NEA-BC · exam facts · checked Nov 6, 2026
The NEA-BC credential, rule by rule
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.
What ANCC fixes about the exam itself: the form, the outline, how 125 scored answers become a pass or a fail, the published pass rates and what follows a failed attempt. Each table row names where the figure comes from and when we last looked.
Open the NEA-BC practice test60 questions, mixed content domainsNurse executive certification
The credential in figures
| Fact | Detail | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certifying body | American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) | ANCC: Nurse Executive, Advanced Certification (NEA-BC)1 | |
| Accreditation | Accredited by ABSNC and NCCA | ANCC: Nurse Executive, Advanced Certification (NEA-BC)1 | |
| Credential | Nurse Executive, Advanced-Board Certified (NEA-BC) | ANCC: Nurse Executive, Advanced Certification (NEA-BC)1 | |
| Questions | 150 questions125 scored and 25 unscored pretest questions, mixed in and not marked. | ANCC: NEA-BC Test Content Outline, effective Nov 11, 2025 (PDF) · ANCC: Nurse Executive, Advanced Certification (NEA-BC)12 | |
| Scored questions | 125 scored questions | ANCC: NEA-BC Test Content Outline, effective Nov 11, 2025 (PDF)2 | |
| Question format | Multiple choice, one best answer; ANCC’s sample questions have four options | ANCC: Nurse Executive, Advanced Certification (NEA-BC) · ANCC: NEA-BC sample test questions13 | |
| Exam time | 3 hours | ANCC: Nurse Executive, Advanced Certification (NEA-BC)1 | |
| Where you test | Computer-based test at a Prometric test centerThe ANCC handbook (version 5) lists no remote-proctored option. | ANCC: Nurse Executive, Advanced Certification (NEA-BC) · ANCC Certification Handbook, effective June 2025, version 5, Oct 12, 2026 (PDF)14 | |
| Testing window | Apply year-round; after approval you have a 120-day window to testOne move to a new 120-day window costs $100 and must start within 6 months after the first window ends. | ANCC: Nurse Executive, Advanced Certification (NEA-BC) · ANCC Certification Handbook, effective June 2025, version 5, Oct 12, 2026 (PDF)14 | |
| Passing score | A scaled score of 350 on a scale that tops out at 500Criterion-referenced (modified Angoff). The raw score on the 125 scored questions is converted to the scale, so there is no fixed percentage or number of questions to pass. | ANCC Certification Handbook, effective June 2025, version 5, Oct 12, 2026 (PDF)4 | |
| Results | Pass/fail on the Prometric score portal after the exam; ANCC has the result within 24–48 hoursA failing report shows the scaled score and high, medium or low feedback for each content domain. | ANCC Certification Handbook, effective June 2025, version 5, Oct 12, 2026 (PDF)4 | |
| 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 application45 | |
| Pass rate | 73% of first-time candidates in 2025 (706 of 973)70% in 2024 (564 of 810) and 75% in 2023 (532 of 714). | ANCC: 2025 certification data (PDF), p. 2 · 2 more678 | |
| Certified nurses | 6,717 certified nurses (December 31, 2025) | ANCC: 2025 certification data (PDF), p. 26 | |
| Valid for | 5 years | ANCC: Nurse Executive, Advanced Certification (NEA-BC)1 | |
| Outline in force | Test Content Outline effective November 11, 2025 | ANCC: NEA-BC Test Content Outline, effective Nov 11, 2025 (PDF)2 |
Form and test day
- Length: 150 questions, of which 125 count. The other 25 unscored pretest questions sit among them unmarked, so answer each one as though it is scored.
- Question type: Multiple choice, 4 options, as in ANCC's sample questions.
- Time: 3 h, which works out to about 72 seconds an item if you spread it evenly.
- Where: Prometric test center. After approval you have a 120-day window; moving it is priced on the cost page.
The NEA-BC outline
One domain per commute
The same NEA-BC questions with every option explained, in a study app.
The outline in force
Four domains share the scored questions. The printed total is 101% because of rounding.
I.
Leadership
Executive presence, relationship building, strategic planning (SWOT, strategic vs operational plans), governance structures and board duties; change and complex project oversight across a system; coaching, mentoring and succession planning; conflict, consensus and negotiation; business acumen (forecasting, business plans, ROI, reimbursement).
Leadership questions (18)II.
Quality and Safety
Regulatory and accrediting standards and plans of correction, emergency preparedness and incident command, high reliability principles, RCA (after an event) vs FMEA (before a new process), just culture, risk-adjusted benchmarking, the EBP–PI–QI continuum.
Quality and safety questions (18)III.
Human Capital Management
Shared and professional governance, healthy work environment, workplace safety and engagement strategy, workforce pipeline and retention, DEI strategy; employee protection laws as executive policy decisions.
Human capital questions (16)IV.
Health Care Delivery
Delivery strategies (PCMH, ACO, telehealth, virtual nursing, staffing models and pipeline), health care ethics and ethics committees, research translation and the spirit of inquiry, monitoring patient outcomes, governing AI, cybersecurity, system integration and predictive analytics at system level.
Care delivery questions (16)Scaled scoring and the pass line
Passing takes a scaled score of 350 on a scale that tops out at 500. ANCC sets the line by a criterion-referenced method (modified Angoff) and converts the raw score on the 125 scored questions to that scale, so no percentage or number of correct answers is fixed. A rule of thumb such as "70 percent to pass" has no basis in the ANCC handbook.
Results: Pass/fail on the Prometric score portal after the exam; ANCC has the result within 24–48 hours. A failing report adds the scaled score and rates each domain high, medium or low.
First-time pass rates, 2023 to 2025
- 2025: 73% of first-time candidates in 2025 (706 of 973)
- 2024: 70%
- 2023: 75%
The unit-level NE-BC had a lower first-time rate in each of those years; for 2025 it was 63%. Source: ANCC certification data, p. 2, with earlier years from archived copies of the same file.
After a failed attempt
Waiting period and limit: 60 days; 3 in 12 months. The retest application can be filed 5 days after the exam, and eligibility is checked again; for the fee, see cost.
Aim the second attempt with the domain ratings on the failing report. A low rating in leadership costs the most, because that domain holds 42 of the scored items.
What the November 2025 outline changed
The November 11, 2025 outline raised Human Capital Management from 14% to 21%, cut Health Care Delivery from 27% to 20%, and added high reliability, professional governance and AI and predictive analytics. Against the outline effective January 10, 2021:
- Human capital management went from 18 to 26 scored items; health care delivery fell from 34 to 25.
- New task lines include executive presence, governance structures, succession planning, the plan of correction and the EBP, process improvement and QI continuum.
- "Meaningful use" has left the outline; technology now appears as integration of AI, cybersecurity and predictive analytics.
- The reference list now cites the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses, 2025 edition (10 provisions) and the 2024 Nursing Leadership: Scope and Standards of Practice.
Renewal in one paragraph
The certification runs 5 years. Renewal: 75 CE hours + 1 of 8, at $350 for non-members. Categories, the 2026 timing rule and the handbook taking effect in 2027 are on ANCC certification renewal.
Where to go next
- NEA-BCANCC's exam for organization- and system-level nurse executives
- NEA-BC practice testExecutive-level questions in the outline's proportions
- NEA-BC costExam fee, ANA discount, window move, retest and renewal
- NEA-BC eligibilityDegree rule, organization-wide hours, CE and documents
- NEA-BC study guideEight weeks in outline order, ANCC's reading list and the traps
Exam facts people check twice
Is remote proctoring offered?
No. The ANCC handbook (version 5) lists no remote-proctored option.
Is it harder than the NE-BC?
By ANCC's first-time results, a larger share passes the advanced exam: 73% against 63% for the NE-BC in 2025. The two test different scopes, so the rates are not a measure of difficulty alone.
Sources
- ANCC: Nurse Executive, Advanced Certification (NEA-BC) nursingworld.org · checked Nov 6, 2026
- ANCC: NEA-BC Test Content Outline, effective Nov 11, 2025 (PDF) nursingworld.org · checked Nov 6, 2026
- ANCC: NEA-BC sample test questions 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: 2025 certification data (PDF), p. 2 nursingworld.org · checked Nov 6, 2026
- ANCC: 2024 certification data (PDF, archived Apr 24, 2025) web.archive.org · checked Nov 6, 2026
- ANCC: 2023 certification data (PDF, archived Nov 7, 2024) web.archive.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).