CTRN Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows

The Pass Rate Reality: Why BCEN Doesn't Publish a Number

If you've searched "CTRN pass rate 2026" hoping for a single headline percentage, you're not alone - and you're also not going to find an official published figure from the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN), the body that administers the Certified Transport Registered Nurse credential through PSI testing centers. BCEN does not release a public pass-rate statistic the way some other certifying organizations do, and any number circulating online for "CTRN" should be treated with suspicion, since more than one credential shares that acronym across different specialties and different certifying bodies entirely.

What BCEN does publish, in detail, is far more useful than a single pass-rate number: the exact passing standard, the exact domain weighting, and the exact question count. That transparency is what this article works from - not estimates, not rumors, and not numbers borrowed from an unrelated exam. For a broader look at what makes this test challenging in the first place, see How Hard Is the CTRN Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026.

The Actual Passing Standard: 99 Out of 150

The Certified Transport Registered Nurse exam consists of 150 scored questions, administered over a 3-hour testing window. To pass, a candidate needs 99 correct answers out of those 150 scored items. That's the number that matters far more than any speculative pass-rate percentage - it's a fixed, published standard rather than a moving statistic influenced by cohort size or test-date variance.

For a full breakdown of exactly how this scoring threshold works and what it means in practical terms on test day, read CTRN Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.

How the Four Domains Shape Your Score

BCEN's current outline - in effect since March 30, 2026, following the 2025 ground transport nursing role delineation study - allocates the 150 scored questions across four domains in official counts of 22, 40, 65, and 23 questions. Those raw counts translate into the percentages below, and they should directly shape how much time you spend on each content area.

Notice that Patient Conditions and Principles of Management alone accounts for nearly half the scored exam. A weak grasp of that single domain can sink an otherwise strong performance across the other three. For the full content breakdown of what each domain actually tests, see CTRN Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 4 Content Areas.

What Actually Drives Difficulty on This Exam

The Certified Transport Registered Nurse exam isn't difficult because of trick questions - it's difficult because it demands synthesis. A single scenario-based item might require you to weigh a resuscitation principle from Domain 2 against a special-population factor from Domain 4, all while applying the operational judgment covered in Domain 1. The 3-hour window for 150 scored questions leaves little room for second-guessing, so pacing under pressure is as much a skill as clinical knowledge itself.

Because eligibility recommends - but does not require - two years of ground transport nursing experience, candidates arrive with varying comfort levels in the transport environment specifically, as opposed to bedside or ED nursing generally. That gap is often where preparation time is best spent. A structured resource like the CTRN Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt can help translate clinical experience into exam-ready recall of transport-specific protocols.

Registration, Fees, and Test-Day Mechanics

Understanding the mechanics of registration removes a layer of exam-day anxiety that has nothing to do with clinical knowledge. The initial application fee is $285 for members of the Air & Surface Transport Nurses Association (ASTNA) or $380 for nonmembers - a distinction worth checking before you pay, since ASTNA membership can offset the fee difference depending on your situation.

Eligibility requires a current, unrestricted RN license from the United States, a U.S. territory, Canada, Australia, or an accepted international equivalent. As noted above, two years of ground transport nursing experience is recommended but not a hard requirement to sit for the exam. For the complete eligibility checklist, see CTRN Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.

Testing itself happens either at a physical PSI testing center or through live remote proctoring, giving candidates flexibility depending on location and schedule. For a full accounting of every cost involved - application fee, retake considerations, and renewal costs - see CTRN Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown. If you're mapping out when to sit relative to shift schedules or PTO, CTRN Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling walks through scheduling logistics in more detail.

Who Sits for This Exam - and Why It Matters

Candidates pursuing the Certified Transport Registered Nurse credential typically work in, or are moving into, ground transport nursing roles - critical care ground transport teams, interfacity transfer units, and similar settings where the operational and clinical demands differ meaningfully from a fixed hospital unit. Because the credential validates competency specific to the transport environment, employers hiring for these roles often view it as a marker of readiness for the unique pacing, equipment constraints, and decision-making demands of transport work.

If you're weighing whether pursuing this credential fits your career trajectory, two resources go deeper on that decision: Is the CTRN Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 examines the return on the time and fee investment, while CTRN Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis looks at how the credential factors into compensation conversations. For a sense of where the credential opens doors, CTRN Jobs covers common role types.

A Domain-Weighted Study Timeline

Generic study techniques - spaced repetition, timed practice blocks, active recall - only help if they're pointed at the right content in the right proportion. Given that Patient Conditions and Principles of Management makes up 43.3% of the scored exam, it deserves proportionally more of your calendar than any other domain, not an equal one-quarter split across all four.

For a condensed reference you can revisit in the final days before your test date, keep the CTRN Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts on hand.

Renewal and the Long-Term Outlook

Once earned, the CTRN credential is valid for four years. Renewal happens either by retaking the exam or by completing 100 continuing education contact hours - giving certified nurses a choice between demonstrating knowledge again through testing or maintaining currency through ongoing education. Planning which renewal path fits your career stage is worth doing early rather than in the final months before expiration.

If you're still building context on the credential itself before diving into exam prep, background pieces like What Is CTRN?, CTRN Meaning, and CTRN Certification lay out the fundamentals, while CTRN Training covers preparation pathways beyond self-study.

Frequently Asked Questions