Neonatal CCRN Exam

The CCRN (Neonatal) exam is a computer-based exam offered year-round by appointment, either at a PSI testing center or through live remote proctoring from a quiet, private location. Every question is multiple choice with a single best answer.

Key Facts About the CCRN (Neonatal) Exam

To sit for the CCRN (Neonatal) exam you need a current, unencumbered US RN or APRN license and enough recent direct-care practice with acutely or critically ill neonates:

Most of your hours must be spent caring for critically ill patients, and a supervisor or professional colleague must be able to verify them. Nurses whose work with critically ill neonates is indirect, such as educators and managers, may qualify for the related CCRN-K (Neonatal) credential instead.

Neonatal CCRN Test Plan

Clinical Judgment makes up 80% of the exam and Professional Caring and Ethical Practice makes up 20%. The official percentages are rounded. Professional Caring and Ethical Practice is built on the AACN Synergy Model and covers advocacy and moral agency, caring practices, clinical inquiry, collaboration, facilitation of learning, response to diversity and systems thinking. These questions are spread through the exam, so treat them as seriously as any body system.

Only the 125 scored questions count, and you need 84 of them correct to pass. The passing standard is set by a panel of practicing neonatal nurses using a method based on how difficult each question is, so you are measured against a fixed standard, not against other candidates. You cannot tell which 25 questions are unscored pretest questions, so give every question your best effort. There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so answer every question.

• Bedside scenarios that ask for the first or most appropriate nursing action
• Assessment snapshots, vital sign trends, laboratory results and blood gases to interpret
• Ventilator, monitor and device situations, such as high-frequency ventilation, chest tubes, umbilical lines and therapeutic hypothermia
• Medication questions about indications, adverse effects and monitoring, often framed as which order the nurse should question
• Delivery room and transport situations that follow the Neonatal Resuscitation Program
• Family, ethical, teaching, teamwork and system situations that test professional caring and ethical practice

• If you test by computer, your pass or fail result appears on screen when you finish.
• A detailed score report is emailed within 24 hours. It shows how you performed in each test plan category, which tells you where to focus if you need to retest.
• You may take the exam up to four times in a rolling 12-month period, paying the retest fee for each new attempt.