is audited.
- Certificates for the 30 contact hours of ambulatory care continuing education.
- An ANA or AAACN membership already in place for the member rate; the cost table gives the deadline for claiming it.
Who qualifies is set out on the overview. Apply only when all four conditions are met, because none of them is waived.
Documents behind these figures: ANCC page[1]
Application, authorization, test center
- Apply online, any time of year, and pay. Paying extra for expedited review shortens processing; the table gives the terms.
- Approval brings an emailed notice, the Authorization to Test (ATT).
- The authorization opens a window of 120 days. Nothing can be booked before it arrives or after it ends.
- Book the seat with Prometric under the certification number from your application.
- One paid extension exists for a window you cannot use; its limits are in the table.
Book early in the window. Prometric may charge for rescheduling, and a late cancellation (the table gives the cutoff) costs the whole testing fee, so a date late in the window leaves nothing to fall back on.
Documents behind these figures: ANCC page[1] ANCC handbook 2025[2]
Booking rules
| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| How to book | Apply online with ANCC year-round; after approval an Authorization to Test notice arrives by email, and the seat is booked with Prometric under your ANCC certification number. An extra, non-refundable fee buys expedited review, which brings processing down to 3 business days once payment arrives if the file is complete. | ANCC page[1] ANCC handbook 2025[2] |
| Window to test | 120 days, counted from when the Authorization to Test is issued. Appointments cannot be made before the authorization arrives or after it expires. | ANCC page[1] ANCC handbook 2025[2] |
| New testing window | $100 for one new 120-day window, which has to start before 6 months have passed since the original window ended. Missing the second window means a fresh application with full fees. | ANCC handbook 2025[2] |
| Where you test | Prometric test centers, in person only. ANCC lets candidates take its practice Readiness Test under remote proctoring, but the certification exam itself requires a center. | ANCC readiness test[3] ANCC handbook 2025[2] |
| Test provider | Prometric | ANCC handbook 2025[2] ANCC page[1] |
| Changes and cancellations | Prometric may charge its own fee to move or cancel a booking; a cancellation made less than 2 days ahead loses the testing fee. | ANCC handbook 2025[2] |
Every row checked Nov 14, 2026. Booking terms as written on the exam's own page and in the candidate handbook.
The full price list, exam to renewal
One possible charge sits outside the table below: a second testing window, which can be bought once for $100.
Membership lowers the exam from $395 to $295 and cuts the renewal fee as well; weigh both against a year of dues.
| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Owner's own prep | A free set of 25 untimed sample questions, the test content outline and reference list, and the ANCC Readiness Test: $85 for 60 questions in 75 minutes. ANCC states that no study product is required for eligibility and that it endorses none. | ANCC sample questions[4] ANCC readiness test[3] ANCC page[1] |
What you pay, line by line
| Line | Amount | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exam feeList price | $395 | $140 administrative charge, included in every price and kept by ANCC. | ANCC page[1] |
| Exam feeANA members | $295 | — | [1] |
| Exam feeAAACN members | $295 | — | [1] |
| Retake fee | Not published | ANCC's handbook says retest fees apply, yet neither it, the retest page nor the exam page gives an amount. Ask ANCC before you reapply (read Nov 14, 2026). | ANCC handbook 2025[2] ANCC score reports[5] ANCC page[1] |
| Renewal fee | $350 | AAACN members pay $295 and ANA members as little as $250. The $140 administrative charge is already part of each price. | ANCC page[1] |
Exam fee: Member pricing is lost unless you claim it within five working days of applying.
Every row checked Nov 14, 2026. Amounts come from the fee list on the AMB-BC page, the certification guide and the Readiness Test listing.
Before you pay: related pages
Money and scheduling questions
Can the ambulatory care exam be taken online?
Not from home. It is computer-based but given only at Prometric test centers. The only remote option is for the practice Readiness Test.
Which memberships qualify for the lower exam price?
ANA and AAACN. Members of either pay $295 instead of $395, provided the discount is claimed in time.
What are my options if I cannot test before the window closes?
You can buy one fresh window; the booking table gives its price and how soon it has to begin. If that one passes unused too, the application and its fees start over.
Documents behind these figures: ANCC page[1]
Sources
- [1]ANCC: Ambulatory Care Nursing Certification (AMB-BC) page nursingworld.org; checked Nov 14, 2026
- [2]ANCC: Foundations of ANCC Certification: Your Essential Guide (PDF; June 2025 edition, revision 5 posted Oct 12, 2026) nursingworld.org; checked Nov 14, 2026
- [3]ANCC: Readiness Tests, practice exam page nursingworld.org; checked Nov 14, 2026
- [4]ANCC: Ambulatory Care Nursing sample questions nursingworld.org; checked Nov 14, 2026
- [5]ANCC: Test score reports and retest application, policy page nursingworld.org; checked Nov 14, 2026
- [6]ANCC: AMB-BC Test Content Outline (PDF), effective September 11, 2026, file revised June 29, 2026 nursingworld.org; checked Nov 14, 2026
- [7]ANCC: Certification Renewal Handbook (PDF) for renewals from February 1, 2027 onward nursingworld.org; checked Nov 14, 2026