RN-BC Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass

The Number: 350 on a 500-Point Scale

If you are searching for the passing score on the Informatics Nursing Certification exam, here is the short answer: you need a scaled score of at least 350, on a scale whose maximum is 500. The exam is administered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), and that cut score is stated in the ANCC Certification Handbook (effective June 2025, Version 4 dated January 23, 2026).

That single number answers the question, but it also raises several others. What does a scaled score actually measure? How many questions do you have to get right? Does the 350 apply to all 150 items you see on screen? This article walks through each of those, using only what ANCC publishes, so you can plan your preparation around the real requirement rather than a rumor from a forum thread.

Why 350 Is Not a Raw 70%

It is tempting to do the arithmetic: 350 divided by 500 equals 70%, so you must need 70% of the questions correct. That reasoning is a trap. A scaled score is a statistical conversion of your raw performance, not a percentage of questions answered correctly.

Scaling exists because different forms of an exam can vary slightly in difficulty. Rather than punishing a candidate who drew a harder set of questions, the scoring process converts raw results onto a common scale so that 350 represents the same level of demonstrated competence on any form. ANCC's published policy is explicit that the requirement is a scaled score, and it does not publish a raw-score-to-scaled-score conversion table or a fixed number of correct answers that guarantees a pass.

What this means in practice:

• Do not set a "number correct" target based on 70%. You cannot reliably convert one to the other.
• Do not use practice-test percentages as a precise predictor. A practice score is a signal about readiness, not a conversion to the official scale.
• Do aim for consistent mastery across all three domains, because the scored items are distributed according to a published blueprint.

For a broader sense of how demanding the exam feels to candidates, see How Hard Is the RN-BC Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026.

What You Are Being Scored On

The examination contains 150 questions. Of these, 125 are scored and 25 are unscored pretest items. The pretest questions are indistinguishable from scored ones, so you cannot tell which is which while testing. ANCC uses them to gather data on new items before deciding whether they will count on future forms.

The practical consequences are worth internalizing:

• Treat every question as if it counts, because any one of them might.
• Do not panic if a handful of items feel unfamiliar or oddly worded; some of those may be pretest items that do not affect your result.
• Do not spend disproportionate time on a single stubborn question. With 150 items in three hours, pacing matters.

The exam is multiple-choice and computer-based, delivered by Prometric at test centers. You have three hours of testing time. Older descriptions of this exam that cite 175 questions or 3.5 hours are out of date; use the current 150-question, three-hour format when you plan your pacing.

Where the 125 Scored Items Come From

Your 350 is built from performance across three content domains defined in ANCC's Informatics Nursing Board Certification Examination Test Content Outline (effective May 3, 2023, updated August 29, 2025). The outline assigns scored items as follows:

The three weights total 100%, and the item counts total 125. Because the blueprint is this evenly distributed, there is no safe domain to ignore. A candidate who is brilliant at data management but vague on system design is leaving 44 scored items to chance. For a deeper look at what each area covers, read RN-BC Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 3 Content Areas.

One caution from the outline itself: the examples listed within each domain are not exhaustive and do not indicate relative importance. Study the concepts, not just the bullet examples.

RN-BC, NI-BC and the Name on Your Certificate

You will see both "RN-BC" and "NI-BC" in conversations about this exam, and the passing score applies regardless of which label a given source uses. ANCC's current awarded designation for Informatics Nursing is Nursing Informatics-Board Certified (NI-BC), as reflected in ANIA's update on ANCC credentials. The older RN-BC label persists in job postings, study materials, and everyday speech, which is why this site retains it.

If the terminology is new to you, these background pieces clarify it: What Is RN-BC? and What Does RN-BC Stand For?. The point for scoring purposes is simple: the same 350-of-500 standard governs the current informatics nursing examination.

Reading the 2025 Pass Rate Correctly

ANCC's 2025 certification data reports a 65% first-time pass rate, with 229 passes among 352 first-time candidates. As of December 31, 2025, 3,536 total certificants were recorded. These are official figures, and they are useful context.

They are not a personal forecast. A 65% cohort figure describes what happened to a specific group in a specific year; it does not tell you your individual probability of passing. Candidates with strong informatics practice experience and structured preparation may fare very differently from the average, and so may candidates who underprepare. Be wary of any unofficial source quoting a much higher "pass rate" for this exam; use the official ANCC cohort data as your reference. For fuller discussion, see RN-BC Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows.

Test-Day Rules That Affect Your Score

A few policies shape how you should approach the three hours, because they influence both your pacing and your strategy:

• No guessing penalty. An unanswered question earns nothing, while a guess might earn credit. Answer every item, including the ones you are unsure about.
• You can mark questions for later review. Use this to move past a time sink and return if time allows.
• Breaks consume testing time. The clock keeps running, so decide in advance whether you truly need one.
• The exam is closed book. Personal calculators, study materials, and outside electronic resources are prohibited.

Scheduling is done through Prometric using the Eligibility ID in your approval email, and the authorization window is 120 days. Applications are accepted year-round. Timing details are covered in RN-BC Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.

If You Miss the Mark: Retake Rules

Falling short of 350 is not the end of the road. Per the ANCC Certification Handbook, retesting requires at least 60 calendar days between attempts, and you may test no more than three times in any 12-month period. Those rules create a natural structure for a second attempt: you have a defined window to close specific gaps before testing again.

Keep the financial side in mind too. Initial certification fees are USD 395 for nonmembers, USD 295 for ANA members, and USD 340 for ANIA members, and these include a USD 140 nonrefundable administrative fee. Because a retake means managing fees and a new authorization, thorough first-attempt preparation is usually the more economical path. A complete cost breakdown is available in RN-BC Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.

Building a Plan Around the Cut Score

Because the standard is a scaled 350 built from three weighted domains, the sensible approach is to distribute effort in proportion to the blueprint while shoring up your personal weak spots. One compact way to sequence that effort:

This sequence is deliberately tied to the blueprint: heaviest domains first, a full week for the smallest so it is not shortchanged, and a final week of timed, mixed practice because the real exam does not announce which domain a question belongs to. For a fuller approach, see RN-BC Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt, and for a condensed refresher the night before, use the RN-BC Cheat Sheet 2026.

To rehearse under realistic conditions, work through timed questions on our practice test site, and use the results to decide where your remaining study hours should go. Practice-question volumes in any product are separate from the live exam's specifications, so judge a practice resource by the quality of its rationales and its alignment to the three domains, not by the number of questions it advertises.

Finally, remember that eligibility comes first. You need an active RN license, a bachelor's or higher nursing degree, two years of full-time-equivalent RN practice, 30 informatics nursing CE hours within the previous three years, and one of three qualifying practice or education routes. Verify the details in RN-BC Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify before you invest in preparation.

Frequently Asked Questions