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Steady: outline 2021–22 job analysis · ABNN

SCRN exam facts, from application to renewal

Exam facts · candidate handbooks 2026 and 2027

Every exam rule in one place, taken from the board's candidate handbooks for both years and its 2026 recertification handbook. Side by side, the 2027 handbook repeats the 2026 outline, fees and format; only the window dates moved.

Start the SCRN practice testSCRN overview

The rules as ABNN states them

Sources: 2026 handbook, 2027 handbook, recertification handbook, exam page; read Nov 11, 2026.

  1. 01

    Awarded by

    American Board of Neuroscience Nursing (ABNN)

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  2. 02

    Before you apply

    An unrestricted, current RN license (US, Canada or a US territory) plus 2,080 hours (one year full time) of direct or indirect stroke nursing in the last 3 yearsIndirect practice means stroke-related supervision, teaching, administration, research or consultation. ABNN audits 5% of applications at random.

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  3. 03

    Total questions

    170 multiple-choice questions150 count toward the score; 20 more are unscored pretest questions, unmarked among the rest.

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  4. 04

    Question type

    Four answer choices (A–D) with a single best answer; flagging and revisiting questions is allowed

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  5. 05

    Time allowed

    3 hours

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  6. 06

    How you sit it

    PSI test center, or online at home with a live PSI proctor (LRP)PSI has roughly 300 testing sites, in the US and other countries.

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  7. 07

    When you can test

    Three testing windows a year: February 1–28, May 1–31 and September 1–30Application deadlines for 2027 are January 7, April 1 and August 5. A window cannot be extended or postponed, and PSI will not book a seat on its last day.

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  8. 08

    Passing mark

    Scaled score of 200; the raw cut stays privateThe raw passing score of each form is set equal to 200, so forms of slightly different difficulty share one scale.

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  9. 09

    Score report

    Pass or fail, with your scaled score and the pass point, shown at the test center or emailed after a remote exam

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  10. 10

    After a fail

    One attempt per window and no more than 3 in 12 months; each try means reapplying and paying the full feeABNN has no reduced retest price.

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  11. 11

    Valid for

    5 years, ending December 31 of the fifth yearA nurse who passes in 2027 holds the SCRN through December 31, 2032.

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  12. 12

    How to renew

    Over 5 years: 4,160 hours of stroke nursing plus a retake of the exam or 50 CE hours, or 2,500 hours plus 75 CE hoursAll CE must be stroke related, with at least 20 (50-hour route) or 30 (75-hour route) in stroke nursing education.

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Windows and deadlines

Windows: February 1–28, May 1–31 and September 1–30, every year. Application deadlines for 2027: January 7, April 1 and August 5, 2027.

Once approved, you book a PSI date that falls within the window. A window cannot be extended or postponed, so a candidate who cannot test applies again for a later one. Withdrawal terms are on cost.

Who qualifies: license plus stroke hours

Requirement: RN + 2,080 h in 3 years; the license has to be unrestricted and in force.

Indirect practice means supervising, teaching, administration, research or consultation related to stroke. Hours do not have to come from a stroke unit; an ED or ICU nurse who cares for stroke patients counts the time spent on them. The board picks applications for audit at random and then asks for the license and proof of the hours.

What a question looks like

Of the 170 questions, 150 count; the remaining 20 are pretest items for future forms, mixed in unmarked.

Item format: Four answer choices (A–D) with a single best answer; flagging and revisiting questions is allowed.

The clock gives 3 hours for the whole set.

The outline puts patients of any age in scope, so expect occasional pediatric items (handbook, pp. 18–19).

Item counts by outline section

The outline has been used since the September 2023 window (2021–22 job analysis) and the 2027 handbook keeps it. Study pages for each section are linked from the exam overview.

  1. Anatomy, Physiology, and Pathophysiology of Stroke

    28 items18.7%

  2. Hyperacute Care

    42 items28.0%

  3. Acute Care

    42 items28.0%

  4. Post-acute Care

    19 items12.7%

  5. Primary and Secondary Preventative Care

    19 items12.7%

In the order the board lists them; bars on one scale[2][3]

Source: ABNN 2026 SCRN candidate handbook, p. 20.

Your result on the day

Result: Pass or fail, with your scaled score and the pass point, shown at the test center or emailed after a remote exam. The pass point is scaled 200 on every form; pass rate explains the scale and gives four years of results.

One attempt per window

Retake rule: Full fee, 3 tries a year, one attempt per window. There is no reduced retest price, and a retake is a fresh application before that window's deadline. In practice the earliest second attempt is the next window, three to five months later.

Renewal in the fifth year

An SCRN lasts 5 years, ending December 31 of the fifth year; renewal applications are accepted only in the fifth year of the cycle. There are three ways to renew, each with stroke nursing practice hours counted over the five years (recertification handbook, pp. 1–4):

  1. 4,160 practice hours and passing the exam again
  2. 4,160 practice hours and 50 CE hours
  3. 2,500 practice hours and 75 CE hours

All continuing education must be stroke related, and part of it has to be stroke nursing education specifically. The renewal fee depends on AANN membership and on how early you apply: renewal fees. Note that choosing the exam route and failing closes the CE route for that renewal.

Before the application deadline

Practice on your phone

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Other SCRN rules and numbers

  • SCRNThe board credential for stroke nurses, in every phase of care
  • SCRN practice test60 stroke nursing items balanced like the real exam, every option explained
  • SCRN costExam fee, the AANN discount, retakes at full price and renewal fees
  • SCRN pass rateYearly counts 2021–2024, all takers, and the scaled 200 pass point
  • SCRN study guideA review plan built on the item counts and the testing windows

SCRN rules, short answers

When are the SCRN exam dates in 2027?

The windows are February 1–28, May 1–31 and September 1–30; apply by January 7, April 1 and August 5, 2027 respectively.

Is a nursing license from outside the US accepted?

Licenses issued in the US, Canada or a US territory are accepted as they are; a license from outside the US, Canada or a US territory must first be checked for equivalency by CGFNS, WES or ERES (handbook, p. 3).

Can the credential be renewed without retaking the exam?

Yes. Two of the three routes use practice hours plus continuing education instead of the exam.

Sources

all read Nov 11, 2026

  1. [1]ABNN: 2026 SCRN Candidate Handbook (PDF), pp. 3–4, 11, 14–22 abnncertification.org
  2. [2]ABNN: SCRN exam page (FAQ and exam statistics) abnncertification.org
  3. [3]ABNN: 2027 SCRN Candidate Handbook (PDF), pp. 3–4, 14–16 abnncertification.org
  4. [4]ABNN: 2026 SCRN Recertification Handbook (PDF), pp. 1–4, 7 abnncertification.org