CCRN Exam Format: 150 Questions, 125 Scored, Three Hours

CCRN (Adult) exam format at a glance

AACN Certification Corporation describes the same format for every CCRN exam, Adult included. As checked on October 18, 2026:

Before the timed exam starts, you can take an optional practice session that does not count against the three hours. The test plan guide explains the 80/20 content split.

Pacing the CCRN exam: 1.2 minutes per item

Three hours is 180 minutes, so 150 items work out to 1.2 minutes, or 72 seconds, per item. Breaks come out of that same clock, which changes the math:

These figures are Passy arithmetic. If you also want about 15 minutes at the end for bookmarked items, two breaks leave 155 minutes for a first pass, or about 62 seconds per item. That is tight but workable for most items, which is why a single stubborn item should never get three or four minutes on the first pass.

You can show a digital clock with the time remaining by clicking the TIME button, and you can hide it again if it distracts you. Checking it at a few fixed points works better than watching it constantly. For a starting pace, 180 minutes divided by 150 questions is 72 seconds per question; budget any breaks and final review inside those three hours.

To feel what 72 seconds per item is like, time yourself on 20 four-option CCRN items at exam pace →. At 1.2 minutes each, the free set takes about 24 minutes. Its items are original Passy scenarios, each with a single keyed answer and an explanation for every option.

The 25 unscored CCRN items

AACN says 25 of the 150 items are used to gather statistical data for future exams, and its practice analysis page calls them unscored pretest items. AACN does not say which items they are, so treat every item as if it counts. Skipping a hard item because it "might be unscored" is a gamble with no upside.

The passing standard applies only to the scored items: you need 83 correct among the 125. A correct answer on an unscored item does not move you toward that number, but since you cannot tell the two kinds apart, the only strategy is to answer all 150 as well as you can.

Bookmarking and review on the CCRN screen

The policy handbook describes these on-screen tools at both the testing center and live remote proctoring:

• Arrows: the forward arrow moves to the next item, and the back arrow or the left arrow key returns to earlier ones.
• Unanswered items: you may leave an item blank and come back. AACN itself advises not to spend too long on difficult items.
• Bookmark: a small square to the right of the TIME button marks an item for review.
• Double arrow: clicking it jumps to the next unanswered or bookmarked item, so repeated clicks walk you through all of them.
• Comment: the COMMENT button lets you leave a note about an item. You will not get a reply about item content, and you cannot review items after the exam.
• End of exam: you are told if any items are unanswered and asked to confirm before the session closes.

A Passy suggestion for using them: answer every item on the first pass, even when unsure, and bookmark the doubtful ones. A bookmarked item with a best guess is safe if time runs out, while a blank one is not. On the second pass, change an answer only when you can name the clue you missed the first time.

No penalty for guessing on the CCRN exam

The policy handbook says plainly that there is no penalty for guessing, and that the number of questions answered correctly determines your score. A blank item can only cost you. Before you confirm the end of the exam, use the unanswered-item warning and the double arrow to make sure every item has an answer.

Breaks, notes and test-day rules that affect the clock

Both testing options allow up to two breaks of up to five minutes each, whenever you ask, with no extra time added. Leaving the testing area without authorization voids the exam. At a PSI testing center, scratch paper is provided on request. With live remote proctoring, you use a digital notepad inside the testing platform, and scratch paper is allowed only as part of an approved accommodation. Check AACN’s exam policy handbook for current ID, check-in and room requirements.

When CCRN results and the score report arrive

For computer-based exams, your result appears on screen when you finish. AACN's documents give different timing for the detailed score report that follows by email:

• Within 24 hours: the CCRN exam handbook (page 5), the policy handbook's application section and its live remote proctoring section, and AACN's testing-center web page.
• Within 24 to 48 hours: the policy handbook's testing-center section and AACN's live remote proctoring web page.
• Immediately: the CCRN FAQ says computer-based candidates receive their results and a score report immediately upon completion.

Plan on up to 48 hours, and contact AACN if the email has not arrived after that. Your certification appears in AACN's online verification system the day after the exam, and a wall certificate is mailed about 4 to 6 weeks after testing. Paper-and-pencil candidates get results by mail 6 to 8 weeks after testing. The CCRN passing score guide explains what the report's numbers mean.