How Much Does the CEN Exam Cost? $380, $285 for ENA Members, and the $70 Test Assurance Option

CEN exam fees as of October 27, 2026

BCEN's fees and discounts page lists four prices for an individual paying for the CEN, each with and without Test Assurance:

Notes from the same page and BCEN's CEN FAQ:

• ENA member price. BCEN's CEN page says the $285 fee is for Emergency Nurses Association members. ENA's own dues are set by ENA and are not on BCEN's pages, so compare them with the $95 difference yourself
• Military price. $195, or $265 with Test Assurance, for active-duty service members, reservists and veterans, on initial, retest and recertification applications
• Retest price. The $200 rate applies to retest applications up to one year after your initial exam date. BCEN's pages don't list a separate retest price after that year, so ask BCEN if you are past it
• VA benefit. BCEN says its certifications are approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs as an educational benefit, so eligible veterans can be reimbursed for the certification fee

The exam fee is paid in full before you can schedule. Card, ECheck/ACH and voucher payments are processed immediately, and a mailed check can take up to four weeks, which delays your 90-day window. The CEN eligibility and application guide covers that window.

Is CEN Test Assurance worth $70?

BCEN's Test Assurance page describes an optional add-on: $70, added to your initial exam fee, that gives you one more attempt if you fail the first. Here is the arithmetic, using BCEN's prices:

BCEN's own wording matches: "Save up to $130 on your second attempt." The add-on is a $70 cost now against a $200 cost you might face later. Passy can't tell you the odds of needing it, and BCEN's statistics don't give a first-attempt pass rate. The how-hard guide shows what BCEN does publish.

The conditions matter as much as the price:

• Initial applications only. It is not available when recertifying by exam, and it can't be added to an application you already bought
• One extra attempt, after a failed one. You still wait 90 days after the first attempt, and the second attempt must happen within one year of your initial exam date. If you don't submit the retest application within that year, the attempt is forfeited, and BCEN says it can't extend the date
• Not a no-show cover. It can't be used if you miss your first appointment or let the 90-day window lapse without testing
• No refund if you pass. The $70 is non-refundable and non-transferable, and it can't be moved to a different BCEN exam

If you are counting every dollar of your budget, compare the planned 30-, 90- and 180-day prep prices for the CEN alongside these exam fees; checkout isn't open yet.

CEN fees you can lose

Most lost money comes from the appointment rules, not the price list. From the FAQ, BCEN's candidate handbook and its Live Remote Proctoring page:

Test Assurance doesn't cover a missed appointment or a window that lapses without a test. The CEN exam format guide lists the check-in rules behind them.

Paying less for the CEN: vouchers, employers and scholarships

BCEN's voucher program sells vouchers in groups of three or more, to a hospital, an education department, or nurses who buy together:

Vouchers are valid for 12 months from purchase and are non-refundable, and you enter the voucher number at checkout. BCEN's cost page encourages candidates to bring the program to a supervisor. Three colleagues testing in the same year can buy together, and each pays $195 instead of $380 (Passy arithmetic, before any ENA discount).

BCEN also runs a scholarship fund that, in its 2026 cycle, offered funding for up to 20 initial certification exams, paid as vouchers; the scholarships page lists a 2026 deadline of March 16, 2026, so check it for the next cycle.

Whoever pays the exam fee, the part you control is the practice in the weeks before it. 1,700 planned CEN practice questions, each with an explanation, are listed for launch, and the free set of 20 works today.

What the CEN costs after you pass

The CEN renews every four years, by CE attestation or by exam. BCEN's recertification page lists the same fee for both routes: $280, or $210 with ENA membership, $195 with the military discount, and $185 to $195 by voucher. BCEN says recertification fees are non-refundable. Under Policy 5.6, if your certification expires, a 60-day grace period lets you recertify by CE attestation with a $100 late fee; after that, you must retake the exam to re-earn the credential.

Adding up your own CEN budget

A worked example (fictional candidate). Jordan is not an ENA member and wants a safety net. Exam with Test Assurance: $450. If Jordan passes, that is the whole BCEN cost until recertification. If Jordan fails and retests within a year, the retest is $0, so the total stays at $450, compared with $580 without the add-on.

Prep is a separate line. Full CEN prep is listed "At launch," as a one-time payment for 30, 90 or 180 days ($19.99, $34.99 or $49.99) with no auto-renewal, so see what planned full CEN prep includes at launch before you set your budget.

The free CEN practice questions and CEN study planner cost nothing now. If you are paying for a second attempt, the CEN retake guide explains how to make the 90 days count.