CRNI Exam

The CRNI exam is a computer-based test given at PSI test centers. It is offered in two testing windows each year, in March and in September. You apply to INCC by the deadline for your window, and once your application is approved you schedule a date, time and location with PSI.

Domain 3 has the largest weight and the widest range of content. Domain 2 rewards exact knowledge of device selection, care routines and complication management. Domain 1 is smaller but full of details, such as the order of draw and the chain of infection, that are easy to confuse under time pressure.

Only the 120 scored questions count toward your result, and you cannot tell which 20 questions are pretest items, so give every question your best effort. Your result is based on your raw score, the number of scored questions you answer correctly. The passing point is set by a panel of infusion experts using a criterion-referenced method, so you are measured against a fixed standard rather than against other candidates. Different forms of the exam are equated so that the standard stays the same from form to form. There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so answer every question.

Your score report shows whether you passed and your raw score in each major content area. Candidates who do not pass can use those content-area scores to target their review before the next window.

• Bedside scenarios that ask what the nurse should do first, or which action is most appropriate
• Device selection questions that match the therapy, its duration and the patient's veins to the right device
• Troubleshooting questions about occlusion, infiltration, extravasation, phlebitis and pump alarms
• Reaction questions for transfusions, antineoplastic agents, biologics and anti-infectives
• Lab-based questions about electrolytes, blood counts, drug levels and nutrition monitoring
• Short calculations: flow rates, weight-based doses, body surface area, maintenance fluids and nutrition calories
• Safety questions about infection prevention, hazardous drugs and medication errors

• Hold a current, active and unrestricted registered nurse license. Candidates outside the US and Canada need an RN license from their country of practice and a credentials evaluation.
• Have at least 1,600 hours of infusion therapy experience as an RN within the past two years. Experience in clinical practice, education, administration or research counts, so direct bedside care is not required.
• Pass the CRNI exam.
• Certification lasts three years. Renewal requires a current RN license, infusion experience hours during the cycle, and either recertification units earned through approved INS education or passing the exam again.

If you do not pass, you may apply again for a later testing window. There is no limit on attempts as long as you remain eligible, and INCC offers a reduced fee to candidates who retest. Check the official fee schedule before you apply, because fees and deadlines are updated from time to time and early applications cost less than late ones.