How to Apply for and Schedule the CCRN Exam: Application to Test Day

The CCRN application-to-test-day timeline

AACN Certification Corporation recommends that you be ready to test before you apply. Once you apply, the steps run in this order:

For an online application, have your RN or APRN license number and expiration date, your verifier's name, address, phone and email, and a credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express) ready. A paper application is required if you apply with a group, take a paper-and-pencil exam or test outside the U.S., and it can be paid by card, check or money order. Either way, use your legal name: it must match the photo ID you show on exam day and is the name printed on your certificate. The CCRN eligibility guide covers the license and hours rules.

Booking your CCRN appointment with PSI

PSI administers the exam for AACN, by appointment only. Your confirmation email has a "Manage Application and Exam Appointment" link, and your AACN dashboard has a "Schedule Exam" link under My Certifications. Both lead to AACN's scheduling page. You can also book by phone with PSI at 833-256-1418, using your AACN customer number as your exam ID.

After booking, PSI emails a confirmation of the date and time and sends a reminder 72 hours before. Each reschedule brings a new confirmation email. If the AACN confirmation email never arrives after you apply, contact AACN Customer Care at 800-899-2226 or certcorp@aacn.org.

What "normally 90, currently 180 days" means for your CCRN timing

AACN's handbook says the confirmation email gives the eligibility period during which you must take the exam, "normally a 90-day window, but currently a 180-day window." AACN's discount page agrees for individual candidates: take the exam within 180 days of application. That was the rule as checked on October 18, 2026, and "currently" means it can change, so read the dates in your own email. Your AACN dashboard also shows the date by which you must test.

Some Passy arithmetic: 180 days is about 25 weeks, and 90 days about 13 weeks. Three timing habits follow from AACN's rules:

• Apply near the end of your preparation, not at the start. AACN recommends being ready first, and a late application keeps the window for rescheduling rather than studying.
• Book a date you could still move. AACN's scheduling page lists no fee for a change made up to 48 hours before the appointment, while a missed appointment brings no refund or extension.
• Know the escape routes and their prices. If you cannot test inside the window, call AACN before it expires to request an extension for $100. Canceling the whole application returns your fee minus a $100 processing fee (as checked on October 18, 2026).

Once your date is set, plan backward from your CCRN test date → with the free study-plan generator. It builds a dated outline from your exam date, your daily study minutes and one weak test plan category, and it does not predict a result.

CCRN testing days and locations

PSI offers computer-based testing year-round at more than 300 U.S. testing centers, and by live remote proctoring from a quiet, private room with a compatible computer. AACN's pages describe testing days differently:

• The CCRN FAQ says the exam is offered "year-round, Monday through Saturday."
• AACN's scheduling page says testing is offered Monday through Friday, with Saturday appointments available at many testing centers.

If you need a Saturday, check what your preferred center shows when you book. PSI testing centers also close on major holidays, which the policy handbook lists as New Year's, Martin Luther King Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas, noting that the list may not be complete. For bad weather, PSI decides whether to close a site and runs a 24-hour weather hotline at 800-380-5416. The exam format guide compares center and remote testing.

Requesting CCRN testing accommodations

AACN considers accommodations for candidates with a disability or impairment who submit a Request for Exam Accommodations form in advance. Only approved candidates receive them.

• What you send: the request form plus documentation of the disability or impairment from a licensed professional.
• What can be approved: extra testing time (time and a half or double time), a reader, a scribe, a sign language interpreter, a reduced-distraction room, or seating and other physical arrangements.
• Not available with live remote proctoring: paper-and-pencil testing, a reader, a sign language interpreter, and software such as ZoomText or JAWS.
• How you book: appointments with accommodations are scheduled through PSI directly, not through AACN's online scheduling.
• Comfort aids: certain medicines, medical devices attached to the body, communication and mobility aids, and service animals need no pre-approval, but they are inspected before testing.

AACN's instructions on timing differ. The policy handbook says the documentation is submitted with your exam application, while the request form itself says to submit it 2 to 3 weeks before your anticipated exam date. Send the request with your application, and confirm the timing with AACN at 800-899-2226.

Testing outside the U.S., and paper exams for groups

Candidates who live outside the U.S. may apply to test at a military testing site or at select non-military sites, using a special application requested from certification@aacn.org. AACN says an additional exam fee may apply but does not list the amount in its policy handbook, so ask. Eligibility rules do not change: you still need a current, unencumbered U.S. RN or APRN license.

Paper-and-pencil exams are available for groups of nurses testing at the same time. Requests must be made in writing at least four months before the exam date, and completed applications and fees are due eight weeks before. Extra site fees may apply, group discount pricing does not apply to paper exams, and results arrive by mail 6 to 8 weeks after testing.

Before you submit your CCRN application

Run this check first:

1. Your name on the application matches your government-issued photo ID exactly.
2. Your ID type is acceptable: a driver's license, state or province ID, international travel passport or U.S. visa. Military and temporary IDs are not accepted.
3. Your verifier knows you are listing them and is neither you nor a relative.
4. Your hours meet one of the two options, counted back from today.
5. Your exam is CCRN Adult, not Pediatric or Neonatal.
6. Your budget covers the fee and any change you may need. The CCRN exam cost guide lists every amount.