Nursing, Nursing Non-Clinical , Exam Prep
CNE® Certification Requirements
Jan 18, 2019
Get moving toward the next chapter in your career by taking the following steps to getting your Certified Nurse Educator (CNE®) certification. Review the CNE® certification requirements.
Make Sure You Qualify for Your Exam!
According to the NLN, this is criteria you need to meet to apply to take the exam:
First Option: Meet criteria 1 & 2
OR
A master's or doctoral degree in nursing, plus a post-master's certificate in nursing education
OR
A master's or doctoral degree in nursing and nine or more credit hours of graduate-level education courses, such as Curriculum Development and Evaluation; Instructional Design; Principles of Adult Learning; Assessment/Measurement & Evaluation; Principles of Teaching and Learning, Instructional Technology (graduate-level research or statistics courses do not count)
Second Option: Meet criteria 1, 2 & 3
Apply for the Exam
Before applying for your CNE® exam, the National League for Nursing (NLN) requires you to read the CNE® Candidate Handbook to familiarize yourself with the testing policies and procedures and meet the CNE® certification requirements.
Registration should take about 10-15 minutes. You’ll need a few things to get started:
Click here to sign into your account and begin the registration process through NLN!
Computer-Based Testing Fees
Schedule Your Exam
The CNE® certification exam is computer-based and offered by PSI; there are over 120 testing centers located nationwide, which you can locate here.
After you’ve completed your online registration, expect to get your confirmation notice of eligibility within three weeks—this will be emailed and/or mailed to the address you provided on your registration. You’ll then have a 90-day window in which to schedule your exam through the PSI website.
Start Studying (if you haven’t already!)
Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to prepare—most people take at least 2 or 3 months to prepare, given the amount of content you need to know. You’ll probably need a few exam preparation products to help you study in more depth. You can check out what we have here.
Click here to download the Certified Nurse Educator 2018 Candidate Handbook for the detailed test blueprint (which outlines specific information under each of the six content areas) and a list of recommended texts and journals!
Resources
Certification for Nurse Educators - National League for Nursing. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nln.org/professional-development-programs/Certification-for-Nurse-Educators
National League for Nursing. (2018, March 12). Certified Nurse Educator (CNE®) 2018 Candidate Handbook. Retrieved from www.nln.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/cne-handbook373ac75c78366c709642ff00005f0421.pdf
NLN Membership. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nln.org/membership
Test Center List - National League for Nursing Certified Nurse Educator Exam. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://online.goamp.com/CandidateHome/displayTCList.aspx?pExamID=21426
Wittmann-Price, R. A., Godshall, M., & Wilson, L. (2018). Certified Nurse Educator (CNE®) Review Manual (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Springer Publishing.
Make Sure You Qualify for Your Exam!
According to the NLN, this is criteria you need to meet to apply to take the exam:
First Option: Meet criteria 1 & 2
- LICENSURE: Have a current, active, unencumbered registered nurse (RN) designation in the country you’re currently practicing in as a nurse educator
- EDUCATION: Have a master's or doctoral degree in nursing with a focus in nursing education
OR
A master's or doctoral degree in nursing, plus a post-master's certificate in nursing education
OR
A master's or doctoral degree in nursing and nine or more credit hours of graduate-level education courses, such as Curriculum Development and Evaluation; Instructional Design; Principles of Adult Learning; Assessment/Measurement & Evaluation; Principles of Teaching and Learning, Instructional Technology (graduate-level research or statistics courses do not count)
Second Option: Meet criteria 1, 2 & 3
- LICENSURE: Have a current, active, unencumbered registered nurse (RN) designation in the country you’re currently practicing n as a nurse educator
- EDUCATION: Have a master's or doctoral degree in nursing that may not focus on nursing education
- EXPERIENCE: Two years (or more) working in a nursing program in a college or university within the past five years
Apply for the Exam
Before applying for your CNE® exam, the National League for Nursing (NLN) requires you to read the CNE® Candidate Handbook to familiarize yourself with the testing policies and procedures and meet the CNE® certification requirements.
Registration should take about 10-15 minutes. You’ll need a few things to get started:
- Your RN license number and expiration date
- Your credit card number and expiration date (see chart below for fees!)
- An NLN member login name and password (If you’ve never created a member login name and password, you’ll need to update your profile on the NLN site)
- Your NLN ID number, which you can search for here
Click here to sign into your account and begin the registration process through NLN!
Computer-Based Testing Fees
| NLN Member | Non-NLN Member | |
| Initial Testing | $400 | $500 |
| Retesting | $350 | $450 |
Schedule Your Exam
The CNE® certification exam is computer-based and offered by PSI; there are over 120 testing centers located nationwide, which you can locate here.
After you’ve completed your online registration, expect to get your confirmation notice of eligibility within three weeks—this will be emailed and/or mailed to the address you provided on your registration. You’ll then have a 90-day window in which to schedule your exam through the PSI website.
Start Studying (if you haven’t already!)
Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to prepare—most people take at least 2 or 3 months to prepare, given the amount of content you need to know. You’ll probably need a few exam preparation products to help you study in more depth. You can check out what we have here.
Click here to download the Certified Nurse Educator 2018 Candidate Handbook for the detailed test blueprint (which outlines specific information under each of the six content areas) and a list of recommended texts and journals!
Resources
Certification for Nurse Educators - National League for Nursing. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nln.org/professional-development-programs/Certification-for-Nurse-Educators
National League for Nursing. (2018, March 12). Certified Nurse Educator (CNE®) 2018 Candidate Handbook. Retrieved from www.nln.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/cne-handbook373ac75c78366c709642ff00005f0421.pdf
NLN Membership. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nln.org/membership
Test Center List - National League for Nursing Certified Nurse Educator Exam. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://online.goamp.com/CandidateHome/displayTCList.aspx?pExamID=21426
Wittmann-Price, R. A., Godshall, M., & Wilson, L. (2018). Certified Nurse Educator (CNE®) Review Manual (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Springer Publishing.