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Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Certification (PMH-BC)
The ANCC Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing board certification examination is a competency-based, computer-based exam that assesses the entry-level clinical knowledge and skills of registered nurses in the psychiatric-mental health specialty after initial RN licensure; passing it awards the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse – Board Certified (PMH-BC) credential, valid for 5 years. The current test content outline took effect September 16, 2024.
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Questions150 questions (125 scored plus 25 unscored pretest questions)
Testing time3 hours
ScoringPass/fail; a scaled score of 350 or higher (on a 500-point scale) is required to pass; cut score set by subject-matter-expert panel using the Modified Angoff Method
Exam feeUSD 395 nonmember / USD 295 American Nurses Association member for initial certification (includes a USD 140 non-refundable administrative fee); renewal USD 350 nonmember / from USD 250 member
Prep options
Study resources for PMH-BC
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Exam overview
What to know before choosing your prep
- Who runs it
- ANCC
- Category
- Specialty Nursing Certification
- Current version
- 2024 Test Content Outline (effective September 16, 2024; file updated August 28, 2025)
- Where it applies
- United States — national
- Exam languages
- English
- Score scale
- Scaled score with a maximum possible score of 500
- Testing provider
- Prometric
- Format
- Computer-based exam delivered at Prometric test centers (English; four-domain multiple-choice board certification exam)
- Availability
- Applications accepted year-round; after approval, the exam is taken at a Prometric test center during a 120-day Authorization to Test window
- Results
- Results viewed online after the exam via the Prometric Report Validation Portal (email with instructions sent after the exam concludes); results are provided to ANCC within 24–48 hours; no results released by phone, fax, or email
- Credential validity
- Credential (not a score) is valid for 5 years; certification is renewed every 5 years by meeting the renewal requirements in place at renewal time
- Remote testing
- Not available
Exam structure
150 questions (125 scored, 25 pretest) across four scored domains: Assessment and Diagnosis (28 questions, 22%), Planning (26, 21%), Implementation (58, 46%), and Evaluation (13, 10%); each domain's items are split into Knowledge and Skill categories
Where rules vary
U.S. nursing board certification: eligibility requires "a current, active RN license in a state or territory of the United States or hold the professional, legally recognized equivalent in another country," and the exam is delivered at Prometric test centers including international locations; exam content reflects U.S. nursing practice
Eligibility
Current active RN license in a U.S. state or territory (or the legally recognized equivalent in another country); 2 years full-time equivalent practice as an RN; at least 2,000 hours of clinical practice in psychiatric-mental health nursing within the last 3 years; 30 hours of psychiatric-mental health continuing education within the last 3 years
Retake policy
May retest 60 calendar days after the last test date; no more than three attempts in any 12-month period; a retest application with eligibility review and retest fees is required (wait 5 days after testing before submitting)