The best unofficial prep for the CEN.

The basic cost for the CEN exam is $380, but there are discounts available for military members and ENA members.

A current, valid picture ID is required, and you will be asked to sign a security statement and view a software tutorial. No personal items are allowed in the testing room, but secured storage is available. Check with the test center about the use of scratch paper and calculators.

You must correctly answer 106 of the 150 scored questions on the CEN exam to achieve a passing score.

• If you test at a center, you will receive a score report at the end of your test and a copy of this will be emailed to you immediately. The report will break down your scores in the different test areas.

• If you test remotely, you will be shown either “PASS” or “FAIL” on the screen at the end of your test and the score report will be emailed to you at that time.

Working in an emergency department or in another venue that receives patients needing emergency medical care requires a vast array of skills that must be utilized without hesitation and at a moment’s notice. You must be able to assess and triage patients. Following that, your job will be to stabilize and care for them. There will be no limit to the number of categories in which these patients will fall, so you’ll need to be ready for every type of medical crisis.

To take the CEN exam, you are required to have a registered nurse license that is current and unrestricted in the US, a US territory, Australia, or Canada or an equivalent nursing certificate that is verified through CGFNS International.

It is recommended but not required that you have had at least two years experience working as a nurse in an emergency department. You can see more information about eligibility requirements on the BCEN website.

A CEN certification is highly valued in the medical community as a mark of excellence. Having one can lead to increased career success, including higher pay.

According to Nurse Journal, the yearly salary for an emergency room nurse averages over $83,000 across the United States, and there is great demand for this nursing skill.

The CEN exam is given at PSI Test Centers, or you can take it remotely with PSI Live Remote Proctoring. It can be scheduled online or over the phone.

You will need to create a BCEN account to schedule your test online.

There is even more information about test scheduling on pages 6 and 7 of the BCEN Candidate Handbook.

The CEN exam is timed for 180 minutes (three hours). There are five untimed practice exam questions that will help familiarize you with the exam procedures and format. There will also be an onscreen clock provided so you can monitor the time. You may take up to two 10-minute breaks during the test, but your testing time clock will not be stopped for these.