If you need help studying for the Certified Continence Care Nurse (CCCN®) exam or just want some more information about what the exam is like, you’ve come to the right place.
Click below to take a free CCCN practice test!
Exam Eligibility
Before you can register to take the Certified Continence Care Nurse exam, you’ll need one of the following licenses: RN, LPN/LVN, NP, PA, PT, PTA, OT, OTA, MD, DO, DPM, or AP.
You’ll also need to meet ONE of the education requirements and ONE of the experience requirements:
- You need to graduate from a skin and wound management education course
- You need to have a current CECN, CWON, CEOCN, or CWS certification
Experience Requirements
- You need at least 120 hours of hands-on clinical training
- You need at least two ears of full-time (or four years of part-time) experience in an approved profession in relation to wound care
If you meet the necessary requirements, you’re set to begin the registration process!
What’s on the Exam?
First, let’s talk about the questions on the exam. There are 120 multiple-choice questions total, but only 110 of the questions will count toward your score. Why is that?
The 10 unscored questions on the exam are called “pretest” questions. These are added to the exam to determine if they’re good enough questions to add to future versions of the test.
The trick is that you won’t have any way of knowing which questions are scored and which ones are pretest. They will appear just like the scored questions throughout the test.
Each question falls under one of the following three cognitive levels:
- 🧠 Recall: The recall questions test your ability to recall/recognize information.
- 🛠️ Application: The application questions test your ability to apply knowledge to given situations.
- 🔍 Analysis: The analysis questions test your ability to analyze and evaluate solutions.
Let’s take a closer look at the different sections of the CCCN exam.
1. Assessment
27 scored questions
- Obtaining patient health history to determine the patient’s current health and risk status
- Performing focused assessments to determine continence status
- Assessing health-related quality of life of patients with voiding dysfunction, urinary incontinence, bowel dysfunction, and fecal incontinence
2. Intervention
19 scored questions
- Recommending and/or providing appropriate interventions to manage voiding dysfunction and urinary incontinence
- Recommending and/or providing appropriate interventions to manage bowel dysfunction and fecal incontinence
3. Treatment
23 scored questions
- Managing voiding dysfunction and urinary incontinence
- Managing bowel dysfunction and fecal incontinence
4. Care Planning
15 scored questions
- Develop a patient-centered plan of care
- Evaluating the patient-centered plan of care by using periodic assessments to promote continence and prevention of complications
5. Education and Referral
26 scored questions
- Educating patients and caregivers on care principles and techniques
- Educating other healthcare professionals on care principles and techniques
- Multidisciplinary care collaboration and referrals to support patient-centered care
How to Register
Once you’ve ensured that you meet all of the eligibility requirements, you can register for the exam.
To get started, you’ll need to submit an application on NAWCO’s website. The application will ask you for your contact information and any documentation to prove your eligibility (among other things).
When you submit the application, you’ll also need to submit the testing fee, which is $395.
CCCN Study Guide and Flashcards
Get practice questions, detailed study lessons, and complex subjects broken down into easily understandable concepts.
Exam Scores
The test is scored using a scaled scoring method. Here’s how it works:
For every question you answer correctly, you get one point added to your raw score. At the end of the test, your final raw score will be converted to a scaled score. This scaled score will range somewhere between 100 and 800.
The reason your raw score is converted to a scaled score is because everyone who takes the exam is given a slightly different set of questions. Since everyone has a different arrangement of questions, and because some questions are harder than others, converting your raw score to a scaled score ensures a more even playing field.
Retaking the Exam
If you didn’t get a passing score on your first try, that’s okay! You can take the test three more times within the next two years. After that, you’ll have to wait a full year before trying again.
Keep in mind that you will have to pay the full testing fee every time you retake the test.
FAQs
How many questions are on the CCCN exam?
The exam contains 120 questions.
What is the time limit for the CCCN exam?
The exam is timed at 2 hours.
What is the passing score for the CCCN exam?
You’ll need to get a final scaled score of at least 600 to pass.
How much does the CCCN exam cost?
The testing fee is $395.