PMH-BC exam: format, scoring and retest rules

Some study sites describe this exam as 125 questions with a pass at about 70 percent correct. Neither holds up.

• Question count: you answer 150. Only 125 are scored, but 25 unmarked pretest items are mixed into the set, so treat each one as if it counts. Plan your pace for the full set.
• Percent correct: no percentage is ever stated. The cut is set at 350 on a scale, and the handbook gives no table that turns it into a share of right answers.

Scoring is criterion-referenced: you pass by meeting a standard, not by beating other candidates. A panel of psychiatric nurses, working with a psychometrician, set that standard with the modified Angoff method. Your number of correct responses is then mapped onto the scale, on which 350 marks the cut, well below the maximum.

Passing candidates see only the word pass. Candidates who fall short also get their scaled result, plus each domain rated high, medium or low, the most useful guide to what to study before a retest; the study guide uses the same four headings.

First-attempt results appear once a year in the credentialing center's certification data. The latest figure is 71% (2025); the table row has the counts behind it and the year before. Repeat attempts are not part of that number.

The same report puts the number of holders at 10,900.

Retesting opens 60 days after the previous sitting, and the rules allow no more than 3 attempts in any 12-month period. Each retest starts with a fresh application, judged against whatever eligibility rules apply on the date it arrives, and covers the full exam again.

No retest amount is published (see the table); confirm it with ANCC rather than trusting a figure quoted elsewhere. Confirm it with the credentialing center before you reapply instead of trusting a number quoted elsewhere.