CPHN Exam Launch Date: What the NBPHE Has Confirmed

A running record of what has actually been announced about the Certified in Public Health Nursing exam, separated cleanly from what is still pending.

Last updated 17 October 2026, against the NBPHE's October 2026 CPHN Candidate Handbook, its CPHN application page and FAQs, and its published CPHN study resources.

Search for a CPHN launch date and you will find a lot of confident but vague writing. This page exists to be the opposite. Everything below is marked either confirmed or pending, and we update it when the NBPHE releases something new rather than filling gaps with plausible guesses.

Confirmed

• Confirmed
  Applications are open. As of 17 October 2026, the NBPHE's CPHN application page reads "Applications Now Open!" The exam is offered year round once you are approved.
• Confirmed
  Exam format. 120 scored, single best answer, multiple-choice questions, plus 20 unscored pretest questions mixed in that you cannot tell apart, so 140 in all. Each question has three answer options. The handbook says the questions do not require complex calculations, and there is no penalty for guessing.
• Confirmed
  Time and exam screen. Three hours, with a clock you can turn off. One question appears at a time. Within each half you can move back and forth and flag questions to revisit, using a question list that shows answered, unanswered, and flagged questions. An optional 10 minute break at the halfway point does not count against your time, but after the break you cannot return to first-half questions. An on-screen notepad and calculator are available.
• Confirmed
  Scoring. Scores are reported on a scale of 200 to 800, with 500 as the passing score. The first group of candidates will wait 6 to 8 weeks after the initial testing period for results while the passing standard is set. After that, scoring is instant.
• Confirmed
  Exam fee. $385 standard. A "Take Two" bundle with a free retake is $435. A retake is $150. Members, students, and employees of partner organizations can get discounted rates from $250 to $315.
• Confirmed
  Eligibility. Every applicant needs an active, current RN license, plus one of three pathways: a nursing diploma or ADN and at least 2 years of public health nursing experience; a BSN or higher and at least 1 year; or a graduate degree or doctorate in public health, public health nursing, community health (nursing), or population health (nursing) with no experience requirement. Once approved, eligibility does not expire. Full details are in our eligibility guide.
• Confirmed
  How to apply. Through the NBPHE's CertCentral portal, with a transcript and resume. The handbook asks applicants to allow at least two weeks for review, and the FAQ suggests allowing about four weeks, so apply early.
• Confirmed
  Where you test. At computer-based testing centers or by live online proctor, which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. At least 48 hours after your application is approved, the NBPHE's testing partner, Meazure Learning, emails you a Notice to Schedule with booking instructions.
• Confirmed
  Content outline. The NBPHE has published the CPHN Exam Content Outline: seven domains and 43 competencies, weighted from 9 to 20 percent. See our domain guide, or the full competency checklist.
• Confirmed
  Recertification. Every three years, by reporting 30 recertification credits and paying a $95 fee. Note that this is a three year cycle, not the two year cycle used for the CPH.
• Confirmed
  Awarding body and governance. The credential is administered by the National Board of Public Health Examiners, the same board behind the CPH. A CPHN Certification Council approves its policies, and the Organization for Associate Degree Nursing is represented on it.
• Confirmed
  A job task analysis underpins the exam. The NBPHE's CPHN Job Task Analysis Committee surveyed public health nurses in spring 2025 and developed the content outline from the results, which is the standard process for building a defensible certification.

Still pending

• Pending
  The first testing date. Approved candidates schedule through Meazure Learning, but the NBPHE has not posted a date for the first administration.
• Pending
  How many correct answers it takes to pass. The scaled passing score is 500, but the number of correct answers that equals 500 is set after the first group tests, through a standard setting process. No one can tell you that number in advance.
• Pending
  The official NBPHE practice exam. The NBPHE's study tips recommend taking its CPHN Practice Exam early in your preparation, and its FAQ says practice exams and review materials will be available soon.

Official NBPHE study resources

The NBPHE has published several free resources for CPHN candidates. They are worth using alongside any prep course, including ours:

• CPHN Exam Content Outline. The seven domains, their weights, and the 43 competencies the exam tests.
• Understanding CPHN Exam Questions. A short guide to how one-best-answer questions are built, with worked examples and a read, identify, decide, check approach.
• CPHN Study Tips and Personal Action Plan. A worksheet for planning your study by domain and task.
• Reference list. The NBPHE says each CPHN exam item is validated with a published reference, and it lists the textbooks, journal articles, and CDC and national reports its item writers currently use, including standard public health nursing texts, the ANA public health nursing scope and standards, the Quad Council competencies, and the CDC's 10 Essential Public Health Services and Approach to Program Evaluation.

The NBPHE notes that you do not need to consult every publication on the list, and that familiarity with them does not guarantee a passing result.

How we got here

• BackgroundThe ANCC public health nursing credentials, PHNA-BC and PHCNS-BC, moved to renewal only, leaving no national specialty certification open to new generalist public health nurses. See our rundown of every PHN certification option.
• December 2024 to September 2025The NBPHE's CPHN Job Task Analysis Committee first met in December 2024, surveyed public health nurses from April to May 2025, and developed and approved the exam content outline, with funding support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
• June 2026The Organization for Associate Degree Nursing announced that the NBPHE had agreed to include associate degree and diploma prepared nurses in CPHN eligibility.
• Fall 2026The NBPHE published the CPHN candidate handbook, fees, eligibility pathways, recertification rules, and study resources.
• October 2026CPHN applications opened. The exam is offered year round to approved candidates.

What to expect next

The remaining milestones are the first testing period and the setting of the passing standard. Because the first cohort waits 6 to 8 weeks for scores while that standard is set, nurses who test early should expect a delay before they know their result. Nurses who test later get instant scores.

How this page is maintained

We check the NBPHE's public health nursing pages and announcements and update this page when something changes, revising the last updated date at the top. When official information contradicts anything we have written here, we correct it to match the board rather than defending an earlier version. That commitment is set out in our editorial standards.

If you spot an NBPHE announcement before we do, email support@cphnprep.com and we will verify and update.

What to do now

Applications are open, so the best time to start studying is before you schedule. The content outline tells you exactly what the exam covers, and the knowledge is the same whichever date you choose.

The fastest way to find out where you stand is to answer some questions in the real format. Our free CPHN practice test uses three-option, one-best-answer questions across all seven domains, with full rationales and a domain by domain breakdown in about fifteen minutes.

CPHNPrep is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE). Items marked confirmed reflect the NBPHE's published CPHN candidate handbook, FAQs, and fees page as of the last updated date and can change. Items marked pending had not been announced on that date. Always confirm current details directly with the NBPHE.