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Exam Overview
Exam Overview
This section explains how the ANCC Cardiac-Vascular Nursing Certification exam (CV-BC) is structured, how it is delivered, and what it takes to qualify. Knowing the format helps you plan your preparation and manage your time on test day.
The CV-BC exam is a national specialty certification exam offered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Passing it earns the credential Cardiac-Vascular Nurse, Board Certified (CV-BC), which is valid for five years.
150
Questions
125
Scored
3 hrs
Testing time
350
Passing scaled score
1
Exam Pattern and Format
- Computer-based exam taken at Prometric test centers.
- 150 questions: 125 scored and 25 unscored pretest questions that look exactly like scored ones, so answer every question.
- Three hours of testing time.
- Questions are mostly multiple choice with four options; ANCC exams can also include a small number of alternate formats such as multiple response or drag-and-drop.
- Most items are clinical scenarios that ask for the best, first, or priority nursing action.
2
Scoring
- Results are reported as a scaled score from 0 to 500.
- A scaled score of 350 or higher is a pass.
- Pretest questions do not count toward the score.
- You receive a preliminary pass or fail result at the test center; failing candidates receive a breakdown by content domain.
3
Content Distribution
The current test content outline has four domains. The number of scored questions in each domain is shown below; use the weights to decide where to spend your study time.
| Domain | Scored questions | Share | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| I. Assessment and Diagnosis | 27 | 22% | A&P and pathophysiology, history and social determinants of health, Doppler and stroke scales, diagnostic tests, labs and rhythms, nursing diagnoses |
| II. Planning and Implementation | 44 | 35% | ACC/AHA guidelines and quality measures, scope and standards, legal and ethical issues, procedures and surgeries, drug and non-drug therapies, risk reduction, care coordination, cardioversion and targeted temperature management |
| III. Evaluation and Modification | 23 | 18% | Expected outcomes, drug-drug and drug-food interactions, adverse events such as HIT and hypotension, urgent and emergent conditions such as pseudoaneurysm, hypertensive crisis, pulmonary embolism and stroke |
| IV. Patient and Community Education | 31 | 25% | Risk factors, chronic disease management, self-management, community resources, health literacy, outpatient and remote monitoring, health promotion |
Share of scored questions by domain
Assessment and Diagnosis — 22%
Planning and Implementation — 35%
Evaluation and Modification — 18%
Patient and Community Education — 25%
4
Eligibility
- A current, active RN license in a U.S. state or territory (or the legally recognized equivalent in another country).
- The equivalent of two years of full-time practice as an RN.
- At least 2,000 hours of clinical practice in cardiac-vascular nursing within the last three years.
- 30 hours of continuing education in cardiac-vascular nursing within the last three years.
5
Fees, Scheduling and Retakes
| Candidate | Fee |
|---|---|
| ANA member | $295 |
| Society for Vascular Nursing or PCNA member | $340 |
| Non-member | $395 |
- Applications are accepted year-round. Once approved, you schedule your appointment within a 120-day testing window.
- If you do not pass, you may retest after 60 days, up to three attempts in any 12-month period.
- Renew every five years with continuing education and professional development requirements and an active RN license.
Check before you apply
ANCC updates fees, policies and the test content outline from time to time. Confirm current details on the ANCC certification page before you submit your application.6
What This Means for Your Preparation
- Spend the most time on Planning and Implementation, which carries more than a third of the scored questions.
- Practice interpreting data: rhythms, labs, hemodynamics and physical findings.
- Know drug therapy well, including monitoring, interactions and reversal.
- Be ready to choose the priority action when several answers sound reasonable; a quarter of the exam is patient and community teaching.
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