{"id":18751,"date":"2015-08-24T20:38:25","date_gmt":"2015-08-24T20:38:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/?page_id=18751"},"modified":"2026-03-14T15:16:01","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T20:16:01","slug":"pccn-practice-test","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/pccn-practice-test\/","title":{"rendered":"PCCN<sup>&reg;<\/sup> Practice Test"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Progressive Care Certified Nurse (PCCN<sup>&reg;<\/sup>) exam is administered by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), which is the largest specialty nursing organization in the world. The PCCN examination tests applicants&#8217; knowledge of caring for acutely ill adult patients.<\/p>\n<p>Click \u201cStart Test\u201d above to take a free PCCN practice test!<\/p>\n<div class=\"buttonlinks\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/university\/pccn?utm_source=academy&amp;utm_medium=copy&amp;utm_campaign=academy-mu-ads&amp;utm_content=pccn-test\" class=\"class_names\" style=\"color:black;\" onclick=\"_paq.push(['trackEvent', 'Course Button', 'Course Click', 'PCCN Course Click']);\">PCCN Online Course<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/studyguides\/pccn\/\" class=\"class_names\" style=\"color:black;\" onclick=\"_paq.push(['trackEvent', 'Guide Button', 'Guide Click', 'PCCN Guide Click']);\">PCCN Study Guide<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.flashcardsecrets.com\/pccn\/\" class=\"class_names\" style=\"color:black;\" onclick=\"_paq.push(['trackEvent', 'Flashcard Button', 'Flashcard Button Click', 'PCCN Flashcard Click']);\">PCCN Flashcards<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"pt-page\"><span id=\"PCCN_Exam_Eligibility\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>PCCN Exam Eligibility<\/h2>\n<p>To be eligible for the PCCN exam, you must meet the necessary licensure and practice requirements.<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Licensure\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Licensure<\/h3>\n<p>You must hold a current and unencumbered RN or APRN license in the United States.<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Practice\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Practice<\/h3>\n<p>You must meet ONE of the following requirements:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 1em;\">Within the last 2 years, you must have obtained 1,750 hours of practice as an APRN or RN, providing direct care to acutely ill patients. At least 875 of those hours must be earned in the most recent year preceding the application.<\/li>\n<li>You must have at least 5 years of experience as an RN or APRN, with at least 2,000 hours of experience providing direct care to acutely ill adult patients. At least 144 of those hours must be earned within the most recent year preceding the application.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Please note that orientation hours, in which you shadowed another nurse who was assigned an acutely ill patient, cannot be counted towards PCCN eligibility. If you were the assigned nurse and had another nurse shadow you while working with an acutely ill patient, you may count those hours toward your PCCN eligibility.<\/p>\n<p>Nurses with managerial or education positions may apply hours spent supervising nursing students or nurses at the bedside. These hours are only eligible if you participated in the direct care of the acutely ill patient.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"pt-page\"><span id=\"PCCN_Exam_Outline\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>PCCN Exam Outline<\/h2>\n<p>The PCCN certification exam contains 150 multiple-choice questions, 25 of which are unscored, and you will be given a time limit of 3 hours. The unscored questions are unmarked and spread randomly throughout the exam, so you will not know which questions are scored or unscored. These questions are used to evaluate the quality of questions for future exams.<\/p>\n<p>The exam is based on the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) Synergy Model for Patient Care, so you need to be familiar with this framework and set of procedures.<\/p>\n<p>This exam is split into two sections.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/PCCN-Adult-Exam-Outline-01.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-212686\" role=\"img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/PCCN-Adult-Exam-Outline-01.svg\" alt=\"exam outline for the PCCN exam\" width=\"409\" height=\"553\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Clinical_Judgment_(80%25)\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Clinical Judgment (80%)<\/h3>\n<p>These questions test your knowledge of various aspects of the systems of the human body.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cardiovascular (20%)<\/li>\n<li>Respiratory (14%)<\/li>\n<li>Endocrine (6%)<\/li>\n<li>Hematology\/Immunology\/Oncology (3%)<\/li>\n<li>Neurology (7%)<\/li>\n<li>Gastrointestinal (7%)<\/li>\n<li>Renal (4%)<\/li>\n<li>Musculoskeletal (2%)<\/li>\n<li>Multisystem (15%)<\/li>\n<li>Behavioral\/Psychosocial (3%)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span id=\"Professional_Caring_and_Ethical_Practice_(20%25)\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Professional Caring and Ethical Practice (20%)<\/h3>\n<p>These questions test your knowledge of various professional caring processes and ethical practices.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Advocacy\/Caring Practices\/Response to Diversity\/Facilitation of Learning (11%)<\/li>\n<li>Collaboration\/Systems Thinking\/Clinical Inquiry (9%)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"sg-box\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sg-box-text\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"sg-box-title\">Check Out Mometrix's PCCN Study Guide<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>Get practice questions, video tutorials, and detailed study lessons<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"sg-box-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/studyguides\/pccn\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Get Your Study Guide<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/studyguides\/pccn\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"184\" height=\"238\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/pccn.jpg\" alt=\" Study Guide\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"pt-page\"><span id=\"How_to_Register\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>How to Register<\/h2>\n<p>There are two application options for the Progressive Care Certified Nurse (PCCN) examination.<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">\n<strong>Online Application<\/strong><br \/>\nApplicants can complete the application online, on the AACN website. The application will ask you for your RN or APRN license number and expiration date, as well as contact information for a co-worker or clinical supervisor, who can verify your eligibility. At this time, you must also pay the $370 examination fee ($255 for AACN members).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Paper Application<\/strong><br \/>\nFor applicants applying with a group, taking a paper-and-pencil exam, and\/or testing outside the US, a paper application is required. The application will ask for your RN or APRN license information and an honor statement. At this time, you must also pay the $370 examination fee ($255 for AACN members). Your application will then be processed within 2 to 3 weeks.<\/div>\n<p>After applying, you will receive a confirmation email stating that you successfully applied. Approximately 5-10 days after the confirmation email is sent, qualifying candidates will receive an approval-to-test email and postcard from AACN&#8217;s testing service, PSI\/AMP. The email and postcard will include an exam identification number, instructions for scheduling the exam, and a 90-day window for scheduling and taking the exam.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"pt-page\"><span id=\"Test_Day\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Test Day<\/h2>\n<h3><span id=\"Inperson_Testing\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>In-person Testing<\/h3>\n<p>On the day of your exam, you should arrive at the testing center 15-30 minutes earlier than the scheduled exam time. Arriving later than 15 minutes after the scheduled appointment time will result in your exam being canceled.<\/p>\n<p>Once you arrive, you will need to show a valid, government-issued photo ID. If your ID is invalid or you forget to bring it, you will not be able to take the exam.<\/p>\n<p>Before the exam begins, you will be asked to leave all personal items (cell phone, books, papers, notes, food, jacket, hat, etc.) in your car. You will then be asked for your AACN customer number, and a digital photograph of you will be taken.<\/p>\n<p>You will then be given a practice exam to help you familiarize yourself with the computer system. Once the practice exam is complete, the real exam will begin.<\/p>\n<p>You are permitted to take breaks during the exam, but the timer will not be stopped while you are away.<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Live_Remote_Proctoring\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Live Remote Proctoring<\/h3>\n<p>You should log into your AACN account 15-30 minutes before your exam is scheduled to begin. Once you are logged in, the proctor will guide you through the check-in process. You will not be allowed to wear headphones, and you must ensure that your testing area is free from food, your cell phone and other electronic devices, notes, and reference materials.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"pt-page\"><span id=\"Scoring\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Scoring<\/h2>\n<p>The PCCN exam is scored using a modified version of the Angoff method. This means that AACN panelists are given information such as test results and other panelists\u2019 rating results to determine the cut score. The cut score is a raw number that is based on how the AACN panelists established the difficulty ratings for each question.<\/p>\n<p>To pass the exam, you will need to achieve a cut score of 82.<\/p>\n<p>If you take the computer-based exam, you will receive your score report as soon as you finish the exam. If you take the paper-and-pencil version of the exam, you will receive your score report by mail 6 to 8 weeks after exam day.<\/p>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/university\/pccn\/\" class=\"mobile-ad\" style=\"color:black;\" onclick=\"_paq.push(['trackEvent', 'Mobile Ad', 'Mobile Click', 'PCCN Mobile Click']);\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/PCCN-Mobile-Ad.webp\" alt=\"Ad for a Mometrix online course\" width=\"388.3\" height=\"389.4\" \/><br \/>\n<\/a>\n<h2 id=\"PCCNCourse\" class=\"pt-page\"><span id=\"PCCN_Online_Prep_Course\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>PCCN Online Prep Course<\/h2>\n<p>If you want to be fully prepared, Mometrix offers an <strong>online PCCN prep course<\/strong> designed to give you everything you need to succeed!<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s what you&#8217;ll find in the PCCN course:<\/p>\n<div class=\"mocblurb\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"moclessons\"><\/li>\n<li class=\"mocpqs\"><\/li>\n<li class=\"mocvideos\"><\/li>\n<li class=\"mocflash\"><\/li>\n<li class=\"mocmoney\"><\/li>\n<li class=\"mocmobile\"><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>Everyone learns differently, so we&#8217;ve tailored the PCCN online prep course to ensure every learner has what they need to prepare for the PCCN exam.<\/p>\n<p>Click below to check it out!<\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/university\/pccn\/?utm_source=academy&amp;utm_medium=button&amp;utm_campaign=academy-mu-ads&amp;utm_content=pccn\" class=\"class_names\" style=\"color:black;\" onclick=\"_paq.push(['trackEvent', 'Course Button', 'Course Click', 'PCCN Course Click']);\"><button class=\"buttontranscript\">Start Your PCCN Online Course<\/button><\/a><\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"sg-box\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sg-box-text\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"sg-box-title\">Check Out Mometrix's PCCN Flashcards<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>Get complex  subjects broken down into easily understandable concepts<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"sg-box-button blue-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flashcardsecrets.com\/pccn\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Get Your Flashcards<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.flashcardsecrets.com\/pccn\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"656\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/pccn-llcolorboxflash.PT02.png\" alt=\" Flashcards\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"pt-page\"><span id=\"FAQs\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>FAQs<\/h2>\n<div class=\"faq-list\">\n<div class=\"qa_wrap\">\n<div class=\"q_item text_bold\">\n<h4 class=\"letter\">Q<\/h4>\n<p style=\"line-height: unset;\">How hard is the PCCN exam?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"a_item\">\n<h4 class=\"letter text_bold\">A<\/h4>\n<p>The pass rate for this exam is 67%, so this is considered to be a moderately difficult exam.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"qa_wrap\">\n<div class=\"q_item text_bold\">\n<h4 class=\"letter\">Q<\/h4>\n<p style=\"line-height: unset;\">How many questions are on the PCCN exam?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"a_item\">\n<h4 class=\"letter text_bold\">A<\/h4>\n<p>There are 125 multiple-choice questions on the exam, 25 of which are unscored.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"qa_wrap\">\n<div class=\"q_item text_bold\">\n<h4 class=\"letter\">Q<\/h4>\n<p style=\"line-height: unset;\">How long is the PCCN exam?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"a_item\">\n<h4 class=\"letter text_bold\">A<\/h4>\n<p>The time limit for the exam is 2.5 hours.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"qa_wrap\">\n<div class=\"q_item text_bold\">\n<h4 class=\"letter\">Q<\/h4>\n<p style=\"line-height: unset;\">What is the passing score for the PCCN exam?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"a_item\">\n<h4 class=\"letter text_bold\">A<\/h4>\n<p>To pass the exam, you must achieve a cut score of 82.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"qa_wrap\">\n<div class=\"q_item text_bold\">\n<h4 class=\"letter\">Q<\/h4>\n<p style=\"line-height: unset;\">How much does the PCCN exam cost?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"a_item\">\n<h4 class=\"letter text_bold\">A<\/h4>\n<p>The examination fee is $370.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p><div itemscope=\"\" itemprop=\"author\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Person\" class=\"author-bio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" itemprop=\"image\" class=\"author-image\" height=\"127\" width=\"127\" alt=\"Headshot of Kate Nockunas.\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/tinywow_tinywow_Kate-Nockunas-Cropped-min_24640345_24640389.webp\"><div class=\"author-text\"><p class=\"author-name\">By <span itemprop=\"name\">Kate Nockunas<\/span><\/p><div class=\"author-desc\"><p>Kate has been Mometrix\u2019s Nursing and Medical Editor for over four years. She has a bachelor\u2019s degree in Communications from Vanderbilt University, a bachelor\u2019s degree in Nursing from Marymount University, and a master\u2019s degree in Education from Johns Hopkins. Kate is a critical care registered nurse who still works occasionally in the ICU and PACU.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div itemscope=\"\" itemprop=\"editor\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Person\" class=\"author-bio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" itemprop=\"image\" class=\"author-image\" height=\"127\" width=\"127\" alt=\"Aaron Lanni profile pic\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/image_2024-12-11_124906662.png\"><div class=\"author-text\"><p class=\"author-name\">Edited by <span itemprop=\"name\">Aaron Lanni<\/span><\/p><div class=\"author-desc\"><p>Aaron is the content manager and lead editor for Mometrix Academy. He regularly produces, updates, proofreads, and edits content to ensure it meets Mometrix\u2019s quality and accessibility standards.<\/p>\n<\/div><p class=\"alignright author-desc author-link\"><a class=\"ylist\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/editorial-guidelines\/\">Learn more about our editorial guidelines<\/a> \u2192<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n<div class=\"home-buttons\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/nursing-certification\/\">Nursing Certifications &#8211; Home<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"disclaimer\">PCCN is a registered trademark of AACN Certification Corporation, which is not affiliated with Mometrix Test Preparation and does not endorse this page.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Progressive Care Certified Nurse (PCCN&reg;) exam is administered by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), which is the largest specialty nursing organization in the world. The PCCN examination tests applicants&#8217; knowledge of caring for acutely ill adult patients. Click \u201cStart Test\u201d above to take a free PCCN practice test! PCCN Exam Eligibility To &#8230; <a title=\"PCCN&reg; Practice Test\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/pccn-practice-test\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about PCCN&reg; Practice Test\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":272401,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-18751","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"page_category-course-pages","7":"page_category-nursing-certifications","8":"page_category-pccn-pages","9":"page_type-exam-overview","10":"page_domain-aacn-pccn"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18751","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18751"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18751\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":283816,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18751\/revisions\/283816"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/272401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}