CCRN (Adult) Passing Score Explained: What a Pass Actually Takes
A raw cut score of 83 correct, 25 unscored pretest items and a pass mark that is not a percentage — here is how the CCRN (Adult) is actually marked.
- 125Scored items
- 25Unscored
- 72.02%Pass rate
- 180Minutes
Table of Contents
What the passing standard actually is
AACN does not mark this exam as a simple percentage. The published standard is: 83 of the 125 scored items correct (a raw cut score, exams from 12 November 2025). It is a raw count of correct answers, not a scaled score. AACN sets it with the modified Angoff method: a panel of subject matter experts rates the difficulty of every question, and a psychometrician turns those ratings into the cut. 83 of 125 is about 66%, but AACN states it as a raw number, and it can change when the exam is updated or new forms are equated for difficulty.
The score maths
| Items presented | 150 |
| Items that count | 125 |
| Items that do not count | 25 |
| Average time per item | 1.2 minutes |
| Passing standard | 83 of the 125 scored items correct (a raw cut score, exams from 12 November 2025) |
There is no scaled score on this exam. What decides the result is the number of scored questions you answer correctly, and the line is 83. You can miss up to 42 of the 125 scored items and still pass. Your score report also shows the number correct in each content area, but AACN is explicit that a strong showing in some areas does not rescue a total below the cut.
Why some questions do not count
Of the 150 items in front of you, 125 are scored and 25 are pretest items being trialled for future forms. They are not flagged. You cannot tell which is which, and the sensible response is to stop trying — treating a strange question as a possible pretest item is a good way to talk yourself out of answering a scored one properly.
The practical effect is that your effective margin is narrower than the raw item count suggests. Every point has to come from the 125 that count.
What the pass rate tells you
Published figures: 72.02% first-time pass rate (2025), after 72.74% in 2024 and 81.2% in 2023; 17,151 candidates tested in 2025. More than one first-time candidate in four does not reach 83.
Read that as a description of the candidate pool rather than of the exam. Cohorts for credentials with hard eligibility gates are already filtered — everyone sitting has the licence, the degree and the hours. A pass rate in that range does not mean the exam is easy for the general public; it means most people who were allowed to sit it had done the work.
What this means for your study plan
Three things follow from how this exam is marked.
Stop chasing a percentage. The real line is 83 of 125, about 66%, but a practice bank is not calibrated to AACN’s item difficulty, so a practice score of 72% is not a prediction. What a practice score is good for is finding the domains where you are weak.
Answer everything. There is no negative marking on this style of exam, so an unanswered item is a guaranteed zero where a guess is not. Candidates lose real points to the clock, not to the content.
Work in volume, not in re-reading. Recognition feels like knowledge and is not. The only reliable signal that you are ready is a large number of unfamiliar questions answered correctly under time pressure.
That last part is what a question bank is for. Practise CCRN (Adult) questions free, then work the domains your results expose.
FAQ
What is the passing score for the CCRN (Adult)?
83 of the 125 scored items correct (a raw cut score, exams from 12 November 2025)
How many questions can I get wrong on the CCRN (Adult)?
You need 83 of the 125 scored items right, so you can miss up to 42 of them. The 25 pretest items do not count either way, but you cannot tell which they are, so treat every question as scored.
What is the CCRN (Adult) pass rate?
72.02% first-time pass rate (2025), after 72.74% in 2024 and 81.2% in 2023. The pass rate is not the pass mark, which is 83 of 125 scored items.
Do unanswered questions count against me on the CCRN (Adult)?
An unanswered item scores zero, and there is no penalty for a wrong guess, so there is never a reason to leave one blank. Watch the clock and make sure every item has an answer before time expires.
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from the certifying body, not from a third-party summary:
- https://www.aacn.org/certification/get-certified/ccrn-adult
- https://www.aacn.org/newsroom/revised-ccrn-exams-launch-nov-12-2025
- https://www.aacn.org/certification/preparation-tools-and-handbooks/exam-stats-and-scores
- https://www.aacn.org/-/media/aacn-website/certification/get-certified/handbooks/certpolicyhndbk.pdf
Checked October 9, 2026. Fees and eligibility rules change; confirm against AACN before you pay anything.