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Now PracticingBoard certification reference for practicing RNs

Psychiatric nurse certification: PMH-BC (ANCC) for RNs

Last checked Set against ANCC: Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Certification page and 11 further documents listed in Sources

questions, 125 of them scored
150
to answer them
3 h
scaled pass mark
350 of 500
list price, Nov 2026
$395

ANCC page[1] ANCC outline 2024[3] ANCC handbook 2025[2]

For a registered nurse, psychiatric nurse certification usually means PMH-BC, the board credential ANCC awards for psychiatric-mental health nursing at RN scope. It fits nurses on inpatient psychiatric units, in outpatient and community mental health, and in crisis services. You qualify through licensure, RN experience, 2,000 recent clinical hours and 30 CE hours in the specialty, then pass a 150-question exam at a Prometric center; the credential lasts 5 years.

Start the free PMH-BC practice testThe PMH-BC study guide
On this page 10 sections
  1. The psychiatric RN credential in brief
  2. Which nurses hold it, and at what scope
  3. Requirements to sit the exam
  4. PMH-BC or PMHNP-BC: staff nurse or prescriber
  5. Renewal, and the rule change on February 1, 2027
  6. Warm-up: one question from each part of the outline 4
  7. Practice set, study guide, exam rules, booking
  8. Other ANCC specialty credentials
  9. Before you apply for PMH-BC 4
  10. Sources

The psychiatric RN credential in brief

FactDetailSource
Exam ownerANCC, short for American Nurses Credentialing Center, a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association.ANCC page[1] ANCC handbook 2025[2]
CredentialPMH-BC, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse – Board Certified.ANCC page[1]
Who it is forRegistered nurses in psychiatric-mental health settings, at RN scope: the outline covers nursing assessment, care planning and medication monitoring, not prescribing.ANCC page[1] ANCC outline 2024[3]
AccreditationABSNC, the board that accredits specialty nursing certifications. The exam page names ABSNC as the accreditor of this certification; ANCC adds NCCA accreditation only for its APRN credentials and some RN ones.ANCC page[1] ANCC renewal handbook 2027[4]
Who can sitActive RN license; 2 years' full-time RN experience or its equivalent; 2,000 clinical hours in psychiatric-mental health nursing during the past 3 years; 30 CE hours in psychiatric-mental health nursing over that same span. ANCC expects every criterion satisfied before the application goes in and grants no waivers.ANCC page[1]
Questions150 questionsANCC page[1] ANCC outline 2024[3]
Exam time3 hours. The handbook's 3.5-hour and 4-hour figures describe most ANCC exams in general, with check-in and a practice session counted in the 4 hours.ANCC page[1]
Passing score350 or higher on ANCC's scaled range, 500 being the maximum. ANCC does not translate 350 into a percent correct; the "70%" seen on prep sites is a guess, not a published figure.ANCC handbook 2025[2]
First-time pass rate71% in 2025: 972 of 1,366 first-time takers passed. 2024: again 71% (976 of 1,382). ANCC reports first attempts per calendar year.ANCC data 2025[5] ANCC data 2024[6]
Exam fee$395 list; $295 with ANA, $340 with ISPN, $220 with APNA membership. ANA e-membership does not count, discounts do not stack, and member pricing is lost unless you claim it within five working days of applying.ANCC page[1]
Credential valid for5 years from the date of passing, once documentation is complete.ANCC page[1] ANCC handbook 2025[2]
Renewal cycleA 5-year cycle; ANCC takes the renewal application as early as 12 months ahead of the expiration date. No grace period exists, and ANCC will not backdate a renewal to close a gap in certification dates, so file before the end date.ANCC page[1] ANCC renewal handbook 2027[4]
Credential holders10,900 nurses held the credential on December 31, 2025.ANCC data 2025[5]

Every row checked Nov 14, 2026. Sources: ANCC's PMH-BC page, the 2024 outline, the handbook and the 2025 data. Retest rules: exam facts; prices and booking steps on registration.

Where the pass mark sits on the scale ANCC handbook 2025[2]

A scaled result: neither a count of right answers nor a percentage.

Which nurses hold it, and at what scope

The credential is built for RNs whose caseload is mostly psychiatric: inpatient psychiatric and behavioral health units, outpatient and community programs, and crisis services. According to ANCC's latest data, 10,900 nurses held the credential on December 31, 2025.

The exam is pitched at the registered nurse role (RN specialty, not NP). Questions ask what a staff nurse does: assess and document, plan care with the client, keep the unit safe and therapeutic, give medication and watch for its effects, teach, and judge whether the plan is working. Choosing or changing a drug is not part of that role, so an option that does either is usually the wrong one. For the four outline domains, see the study guide.

Similar letters, different credentials

Searches for psychiatric nursing certification mix this credential with the nurse practitioner ones. PMH-BC is not PMHNP-BC (the psychiatric nurse practitioner exam from the same body), not PMHNP-C (the AANPCB equivalent) and not PMHCNS-BC, a clinical nurse specialist credential now open only for renewal. Neither APNA nor ISPN gives this exam; membership in either only lowers the fee.

Documents behind these figures: ANCC data 2025[5] ANCC page[1] ANCC outline 2024[3]

Requirements to sit the exam

All four conditions must be in place on the day you apply:

  • Active RN license;
  • RN practice of 2 years full-time;
  • psychiatric-mental health clinical hours, 2,000 h in 3 years;
  • specialty CE, 30 hours in 3 years.

The table below gives each rule in full.

No degree is named, so a diploma, associate or bachelor's RN qualifies on the same terms. The hours have to be clinical and recent, which matters for nurses who moved into psychiatry from another unit or left it for a while: count only what falls inside the window the rule sets. Keep a record of where you worked; the table says what an audit asks for.

The usual route is licensure, then RN experience with at least part of it on a psychiatric unit or team, then specialty CE, the application and the exam. How to book is covered under registration.

  • LicenseCurrent, active RN license; U.S. states and territories qualify, as does a legally recognized license from abroadANCC page[1]
  • RN experience2 years of RN work at full-time level, or the equivalentANCC page[1]
  • Specialty practice hours2,000 or more clinical hours in psychiatric-mental health nursing, logged during the 3 years before applying. In an audit, ANCC asks for a supervisor's letter on employer letterhead confirming those hours; self-employed nurses send a notarized statement.ANCC page[1] ANCC handbook 2025[2]
  • CE before applying30 contact hours of continuing education in psychiatric-mental health nursing completed within the last 3 yearsANCC page[1]
  • Degree requiredNone on ANCC's list; licensure and specialty hours qualify you, not a particular nursing degreeANCC page[1]

Every row checked Nov 14, 2026. Eligibility as listed on ANCC's exam page, read Nov 14, 2026.

PMH-BC or PMHNP-BC: staff nurse or prescriber

The two sound alike and both come from ANCC, but they certify different jobs. PMH-BC is a specialty credential for a registered nurse; PMHNP-BC certifies an advanced practice nurse who has finished graduate nurse practitioner training.

  • Who sits it: PMH-BC needs an RN license plus the specialty hours and CE listed above; PMHNP-BC needs an accredited PMHNP program at graduate level that included 500+ clinical hours under faculty supervision.
  • Exam size: PMH-BC has 150 questions in 3 hours; PMHNP-BC has 175 (150 scored) questions in 3.5 hours.
  • What it covers: PMH-BC questions stay within what a staff RN does; the NP exam covers the practitioner role.

If you are an NP student or a practicing psychiatric NP, this page is not your exam; this site covers the RN credential only.

FactDetailSource
Not the same examNot PMHNP-BC (ANCC's nurse practitioner exam across the lifespan), PMHNP-C (AANPCB's nurse practitioner exam) or PMHCNS-BC (ANCC's clinical nurse specialist credential, now open only for renewal); also unrelated to PMH-C, a perinatal mental health credential from Postpartum Support International, and to CPMHN(C), which the Canadian Nurses Association awards to nurses licensed in Canada. Both PMHNP exams need graduate nurse practitioner training; PMH-BC rests on RN licensure plus psychiatric nursing hours.ANCC page[7] AANPCB page[8] ANCC data 2025[5] PSI page[9] CNA page[10] CNA eligibility[11]
The NP-level examPMHNP-BC, ANCC's psychiatric nurse practitioner exam, requires a completed, accredited PMHNP program (lifespan focus; a master's, a DNP or a post-graduate certificate) that included 500 or more clinical hours under faculty supervision; the exam runs 175 questions, 25 of them unscored, over 3.5 hours. Its list, ANA, APNA and ISPN prices are the same as PMH-BC's ($395, $295, $220, $340); the NP exam adds AANP ($340), AANP student ($290) and GAPNA ($340) member rates. Its 2025 first-attempt pass rate was 82% (8,840 of 10,743).ANCC page[7] ANCC data 2025[5]

Every row checked Nov 14, 2026. From ANCC's PMH-BC and PMHNP-BC pages and the AANPCB exam list, read Nov 14, 2026.

Documents behind these figures: ANCC page[1] ANCC outline 2024[3]

Renewal, and the rule change on February 1, 2027

The credential stays valid for 5 years from the date of passing, once documentation is complete, and you can file for renewal ahead of the expiry date (the table says how early). Which rules apply depends on the date you file:

  • filed by January 31, 2027, a renewal needs 75 CE hours + one of 8 categories (September 2025 handbook);
  • filed from February 1, 2027, it needs 75 CE hours + 1 of 3 pathways (new handbook).

Retaking and passing the exam counts as one of the current categories but is not among the 2027 pathways. If your certification expires after January 2028, you cannot file before February 1, 2027, so plan on continuing education plus a practice or scholarship activity rather than a second sitting.

FactDetailSource
Renewal cycleA 5-year cycle; ANCC takes the renewal application as early as 12 months ahead of the expiration date. No grace period exists, and ANCC will not backdate a renewal to close a gap in certification dates, so file before the end date.ANCC page[1] ANCC renewal handbook 2027[4]
To renew (until Jan 31, 2027)Until January 31, 2027 (September 2025 handbook): RN license, 75 specialty CE contact hours with at least 60 formally approved, and any one of 8 professional development categories done in full. Categories include academic credit, presentations, EBP or QI work, publication, research, precepting, professional service, 1,000 practice hours, or retaking and passing the exam. From January 14, 2026, activities count only if completed inside your current 5-year certification period.ANCC renewal handbook 2025[12] ANCC page[1]
To renew from Feb 1, 2027From February 1, 2027 (new renewal handbook): RN license, 75 accredited or formally approved specialty contact hours, plus one pathway: a further 75 CE hours; practice, meaning 1,000 hours of nursing work, 120 hours precepting or 120 hours volunteering; or scholarship, such as a QI or EBP project, a presentation, a publication or research. One activity from one pathway is enough. Sitting the exam again does not appear among the 2027 pathways.ANCC renewal handbook 2027[4]
Renewal fee$350; ISPN members pay $295, APNA members $250 and ANA members as little as $250. The $140 administrative charge is already part of each price.ANCC page[1]

A date tag marks a rule that takes effect on that day. Every row checked Nov 14, 2026. From ANCC's current renewal handbook and the handbook effective February 1, 2027, read Nov 14, 2026.

Documents behind these figures: ANCC handbook 2025[2]

Warm-up: one question from each part of the outline

Answered 0 of 4Matched the key: 0

  • I. Assessment & Diagnosis 22%
  • II. Planning 21%
  • III. Implementation 46%
  • IV. Evaluation 10%
Assessment & Diagnosis · 22%Question 1 of 4

A client says the news anchor is sending her personal messages through the television. The nurse documents this finding as:

Each of the 4 choices opens onto the reasoning behind it.

  1. Loose associations
    Why A is wrong. Loose associations describe disorganized speech that drifts between unrelated ideas. The statement is a coherent, if false, belief, so it is a content problem rather than a form problem.
  2. Ideas of reference
    Why B is right. The client reads a private message into an ordinary broadcast meant for everyone; finding personal meaning in unrelated events is an idea of reference.
  3. Thought broadcasting
    Why C is wrong. Thought broadcasting runs the other way: the client believes their own thoughts leak out so others can hear them. The television here is sending, not receiving.
  4. Thought insertion
    Why D is wrong. Thought insertion is the belief that an outside force has planted thoughts in the mind; this client describes messages received, not foreign thoughts.
Planning · 21%Question 2 of 4

An Orthodox Jewish woman admitted for anxiety asks that male staff not touch her during care. The most appropriate response is to:

  1. explain that staff gender can't be chosen.
    Why A is wrong. Saying staff gender can't be chosen treats a reasonable religious request as an inconvenience; most units can assign a female nurse for touch-based care.
  2. proceed, explaining why touch is needed.
    Why B is wrong. Touching her over a stated objection ignores her consent, and explaining the purpose of touch does not resolve a modesty rule about who may touch her.
  3. arrange female staff for hands-on care.
    Why C is right. Matching the caregiver's gender honors a religious modesty rule at little cost to care, and it protects trust early in the admission.
  4. ask her husband to attend all care.
    Why D is wrong. Having her husband attend all care limits her privacy and was not what she asked for; the request concerns staff gender, not a chaperone.
Implementation · 46%Question 3 of 4

A nurse gives PRN lorazepam to an anxious client at 1400. Which follow-up is required?

  1. Reassess and chart the effect within an hour
    Why A is right. A PRN dose is an intervention whose result must be checked and recorded; for an oral anxiolytic that follow-up is due within about 30 to 60 minutes.
  2. Chart only the time the dose was given to the client
    Why B is wrong. Recording the time alone leaves no evidence of whether the drug helped, and it gives the next nurse nothing to base a repeat dose on.
  3. Reassess the client at the end of the shift
    Why C is wrong. Waiting until the end of the shift is too late to catch oversedation or a lack of effect from the 1400 dose.
  4. Give another dose at 1430 if still anxious
    Why D is wrong. A second dose 30 minutes later needs its own order and minimum interval; persistent anxiety calls for reassessment first.
Evaluation · 10%Question 4 of 4

A client admitted involuntarily asks to call an attorney about the upcoming commitment hearing. The nurse should:

  1. ask the provider whether the call is clinically advisable
    Why A is wrong. Contact with legal counsel is not a clinical decision for the provider to approve, so the nurse should not hold the call for an order.
  2. allow the call once the client takes the scheduled dose
    Why B is wrong. Tying the call to taking the scheduled dose turns a legal right into a reward, which is coercive.
  3. explain that involuntary status suspends phone privileges
    Why C is wrong. Involuntary admission limits the freedom to leave; it does not remove the right to contact a lawyer or the court.
  4. help the client make the call privately and promptly
    Why D is right. An involuntarily admitted client keeps the right to consult legal counsel, and a call about a commitment hearing should be private and not delayed.

Practice set, study guide, exam rules, booking

PMH-BC (ANCC) practice testA free set weighted by the outline, with an explanation after every question/pmh-bc/practice-test/PMH-BC (ANCC) exam factsQuestion count, timing, scaled scoring, the 2025 pass rate and the retest rules/pmh-bc/exam-info/PMH-BC (ANCC) registrationApplication, the 120-day window, Prometric centers and every fee by membership/pmh-bc/registration/PMH-BC (ANCC) study guideThe four outline domains at RN scope, with traps and worked questions for each/pmh-bc/study-guide/

Other ANCC specialty credentials

  • AMB-BC (ANCC) Eligibility, the September 2026 outline and renewal for ambulatory care RNs

Queued in this field, not on the site yet: CV-BC, MEDSURG-BC, GERO-BC, PMGT-BC.

Before you apply for PMH-BC

Can an LPN or a newly licensed RN apply for PMH-BC?

Not yet. Practical nurses (LPN or LVN) are not eligible, since the exam requires RN licensure; a new RN must first build 2 years of RN practice at full-time level (or its equivalent) and the specialty hours shown in the requirements.

Do I need a BSN for psychiatric nurse certification through ANCC?

No. This credential lists no degree; the license, the RN experience and the psychiatric hours decide eligibility.

Does APNA certify psychiatric nurses?

No. ANCC writes and gives the exam. An APNA membership brings the price down to $220, the lowest of the member rates on the registration page.

Will PMH-BC let me make a psychiatric (DSM) diagnosis or prescribe?

No. It recognizes specialty knowledge at RN scope and does not widen what your license allows. Prescribing belongs to advanced practice roles, with their own education and their own exams.

Documents behind these figures: ANCC page[1]

Sources

  1. [1]ANCC: Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Certification (PMH-BC) page nursingworld.org; checked Nov 14, 2026
  2. [2]ANCC: Foundations of ANCC Certification: Your Essential Guide (PDF; June 2025 edition, revision 5 posted Oct 12, 2026) nursingworld.org; checked Nov 14, 2026
  3. [3]ANCC: Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Test Content Outline (PDF), effective September 16, 2024, file revised August 28, 2025 nursingworld.org; checked Nov 14, 2026
  4. [4]ANCC: Certification Renewal Handbook (PDF) for renewals from February 1, 2027 onward nursingworld.org; checked Nov 14, 2026
  5. [5]ANCC: 2025 ANCC Certification Data (PDF) nursingworld.org; checked Nov 14, 2026
  6. [6]ANCC: 2024 ANCC Certification Data (PDF), April 24, 2025 Wayback Machine snapshot web.archive.org; checked Nov 14, 2026
  7. [7]ANCC: Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC) page nursingworld.org; checked Nov 14, 2026
  8. [8]AANPCB: certification exams (PMHNP) aanpcert.org; checked Nov 14, 2026
  9. [9]Postpartum Support International: Perinatal Mental Health Certification (PMH-C) postpartum.net; checked Nov 14, 2026
  10. [10]Canadian Nurses Association: certification nursing practice specialties cna-aiic.ca; checked Nov 14, 2026
  11. [11]Canadian Nurses Association: initial exam eligibility cna-aiic.ca; checked Nov 14, 2026
  12. [12]ANCC: Certification Renewal Handbook (PDF; in force since Sept 10, 2025, reissued Feb 10, 2026 as version 2) nursingworld.org; checked Nov 14, 2026