Pain Management Nursing Exam

The PMGT-BC exam is a computer-based test delivered at Prometric test centers. After ANCC approves your application, you receive an Authorization to Test notice and have a 120-day window to schedule and take the exam.

To sit for the exam you need a current, active RN license in a US state or territory (or the legally recognized equivalent in another country), the equivalent of 2 years of full-time practice as a registered nurse, at least 2,000 hours of clinical pain management nursing practice within the last 3 years, and 30 hours of continuing education in pain management within the last 3 years.

The initial exam fee is $395 for non-members, $340 for ASPMN members and $295 for ANA members. Renewal costs $350 for non-members, $295 for pain management association members and $250 for ANA members. Each fee includes a $140 non-refundable administrative fee. Fees can change, so confirm them on the ANCC website when you apply.

Fundamentals of Pain has two parts: Science of Pain (types of pain, mechanisms, theories, syndromes and the effects of uncontrolled pain) and Assessment (history, tools, function, coping, barriers, monitoring and substance use risk). Interventions has three parts: Plan of Care, Pharmacological Treatment and Non-Pharmacologic Treatment. Professional Practice covers Education and Advocacy and Ethics and Regulatory Principles, including crisis and emergency response.

Pharmacological treatment is the largest single topic area inside Interventions. Expect many questions on opioids, conversions, side effects, sedation monitoring and regional analgesia complications.

The exam is criterion-referenced: you are measured against a fixed standard, not against other candidates. Raw scores are converted to a scaled score, and a scaled score of 350 or higher passes (the highest possible scaled score is 500). Only the 125 scored questions count, and you cannot tell which 25 questions are pretest items, so give every question your best effort. There is no penalty for guessing, so answer every question.

Results are reported as pass or fail. Candidates who test at a Prometric center can view their results online after they leave the testing room. Candidates who do not pass receive diagnostic information for each content area of the test, which shows where to focus before retesting.

• Patient scenarios that ask for the best assessment tool or the first nursing action
• Opioid conversion, breakthrough dose, morphine milligram equivalent and weight-based dose calculations done without a calculator
• Flow sheets with pain scores, sedation levels, respiratory rates, oxygen saturation and end-tidal carbon dioxide to interpret
• Epidural, nerve block, PCA and implanted device situations that test monitoring and complication recognition
• Patients with chronic pain, cancer, sickle cell disease, dementia, opioid use disorder or other special needs
• Education, communication and cultural questions, including which patient statement shows a need for more teaching
• Ethics, scope of practice, ASPMN position statement and emergency response questions
• Occasional multiple-response, drag-and-drop or hot-spot items, which ANCC exams may use to test the same knowledge in a different format

If you do not pass, you may retest 60 calendar days after the date you last tested; the retest application can be submitted 5 days after the exam. You may test no more than three times in any 12-month period, and you take the whole exam each time.