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Changed : New exam content outline; passing score · BCEN

TCRN requirements, easy to meet, hard to pass

Requirements · TCRN · handbook and statistics read Nov 11, 2026

The board checks one thing before approving an application: the nursing license. No hours, no course, no employer letter. The difficulty sits in the exam itself, and the board's own counts show it.

Start the TCRN practice testTCRN overview

What BCEN checks, and what it only suggests

From the board's eligibility page, FAQ, statistics page and the candidate handbook, read November 11, 2026.

  1. 01

    Before you apply

    An unrestricted, current RN license from the US, Canada, Australia or a US territory (a foreign equivalent goes through BCEN’s CGFNS review); no hours, course or TNCC are requiredBCEN recommends two years of trauma nursing at about 1,000 hours a year, plus 20–30 hours of trauma coursework.

    [1][2] BCENchecked

  2. 02

    When you can test

    Any day PSI has a seat, within 90 days of BCEN approving the application

    [1][3] BCENchecked

  3. 03

    Passing mark

    96 of 150 scored questions (64%), in effect since November 29, 2025The previous outline required 104 of 150. BCEN sets the mark with the Angoff method and equates forms; it is not graded on a curve.

    [4][5] BCEN · BCEN blogchecked

  4. 04

    After a fail

    Wait 90 days between attempts and reapply each time; the $200 retest price applies for a year after the first exam

    [1][4][6] BCENchecked

Passing score before and after the new outline [4][5]
ExamBeforeNowStatus
TCRN104 of 15096 of 150Changed

The license is the whole requirement

The handbook asks for a current RN license with no restriction (candidate handbook, p. 5). A license from outside the listed countries goes through a credential review first.

Experience is a recommendation, shown in the table above. No proof of it is asked for, so a new trauma nurse can apply. Whether that is wise is a different question: the outline reaches from prehospital care to rehabilitation, and few units see all of it.

A recommendation read as a rule often repeated

A minimum of trauma experience, or TNCC, is often described as a requirement for this exam. BCEN calls the experience a recommendation, suggests trauma coursework without naming any course, and requires neither (candidate handbook, p. 5).

Where the TCRN pass mark sits

You pass by answering 96 of 150 scored items correctly (64%). It is a fixed standard tied to the content; how other candidates do on the same day does not move it. When the current outline took effect on Nov 29, 2025, the mark changed from 104 of 150; prep pages that still quote the old number predate that change (FAQ on bcen.org, checked November 11, 2026).

Four years of BCEN pass counts

The board publishes exams delivered, passed and failed for each calendar year, not a pass rate (exam statistics). The shares in brackets are our arithmetic: passes as a share of all passes and fails:

  • 2025: 1,260 passed, 884 failed (58.8%); 2,333 exams delivered.
  • 2024: 1,142 passed, 787 failed (59.2%).
  • 2023: 1,093 passed, 667 failed (62.1%).
  • 2022: 967 passed, 705 failed (57.8%).

Three cautions. These are exams, not people, and repeat attempts are counted, so none of the figures is a first-time pass rate. In 2025 more exams were delivered than passed or failed, and the board does not say why, so the share uses exams with a result. And nearly all of these exams, 2025 included, were taken under the previous outline and pass mark. Every board on this hub counts differently; the comparison is on the home page.

Ready to apply? A check by domain

Answer honestly for each domain; a "no" marks where to study first.

  • Head and neck: could you manage a patient with a rising ICP and a cervical cord injury through a shift? Head and neck.
  • Trunk and pelvis: can you tell which chest tube, FAST or pelvic finding sends a patient to the OR? Chest, abdomen and pelvis.
  • Musculoskeletal and wound: do you know the early signs of a compartment syndrome and how an amputated part travels? Musculoskeletal and wound.
  • Special populations: could you start burn fluids, assess a pregnant trauma patient and collect evidence correctly? Special populations.
  • Continuum of care: can you run a massive transfusion and follow the same patient to discharge or organ donation? Continuum of care.
  • Professional practice: do you know how your program measures under-triage? Professional practice.

When the application is in

Practice on your phone

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Next stops for TCRN candidates

  • TCRNWhat the trauma board exam covers, who can sit it, fees and scoring
  • TCRN practice testMixed trauma items in outline proportions, a reason for each choice
  • TCRN exam factsFormat, booking, results on the day, retest wait and renewal
  • TCRN costExam, STN and military prices, retest against Test Assurance, renewal
  • TCRN study guideA plan by item counts, the 2026 resource list, guideline editions

TCRN eligibility questions

Can a newly licensed RN sit the TCRN?

Yes, if the license is current and unrestricted. The board suggests trauma experience first but does not verify it.

Are these pass shares first-time pass rates?

No. BCEN counts every exam taken in the year, repeat attempts included, and publishes counts rather than a rate. The 58.8% figure for 2025 is our division of those counts.

Sources

all read Nov 11, 2026

  1. [1]BCEN: Candidate Handbook (PDF), pp. 5–7, 15 bcen.org
  2. [2]BCEN: TCRN eligibility bcen.org
  3. [3]BCEN: TCRN exam delivery bcen.org
  4. [4]BCEN: TCRN FAQs bcen.org
  5. [5]BCEN blog: updating the TCRN certification exam bcen.org
  6. [6]BCEN: TCRN cost bcen.org