CEN Passing Score: 99 of 150 Scored Questions Since July 6, 2026

The CEN passing standard: 99 correct out of 150 scored items

BCEN's CEN FAQ states it plainly: "candidates must answer 99 of the 150 scored items correctly to achieve a passing score." BCEN's announcement of the new exam gives the date, listing "Updated CEN Passing Score: 99/150 questions" and "Effective Date: July 6, 2026," the same day the current content outline took effect. As checked on October 27, 2026, that is the current standard.

Three facts from the FAQ and the candidate handbook frame it:

• It is a raw score. The handbook defines the raw score as "the number of questions you answered correctly," and pass or fail is determined by it
• It is not curved. The FAQ says the passing score "is not based on a curve; it is based upon your individual performance." Other candidates' results don't move your line
• Only scored items count. The exam has 175 items. The 25 unscored pretest items are not part of the 150, but BCEN doesn't say which ones they are

Some Passy arithmetic, labeled as such: 99 of 150 is 66% of the scored items, and you can miss up to 51 scored items and still pass. BCEN does not state its standard as a percentage, so use 66% only to picture the number, not as "the CEN passing percentage."

Why older CEN sources say 106

Before the update, the standard was higher in raw terms. An archived copy of BCEN's CEN FAQ from September 17, 2025 reads: "of the 150 scored items, candidates must answer 106 items correctly." At that point the outline effective January 2022 was still in force. Several prep websites checked on October 27, 2026 still quote 106; for an exam on or after July 6, 2026, 99 is the number.

The FAQ explains why the standard moves: the passing score "is subject to change every few years based upon the results of the CEN role delineation study." BCEN's 2025 study produced a new outline, and a 2026 Passing Point Study then set the new standard for it. The final number is approved by BCEN's Board of Directors.

Don't read 99 against 106 as a sign the exam got easier. The panel judged a different set of items written to a different outline, so the two numbers are not on the same scale. The CEN content outline guide shows how the outline itself changed.

How BCEN set the 99: the Angoff method

BCEN's announcement quotes its explanation of the method. BCEN uses "a criterion-referenced methodology," the Angoff procedure, whose philosophy is that the passing standard "should reflect the performance expected of minimally competent examinees." Judges, who are volunteer nurse experts, rate each item for "the likelihood that a minimally competent examinee would answer correctly." The announcement lists the twelve nurses on the 2026 committee, and BCEN's FAQ adds that its test development vendor, PSI Exams, assists with setting the passing score.

Criterion-referenced means you are measured against that standard, not ranked against the other people who tested that month. There is no quota of passes, so your own accuracy is the only number worth tracking, area by area. That is why full CEN prep planned for launch names the area with your lowest accuracy so far.

Equating: why the CEN handbook says passing scores can vary slightly

The candidate handbook adds a nuance the FAQ leaves out. It says passing scores "may vary slightly for each form of the exam," because BCEN uses statistical equating: it matches the difficulty of each exam form as closely as possible and adjusts the passing score up or down for small differences in difficulty among the scored questions on a particular version.

BCEN does not publish form-by-form numbers, and its FAQ and announcement give a single figure. In practice, plan for 99 of 150, and don't build a strategy around a margin of one or two items. A comfortable margin comes from closing the gaps you keep repeating, and planned CEN prep keeps every missed question for another try.

What your CEN score report shows

BCEN's certification process page and the handbook describe the report:

The handbook says the report gives pass or fail and "a specific breakdown of the major content areas of the exam and how you scored within each area." If you don't pass, you get your raw scores, meaning your number correct, in each area of the content outline. Because the outline publishes the number of scored items in each area, you can turn those counts into misses per area directly: a 9 in an 18-item area means 9 missed. The CEN retake guide walks through that calculation.

If you pass, the handbook says you are certified for four years, and a certificate and wallet card arrive within 15 business days. BCEN's FAQ says you may use the CEN credential as soon as you complete the exam successfully.

What you can't appeal about a CEN score

BCEN's appeals policy (Policy 4.6, approved July 20, 2026) lists matters that are not eligible for appeal, including "the passing score, or actions taken in setting a passing score, or the inability to achieve a passing score," the validity of a specific test item, the exam content or scoring methodology, and failing to finish within the time allowed. The appeal process "does not grant access to examination content or answers." The handbook does say BCEN can correct a score if an error by BCEN or its agents produced an incorrect result.

Practicing against 99 of 150

No practice set can tell you whether you'd reach 99 on a BCEN form. Passy's 20 free CEN practice questions are original, not BCEN items, and too few to estimate a score: one question is five percentage points. Use them to find the reasoning you miss, not to predict a result.

A full-length rehearsal is more useful in the last weeks. A planned 3-hour CEN mock exam for pacing practice is part of full prep at launch, with 1,700 practice questions across the 11 areas, and checkout is not open yet. For now, the free CEN study planner helps you divide your remaining weeks by the same areas the score report uses.