PCCN guides
Direct answers for PCCN format, studying, exam day, scores, and what to do next.
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PCCN is AACN Certification Corporation's specialty certification for nurses caring for acutely ill adults in step-down, telemetry, intermediate care and similar settings. Here is who it fits, the two pathways, the exam at a glance, and how you earn and keep it.
Read the guideTo sit for the PCCN on the Direct Care pathway you need a current, unencumbered U.S. RN or APRN license and 1,750 hours in two years or 2,000 in five with acutely ill adults. Here is how to check your hours, which hours count, who can verify them, and what happens from application to a booked exam.
Read the guideThe PCCN has 150 four-option multiple-choice questions in 3 hours, 125 of them scored. See how the February 2024 test plan spreads those scored questions across 12 categories, the pace you need, how navigation and breaks work, and how a remote exam differs from a PSI test center.
Read the guideAACN doesn't set a PCCN study length, but its handbook gives you everything to build a plan: the test plan weights, a list of testable nursing actions, sample questions and the exam bibliography. Here is how to turn them into study hours and a 4-, 8- or 12-week schedule, and when to apply.
Read the guideAACN says the choice between PCCN and CCRN depends on how acutely ill your patients are, not on your unit's name. Compare the two side by side: patients, hours, test plan weights, cut scores, fees and what pass rates can and cannot tell you.
Read the guideThe PCCN costs $260 for AACN members and $375 for nonmembers, with a $185 or $290 retest fee. Here is when a $78 membership pays for itself, the extension and cancellation charges to avoid, group and employer discounts, and what renewal will cost in three years.
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