Cost · fees read Nov 6, 2026
NE-BC fees, application to renewal
Facts checked against nursingworld.org, codeofethics.ana.org and web.archive.org · Last checked Nov 6, 2026 · Not affiliated with ANCC, ANA, AONL, NLN or AACN.
Sitting this exam costs $395, or $295 for ANA members (prices read in November 2026). That price is most of the bill over the credential's life, but not all of it: a moved window, a retest and the renewal fee can sit on top, and the ANA discount works only if you claim it in time.
Open the NE-BC practice test60 questions, mixed content domainsNurse executive certification
Price list for this exam
| Fact | Detail | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exam fee | $395, or $295 for ANA membersBoth prices include a $140 non-refundable administrative fee. The member price needs American Nurses Association membership, claimed within 5 business days after ANCC receives the application. | ANCC: Nurse Executive Certification (NE-BC)1 | |
| Membership for the discount | ANA membership; ANCC does not print the dues on its exam pagesas of Nov 6, 2026 · check ANA dues before joining for the discount | ANCC: Nurse Executive Certification (NE-BC)1 | |
| Other fees | $100 to move to a new 120-day testing window (once); Prometric may charge to reschedule or cancel | ANCC Certification Handbook, effective June 2025, version 5, Oct 12, 2026 (PDF)2 | |
| Retakes | After 60 calendar days, up to 3 attempts in any 12 months, with a new retest application and feeApply at least 5 days after the exam; eligibility is checked again. ANCC does not publish the retest fee on its exam pages, handbook or retest page. | ANCC Certification Handbook, effective June 2025, version 5, Oct 12, 2026 (PDF) · ANCC: Scores and retest application23 | |
| Renewal fee | $350, or from $250 for ANA membersIncludes the $140 administrative fee. | ANCC: Nurse Executive Certification (NE-BC)1 | |
| Prep from the certifying body | ANCC Readiness Test ($85, 60 questions in 75 minutes); Nurse Executive PracticeIQ ($149, $104 for ANA members); 25 free sample questions | ANCC: Readiness Tests · 2 more456 |
The costs in the order you meet them
- Application: $395, or $295 for ANA members. The $140 non-refundable administrative fee is inside both prices, not added to them, and is not returned if you withdraw.
- A different testing window: $100 to move to a new 120-day testing window (once); Prometric may charge to reschedule or cancel.
- A second attempt: another application, with its own fee, once the wait is over; no amount is printed (below).
- Prep: optional, from free sample questions to paid practice exams and books (below).
- Renewal: $350, or from $250 for ANA members, due at the end of the 5 years.
The ANA discount, and its deadline
The member price comes from American Nurses Association membership. The exam page prints the saving, $395 against $295, but not the dues, so check the ANA's current rate before joining for the discount alone. The renewal fee has a member price as well, so the membership counts twice if you keep it.
Timing: join before you apply, or claim the discount in the short period right after your application arrives. Later claims are refused and nothing is refunded for them (exam page).
Admin fee: inside, not extra
The $140 administrative fee is part of the exam price, not added to it: the non-member total is $395.
What a retest costs
After a fail you wait out the rule (60 days; 3 in 12 months), then apply again and pay a retest fee. On Nov 6, 2026 we looked on the exam page, the certification handbook and the scores and retest page: none prints the amount, so we do not print one either. Budget for a second application fee, and ask Customer Care before counting on a lower price.
Prep spending, mostly optional
- From the certifying body: ANCC Readiness Test ($85, 60 questions in 75 minutes); Nurse Executive PracticeIQ ($149, $104 for ANA members); 25 free sample questions.
- The ANA review manual: the Nurse Executive Review and Resource Manual (3rd edition) is sold on the exam page, with a member price, next to a note that using any course or material neither implies eligibility nor guarantees a pass.
- The reference list: twelve textbooks, several of which a hospital library may lend; which ones repay the time is on the study guide.
- Employer support: some employers pay certification fees. That is your employer's policy, not a certification or Magnet rule, so ask before you pay.
The rest of this exam guide
- NE-BCANCC's board certification for unit and department leaders
- NE-BC practice testMixed set in the current outline proportions
- NE-BC exam factsSitting, outline, pass mark, first-time results, retests
- NE-BC eligibilityDegree, leadership hours, CE, proof, and the NEA-BC choice
- NE-BC study guideA plan by the 2025 weights, the ANA manual, the reading list
The NE-BC outline
- 32%Human Resource Management
- 17%Quality and Safety
- 16%Business Management
- 35%Health Care Delivery
Sample the domains before a course
The same NE-BC questions with every option explained, in a study app.
Fees, short answers
Do I pay the full price again after a fail?
You pay a retest fee with a new application. We found no amount in any ANCC document we checked, so ask before you assume either the full or a reduced price.
Can I get the member price if I join the ANA after applying?
Only within the short claim period after your application arrives; later claims are refused and not refunded. Joining first is the safe order.
Is the Readiness Test worth buying?
It is ANCC's own 60-question practice exam, written in its item style, alongside the larger PracticeIQ bank. It is much shorter than the exam, though, so pacing practice still needs a longer set such as our practice test.
Sources
- ANCC: Nurse Executive Certification (NE-BC) nursingworld.org · checked Nov 6, 2026
- ANCC Certification Handbook, effective June 2025, version 5, Oct 12, 2026 (PDF) nursingworld.org · checked Nov 6, 2026
- ANCC: Scores and retest application nursingworld.org · checked Nov 6, 2026
- ANCC: Readiness Tests nursingworld.org · checked Nov 6, 2026
- ANCC: Nurse Executive PracticeIQ nursingworld.org · checked Nov 6, 2026
- ANCC: NE-BC sample test questions nursingworld.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).