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CAPA (Certified Ambulatory Perianesthesia Nurse) Certification Examination
The CAPA (Certified Ambulatory Perianesthesia Nurse) certification examination is the perianesthesia nursing certification exam of the American Board of Perianesthesia Nursing Certification, Inc. (ABPANC), taken by RNs whose clinical practice is in the Pre-anesthesia Phase, Day of Surgery/Procedure, Post-anesthesia Phase II and/or Extended Care. It is a three-hour, 185-question multiple-choice exam (140 scored, 45 unscored pretest) delivered by computer at PSI test centers or via online remote proctoring during two eight-week testing windows each year (March 15–May 15 and September 15–November 15); candidates pass with a total scale score of 450 or higher on the 200–800 scale. The CAPA exam is currently available for US candidates only.
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Questions185 multiple-choice questions, of which 140 are scored and 45 are unscored pretest questions being evaluated for use on a future exam (each question lists four choices, only one of which is correct)
Testing time3 hours
ScoringPass requires a total scale score of 450 or higher; the passing point is set by a criterion-referenced passing-point methodology (modified-Angoff) using panels of CPAN/CAPA content experts, and forms are equated for fairness
Exam feeUSD 350 ASPAN member / USD 424 non-member (all fees in USD, credit card only); optional Test Assured retake program USD 50 additional to the exam fee (the fee table also lists International Candidates: $350, but the CAPA exam is currently available for US candidates only)
Prep options
Study resources for CAPA
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Courses and study resources
Exam overview
What to know before choosing your prep
- Who runs it
- ABPANC
- Category
- Specialty Nursing Certification
- Current version
- CAPA Test Blueprint derived from the 2021 Role Delineation Study, in effect for the 2023–2027 CPAN and CAPA exams; governed by the CPAN & CAPA Certification Candidate Handbook rev. 0924A (September 2024)
- Where it applies
- United States — national
- Exam languages
- English
- Score scale
- 200–800 scaled score range, passing point fixed at 450
- Testing provider
- PSI (PSI Services LLC — PSI test centers and online remote proctoring)
- Format
- Computer-based exam, taken in person at a PSI Test Center or from the candidate's own computer via Online Remote Proctoring
- Availability
- Two testing windows per year, each eight weeks long: March 15–May 15 and September 15–November 15; registration windows January 1–April 30 and July 1–October 31
- Results
- Final, official Score Report is received at the test center (or on screen) when the exam is finished or the three-hour time limit lapses; passing candidates then receive an email from ABPANC with instructions to download a Certificate and wallet ID card
- Credential validity
- ABPANC awards the CAPA credential for a period of three years (e.g., candidates testing in the Sept–Nov window are certified October 1 through October 31 three years later); recertification is by re-examination or the CPAN and CAPA Continual Learning Program
- Remote testing
- Available
Exam structure
Single 3-hour, 185-item four-option multiple-choice exam (140 scored, 45 unscored pretest). CAPA Test Blueprint — five domains with percentage of questions: Perianesthesia Monitoring and Intervention 30%, Perianesthesia Care Considerations 25%, Anesthesia 20%, Physiology 16%, Professional Nursing Practice and Guidelines 9%
Where rules vary
U.S. national nursing specialty certification: eligibility requires a current, unrestricted RN license in the United States or its NCLEX-based territories, and the handbook states the CAPA exam is available for US candidates only (unlike CPAN, which admits internationally licensed candidates); "the CPAN and CAPA certification examinations are based on perianesthesia nursing practice in the United States"
Eligibility
Current, unrestricted (unencumbered) U.S. RN license (or NCLEX-based U.S. territory license) plus at least 1,200 hours of direct clinical experience in the two years prior to applying — for the CAPA exam, hours caring for patients in the Pre-anesthesia Phase, Day of Surgery/Procedure, Post-anesthesia Phase II and/or Extended Care; the CAPA exam is currently available for US candidates only; two verifiers who can attest to eligibility must be named on the application
Retake policy
The exam may be taken once per exam administration window; a candidate who fails may reapply in the next registration window, and ABPANC does not limit the number of retakes; the optional USD 50 Test Assured program allows a no-additional-fee retake during one of the two subsequent testing windows