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An independent study site · every fact links to the exam bodyFacts last checked: November 2026
Nurse Leader & Educator Certs

Fees · checked Nov 6, 2026

What the CNML costs, member or not

Facts checked against aonl.org and psionlinestore.com · Last checked Nov 6, 2026 · Not affiliated with ANCC, ANA, AONL, NLN or AACN.

On November 6, 2026 the exam cost $300 for AONL members and $425–$450 for everyone else. The association's own pages print two different non-member prices, so the checkout decides. A second reschedule, a retake and renewal sit on top.

Open the CNML practice test60 questions, mixed domainsNurse executive certification

In numbers

AONL member fee
$300
non-member fee
$425–$450
AONL dues
$249 a year3AONL membership: $249 for one year (full U.S.)
renewal, non-member
$2752$275, or $200 for AONL members

CNML fees with sources

Table 1.CNML facts with the document each one comes from. Checked Nov 6, 2026. Prices change; each row carries its checked date. The handbook prints no fee and refers you to the association's website.
FactDetailSourceChecked
Exam fee$425–$450, or $300 for AONL membersAONL’s CNML page says $425 for non-members and its FAQ says $450 (both checked November 6, 2026); the price at checkout decides.as of Nov 6, 2026 · AONL’s own pages give $425 and $450 for non-membersAONL: Certified Nurse Manager and Leader (CNML) · AONL: CNML FAQ12
Membership for the discountAONL membership: $249 for one year (full U.S.)Joining only for the exam saves $125–$150 on the fee and costs $249.as of Nov 6, 2026 · dues change; check before joiningAONL: membership3
Testing windowSchedule and take the exam within 90 days of applyingMissing the window forfeits the application and all fees.AONL-CC: CNML Candidate Handbook, revised May 2025 (PDF)4
Other feesSecond reschedule $100 (the first is free at least 2 business days ahead); testing outside the U.S. costs extraAONL-CC: CNML Candidate Handbook, revised May 2025 (PDF)4
RetakesAfter at least 90 days, up to 4 attempts in 2 years, each with a new applicationAONL-CC: CNML Candidate Handbook, revised May 2025 (PDF) · AONL: CNML FAQ24
Renewal fee$275, or $200 for AONL membersAONL: CNML FAQ2
Prep from the certifying bodyPSI practice exam: 100 questions with explanations, $115 AONL member price, 90-day access, one attempt; AONL CNML review coursesPSI: CNML practice exam (AONL member price) · AONL: CNML review courses56

The bill, start to finish

  1. Exam: $300 with membership, $425–$450 without.
  2. Dues, if you join: $249 a year.
  3. Moving your date: one free reschedule with two business days' notice, then a paid second one. Letting the testing window lapse is worse: the application and its fees are gone.
  4. A second attempt: a waiting period first and a cap on attempts in two years (both in the table), each attempt with a new application and fee.
  5. Renewal: every 3 years, at the member or non-member renewal fee in the table, unless you renew by passing the exam again.
  6. Prep: optional; the certifier's own products are in the table, others below.

Is joining AONL worth it for the exam alone?

Joining for one year only to get the member price, with fees as of Nov 6, 2026:

  1. Member exam fee $300

  2. One year of AONL dues $249 a year

    full U.S. membership

  3. Member route, total $549

  4. Non-member exam fee $425–$450

  5. Extra outlay if you join just for this exam $99–$124

Membership pays off only if you would join anyway. Renewal three years later is $75 cheaper for members, if you are still one then.

Where the money is lost

  • The window. Booking near the end of the window leaves no room for a reschedule; book the seat the week you are approved.
  • A retake. With pass rates near two in three, budget for the chance of a second attempt, and the wait before it.
  • A lapsed credential. Miss renewal and the way back is the exam itself, at the exam price (handbook, p. 16).

Prep that costs, and prep that does not

Two kinds of paid prep exist: PSI's practice exam, priced in the table at the AONL member rate, and AONL's review courses. You can test without either. AONL's 2023 reference list names textbooks worth borrowing before you buy. Before paying for a course, run through the practice test and spend only on the domains it exposes. For fees across the manager and executive exams on this site: nurse executive certification.

More on the CNML

  • CNMLAONL's exam for unit nurse managers: format, domains, eligibility
  • CNML practice test60 unit-level questions in the five domains’ proportions
  • CNML exam factsEligibility by hours, format, raw pass mark, pass rates, retakes, renewal
  • CNML study guidePlan by the 2023 outline weights, AONL's prep and reading list, stale material

The CNML outline

Find your weak domain first

The same CNML questions with every option explained, in a study app.

App StoreGoogle Play

CNML fees, quick answers

Why are there two non-member prices?

On Nov 6, 2026 the exam's landing page and its FAQ gave different non-member prices, the two ends of the $425–$450 range. We print both; the price at checkout is the one you pay.

Will my employer pay?

Some employers reimburse certification fees, sometimes only after a pass. Ask HR before you register so the receipt goes where it needs to.

Does a retake cost less?

No discount is listed: every attempt starts with a fresh application.

Sources

  1. AONL: Certified Nurse Manager and Leader (CNML) aonl.org · checked Nov 6, 2026
  2. AONL: CNML FAQ aonl.org · checked Nov 6, 2026
  3. AONL: membership aonl.org · checked Nov 6, 2026
  4. AONL-CC: CNML Candidate Handbook, revised May 2025 (PDF) aonl.org · checked Nov 6, 2026
  5. PSI: CNML practice exam (AONL member price) psionlinestore.com · checked Nov 6, 2026
  6. AONL: CNML review courses aonl.org · checked Nov 6, 2026

Each figure is reread against its document on a fixed cycle, and the date beside a source is its latest pass. Where a number here and the document part ways, the document wins (how corrections happen).