How To Pass The CCRN Examination

September 12, 2020 Nicholas Ryan

Advice from a CCRN-qualified nurse

My results and passing score from last month when I took the CCRN for the first time after studying for <2 months.

One way that critical care nurses can exhibit their acumen in the critical care arena is by obtaining CCRN certification, which stands for “Critical Care Registered Nurse”, through the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. The CCRN is a board-certification that is widely recognized by hospitals and nurses nationwide. Some hospitals will even pay you a bonus to obtain the certification, which is an added plus when considering whether to sit for the examination or not.

To obtain the CCRN certification, you must sign up for and take an examination administered at select testing facilities. This is all done through the AACN website. The cost to take the examination is $245 for current AACN members, and $360 for non-members. Tip: the cost for a 1 year AACN membership is $78, so you save $37 if you get the annual membership and then register for the test rather than registering as a non-member.

The examination itself is 150 questions, with 25 of the questions not counting towards your final score (much like the NCLEX, these are “test” questions that they are looking at adding in the future). A passing score is an 83 or higher, which means that you need to score only a 66.4% or higher to pass. That can’t be hard, right? Well, not so fast. For 2019, 15,935 applicants sat for the CCRN, and only 11,840 obtained a passing score, and 4,095 ICU nurses FAILED the CCRN on their first attempt. According to the AACN, 21% of first time test takers, or about 1 in every 5 nurses, did not obtain a passing score. Note: these stats are for the CCRN-Adult. The numbers are actually worse when looking at other tests, like the Neonatal or Pediatrics version of the CCRN.

I don’t post these numbers to scare you. Or maybe I do. But I do it because if you are like me and your work doesn’t pay for you to take the CCRN, then you are taking a big financial risk by not properly preparing for the test. If you fail on your first attempt, you will have to not only spend your precious free time on more studying, but you’ll have to pay the test registration fee ($245/$360) again and again until you pass.

I am here to help ensure that you pass. Last month, I took and passed the CCRN on my first attempt with flying colors. I achieved a 111/125, well above the 83 required to pass. And I want to make sure you do the same. Below, I’ve outlined the resources and strategy I used to achieve my score. So gather your study materials and buckle down so you only have to do this once!

CCRN Studying Resources

I’ve outlined the 3 products that I personally used to pass the CCRN on my first attempt. I spent less than 2 months studying with ONLY these resources and easily passed. While you should tailor the time spent studying to your own study habits, using these resources will ensure that you pass on your first attempt.

*Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This is how you can support this site so we can keep providing high quality reviews for you. It does not make the item pricier for you, and it allows us to stay reader supported and avoid annoying ads!

Barron’s CCRN Exam Test Prep Book

This book was the basis of all of my studying and is critical is preparing for the CCRN. The book is broken down into the same sections as the actual exam is, so you can really focus in on your weak areas once you identify them. The first section of each chapter is a concise review of the most important concepts of critical care and the second section is practice questions for that section. My studying technique was to read through the first section while taking notes. Once I felt like I had a good grasp on that section, I then completed the practice questions for that section WITHOUT my notes. This made me draw on my own retained knowledge instead of relying on my notes. The book says that if you score above 80% on the practice questions, then you are probably ready for the test.

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Pass CCRN - 5th Edition Question Bank + Book

This question bank is offered in conjunction with the “Pass CCRN-5th Edition” book and was also crucial in my studying. Sometimes I just didn’t feel like sitting down and reading through information and ended up mindlessly jotting down notes while not retaining anything. This is where this question bank shines. Rather than reading through pages of information, you can utilize the 1,000+ practice questions on the online portal that can be accessed on phone, tablet, or computer. I used this all the time at work when we were slow but I didn’t necessarily want to bust out my whole Barron’s book. You can select the study mode, which will give you rationales after you answer each question, or exam mode, which will give you 150 questions and give you your results after you complete all of the questions. You can also select which category of questions to focus on, so for example, if you are struggling with pulmonary in the Barron’s book, you can choose to only answer pulmonary questions during your study session. This is exactly what I did and it was instrumental in me passing on my first attempt.

Disclaimer: I linked to the Pass CCRN 5th edition book because it includes an online code to access the question bank. You can purchase the question bank by itself for about half the price of the book, but in my mind, I would rather pay a little extra for the book, which can be a second resource in case something doesn’t make sense in the Barron’s book.

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Dr. Laura Gasparis CCRN Cram DVDs

This a more expensive option but is by far the most enjoyable resource that you will find to study for the CCRN. Dr. Laura Gasparis is a Registered Nurse with a PhD in Nursing Education who has been a nurse for over 30 years and specializes in teaching nurses how to pass the CCRN. Nurses across the country have paid to attend her in-person conferences, mainly focused on how to study for the CCRN, because her reputation is that she is the best CCRN preparation educator in the country.

With Covid going on, these conferences are on hold, but you can access all of her content by purchasing her DVD set on Amazon. The videos are all recordings of her in-person conferences, so you will get the full experience without having to leave your couch. Like me, you may have a little sticker shock when you first click on the link. Are 6 DVDs worth $150? But ask anyone who has the CCRN and they probably know about her and her videos and will answer with a resounding YES, they are totally worth it. Her unique personality makes studying fun and less stressful, and her techniques will help you retain knowledge that you would otherwise forget come test time. She covers nearly every topic that will be on the exam and makes complicated topics seems easy. Get the videos, you won’t regret it.

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Cost of Resources

A quick note about cost. Some people shudder at that thought of spending $70 on a book, or $150 on a set of DVDs. But if you do a little bit of quick math, the cost of these 3 resources is about $240. This is a little bit less than the cost to retake the exam if you fail your first time, and also will save you countless hours that you would have to spend RE-studying for your next attempt. Look at this as an investment in yourself and your views about the cost may begin to change!

Final Thoughts

Studying is something that everyone does a little bit differently. You may find that some strategies being suggested to you aren’t working, and others that are working really well. Only YOU know what is best for you. These 3 resources helped me pass the CCRN with less than 2 months of studying, and I am confident in suggesting them to anyone else looking to take the exam. Good luck!

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