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Change ahead : Revised CMC test plan from AACN’s 2025 study of practice · AACN

CMC exam facts, from test plan to renewal

Exam facts · both test plans · read Nov 11, 2026

Two test plans share November 2026. Forms taken through the 18th follow the plan printed in the August handbook; from the 19th the revised plan applies. Below are both plans compared, then booking, test day, the pass line, pass rates, retakes and renewal.

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Cardiac medicine exam rules, sourced line by line

From the August 2026 exam handbook, the revised test plan, the July 2026 renewal handbook, the board's FAQ and its statistics page, read November 11, 2026.

  1. 01

    Awarded by

    AACN Certification Corporation

    [1] AACNchecked

  2. 02

    Credential

    CMC (Cardiac Medicine Certification), an adult subspecialty credentialCMC is written only after a current specialty credential, joined by a dash, as in PCCN-CMC.

    [1][2] AACNchecked

  3. 03

    Program accreditation

    Program accredited by ABSNC

    [1] AACNchecked

  4. 04

    Before you apply

    An unencumbered, current RN or APRN license in the US; a current ABSNC- or NCCA-accredited clinical specialty certification in direct adult care; and 1,750 hours with acutely or critically ill adults in 2 years (875 in the last year and 875 with cardiac patients) or 2,000 hours in 5 years (144 in the last year, 1,000 with cardiac patients)AACN’s examples of accepted specialty certifications include CCRN, PCCN, CEN, CMSRN, CNOR, CPAN and ACNPC-AG.

    [1][2][3] AACNchecked

  5. 05

    Total questions

    90 multiple-choice questionsOf the 90, 75 count toward the score; the other 15 are unscored trial questions.

    [1] AACNchecked

  6. 06

    Questions that are scored

    75 scored questions

    [1][4] AACNchecked

  7. 07

    Question type

    Multiple choice, all clinical judgment about adult cardiac patients; medications are moving to generic names only

    [1] AACNchecked

  8. 08

    Time allowed

    2 hours

    [1] AACNchecked

  9. 09

    How you sit it

    PSI test center, or online at home with a live PSI proctor (LRP)

    [1] AACNchecked

  10. 10

    When you can test

    Any time within the testing window after approval: currently 180 days, normally 90AACN calls 180 days the current window, 90 the normal one (read Nov 11, 2026)

    [1] AACNchecked

  11. 11

    Passing mark

    50 of 75 scored questions (67%), in effect since June 1, 2022AACN’s score committee set the passing standard for the November 19, 2026 exam; check the cut-score table if you test on the new plan.AACN may post a new cut score for the Nov 19, 2026 exam (read Nov 11, 2026)

    [4] AACNchecked

  12. 12

    Score report

    Displayed by the testing computer when the session ends; a detailed score report reaches your email within 24 hours

    [1] AACNchecked

  13. 13

    Exam fee

    $240, or $150 for AACN membersThe handbook’s own sum: $150 plus a $78 one-year membership comes to $12 less than the $240 non-member fee.

    [1][5] AACNchecked

  14. 14

    Retest and add-ons

    Retest: $170, or $125 for members, available until you pass

    [1][3] AACNchecked

  15. 15

    After a fail

    At most 4 attempts in any rolling 12 months, each at the retest price

    [1][3] AACNchecked

  16. 16

    Pass data

    2025: 71.31% of 1,593 first-time candidates passedFirst-time pass rate 71.50% in 2024, 82.80% in 2023 and 83.67% in 2022.

    [4] AACNchecked

  17. 17

    Nurses certified

    5,147 CMC-certified nurses (2025)

    [4] AACNchecked

  18. 18

    Valid for

    3 yearsIf the linked specialty certification lapses, the CMC becomes inactive automatically.

    [1][2] AACNchecked

  19. 19

    How to renew

    432 hours with acutely or critically ill adult cardiac patients in 3 years (144 in the last year) plus 25 Category A CERPs on CMC topics, or the exam; the specialty certification must stay current

    [1][2] AACNchecked

  20. 20

    Renewal fee

    By CERPs $130, or $75 for members; by exam $170, or $125

    [2] AACNchecked

  21. 21

    Outline in force

    Revised test plan, used from November 19, 2026 and built on AACN’s 2025 study of practiceExams taken through November 18, 2026 follow the previous plan.

    [6][7][8] AACN · AACN newsroomchecked

  22. 22

    Outline split

    Cardiovascular Conditions 21% · Non-Cardiovascular Conditions 21% · Therapeutic Interventions 44% · Monitoring and Diagnostics 14%

    [6] AACNchecked

  23. 23

    Previous outline

    For exams through November 18, 2026: Cardiovascular Conditions 23%, Non-Cardiovascular Conditions 23%, Therapeutic Interventions 39%, Monitoring and Diagnostics 16%

    [1] AACNchecked

  24. 24

    Latest change

    The November 19, 2026 plan adds lines for SCAD, cardiac arrest, delirium, ARDS, temporary and durable VADs, chest tubes and drains, oxygen delivery devices, cardiac rehabilitation and cardiac MRI and CT; mixed venous gases are renamed venous blood gases (SvO2, ScvO2), the drug list grows from 7 classes to 15, and adrenal disorders leave the plan

    [1][6] AACNchecked

  25. 25

    Older study materials

    AACN says current CMC study materials remain relevant for exams on and after November 19, 2026

    [7] AACN newsroomchecked

November 18 against November 19: the two plans

When we read the top search results for this exam in early November 2026, none set the two plans side by side. Here they are, from the August 2026 handbook (PDF pp. 12–13) and the revised test plan (pp. 1–3):

  • I. Cardiovascular conditions, 23% → 21%. SCAD joins the acute coronary syndromes, cardiac arrest gets a line of its own, and hyperlipidemia is renamed dyslipidemia.
  • II. Non-cardiovascular conditions, 23% → 21%. ARDS becomes a separate line, delirium sits next to stroke, the renal line widens to fluid and acid-base balance, and adrenal disorders are dropped.
  • III. Therapeutic interventions, 39% → 44%. Temporary and durable VADs replace the LVAD line, TAVR and TMVR are named, chest drains and oxygen delivery devices arrive, cardiac rehabilitation joins palliative care, and the drug list grows to 15 drug classes, up from 7.
  • IV. Monitoring and diagnostics, 16% → 14%. The cardiovascular and respiratory lists merge, and cardiac MRI and CT are added; mixed venous gases become venous blood gases (SvO2, ScvO2).

The revised plan also prints a page of testable nursing actions, from reading a 12-lead ECG to managing temporary and durable circulatory support, temporary pacing and procedural sedation.

Review materials bought before the switch

The board states that current study materials stay useful for the revised exam (announcement). Keep them and add the new lines; the study guide lists them.

Approval, the window and where to sit it

You can sit the exam any time within the testing window after approval: currently 180 days, normally 90. Book early in the window: the longer period is described as temporary (handbook, PDF p. 9). You choose the room: a PSI testing site, or your own home with a proctor watching by webcam. A colleague or supervisor is named on the application to confirm your hours if the application is audited (handbook, PDF p. 7).

Two hours of cardiac judgment

You get 2 hours for 90 questions. Of those, 75 count and 15 are unlabeled pretest items scattered through the form. Every question is clinical judgment about an adult cardiac patient; the professional caring and ethics share that specialty exams carry is absent, because the specialty you already hold tested it (handbook, PDF p. 6). The board is moving its exams to generic drug names only, so learn the generic for each brand you hand out at work.

A raw cut of 50 of 75, for now

The cut is published as a count of scored questions, set through a modified Angoff standard-setting process (handbook, PDF p. 6). On forms taken through November 18, 2026 you pass with 50 of 75 right, about 67%, a standard in force since June 1, 2022 (cut scores).

The revised exam draws on a new pool of questions, and the study-of-practice page says the score evaluation committee determined the passing standard for it (study of practice). It does not say whether the number moved. If you test on or after November 19, open the cut-score table before test day.

“Seventy percent to pass” often repeated

A 70 percent pass mark circulates in forums and prep material. The cut-score table shows 50 of 75 for current forms, which is 67%.

Your result, before you leave

Result: displayed by the testing computer when the session ends; a detailed score report reaches your email within 24 hours. A failing candidate gets the same report; use it to aim the retest.

First-time pass rates, 2022 to 2025

AACN counts first-time candidates only (exam statistics):

  • 2025: 71.31% of 1,593 candidates tested
  • 2024: 71.50%
  • 2023: 82.80%
  • 2022: 83.67%

That is a fall of about twelve points between 2022 and 2025 (our arithmetic). The board gives no reason; its table shows the number of candidates growing over the same years. The credential is held by 5,147 nurses (2025). How these first-time rates compare with the counts other boards publish is explained on the home page.

Retesting within a rolling year

The board allows at most 4 attempts in any rolling 12 months, each at the retest price. That price ($170, or $125 for members) stays available until you pass (FAQ), so a second attempt costs less than the first.

Renewal: cardiac hours, then CERPs or the exam

The credential runs 3 years. Renewal takes 432 hours with acutely or critically ill adult cardiac patients in 3 years (144 in the last year) plus 25 Category A CERPs on CMC topics, or the exam; the specialty certification must stay current. The practice hours apply to both routes; the exam only replaces the CERPs (renewal handbook, p. 4).

  • By CERPs: $130, or $75 for members
  • By exam: $170, or $125 for members
  • Inactive status, if the hours fall short: $145, or $55 for members

Specialty credentials such as CCRN (Adult) ask for 432 h + 100 CERPs; this one asks for 25 Category A CERPs, all of them on cardiology topics. Renewal across the board's other credentials is compared on one page.

Short sets between cardiac admissions

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Cardiac subspecialty: fees, eligibility, review

  • CMCAACN cardiac medicine subspecialty: format, revised plan, fees, who qualifies
  • CMC practice testPractice questions on the revised plan, each option explained
  • CMC costMember and non-member fees, retest, renewal, whether dues pay back
  • CMC eligibilitySpecialty certification, license and two cardiac hour routes
  • CMC study guideDevices and drugs first, the lines the revised plan added, AACN's reading list

Cardiac medicine exam rules people ask about

Which test plan applies if I applied before November 19, 2026?

Your test date decides it, not the application date. Exams taken through November 18, 2026 follow the older plan, and exams taken from November 19 follow the revised one (announcement).

How does the first-time pass rate compare with other AACN exams?

In 2025, 71.31% of first-time candidates passed, close to the CCRN (Adult) rate and well above the 52.2% of the cardiac surgery subspecialty that year.

Can I renew by exam if my practice hours fall short?

No. The cardiac practice hours are required for renewal either way; the exam replaces only the CERPs. A nurse without the hours can apply for inactive status instead (renewal handbook).

Sources

all read Nov 11, 2026

  1. [1]AACN: CMC Exam Handbook, August 2026 (PDF), pp. 1–8, 12–13 aacn.org
  2. [2]AACN: CMC Renewal Handbook, July 2026 (PDF), pp. ii–iii, 3–6 aacn.org
  3. [3]AACN: CMC and CSC frequently asked questions aacn.org
  4. [4]AACN: yearly pass-rate table and cut-score page aacn.org
  5. [5]AACN: CMC (Adult) certification page aacn.org
  6. [6]AACN: CMC Test Plan for exams on or after November 19, 2026 (PDF), pp. 1–3 aacn.org
  7. [7]AACN newsroom: revised CMC and CSC exams launch November 19, 2026 aacn.org
  8. [8]AACN: CMC study of practice aacn.org