• How to Apply 
• Eligibility 
• Administration & Fees
• Testing Centers 
• Dates (frequency) 
• Content 
• Preparation
• Practice Test

How to Apply

The National Certification Examination for School Nurses is offered twice a year, with two week windows scheduled for each examination period.  The exam is given in a computer based format at testing centers across the United States.

In order to take the Certification Examination for School Nurses, you must file an application within the time frame designated for each exam.  The Handbook for Candidates includes the application as well as provide more comprehensive information about the examination.  If you are unable to download the file, contact the Professional Testing Corporation to request that a handbook and application be mailed to you.

Click here to Download the Handbook and Application

(note: In order to download the Handbook, you will need free Adobe® Acrobat® Reader® software.  Click on this link to download your free copy today.)

Eligibility

1. Currently licensed as a Registered Nurse in the United States. 
2. a.      Attainment of bachelor's degree or higher, in nursing or health related field, or the equivalent in other countries.
                        OR
   b.      Current certification by NBCSN as an NCSN.
3. Must meet the clinical practice requirements of a minimum of 1,000 hours during the past three years (see definitions below)
4. Completion and filing of the Application for the Certification Examination for School Nurses. 
5. Payment of required fee.

THREE FULL TIME ACADEMIC YEARS OF PRACTICE OR A MINIMUM OF 4,000 HOURS OF CLINICAL PRACTICE  IN SCHOOL NURSING PRACTICE ARE RECOMMENDED.

*Clinical Practice Requirements for Certification

Clinical Practice in school nursing means actively employed or contracted to provide a direct or indirect professional contribution to the health and education of students and their families in public or private school settings.

Direct clinical practice in school nursing is defined as involvement in the nursing process in a school setting where the nursing actions and judgments are focused on a particular student, family, school community, or group of students of their families where there is continuing professional responsibility and accountability for the outcomes of these actions.

Indirect clinical practice in school nursing is defined as involvement that: 

1. includes clinical supervision of school nurses, education and clinical supervision of baccalaureate/master's nursing students in school health, administration of school health services, research, consultation or other engagement in the field of school nursing that contributes to the specialty's body of knowledge or enhances the quality of school nursing practice;
2. entails continuing professional responsibility and accountability for the outcomes of the involvement.

Not eligible as clinical practice in school nursing includes:  substitute nursing in a school, except as a full time substitute working consecutive days for the required clinical practice hours; one-to-one nursing as the nurse's sole responsibility within a school; employment in the direct sales, marketing or distribution of school nursing-related products or services in pharmaceutical, technology or other school health-related industries; community health screenings; work in a camp setting; preceptorship/mentor; and jobs unrelated to school nursing.

back to top

Exam Administration & Fees

The Certification Examination is administered for NBCSN by the Professional Testing Corporation (PTC).  

Non refundable Application fee - $325.00

The Certification Examination for School Nurses will be administered during a two-week testing period in the winter and in the summer of each year.  Click here to search for the site nearest you.  You will not be able to select a testing center for your four hour examination appointment until you have received an Eligibility Notice from PTC.  Please note that hours and days of availability vary at different centers.  Testing centers may differ in environments and security requirements.  Applicants may contact PTC prior to the examination if there are any questions or concerns regarding the testing center and to arrange another site if needed within the same testing window.

back to top

Test Dates

The national exam for school nurses is held two (2) times annually.  It is offered  at various locations throughout the country (please refer to Testing Centers, above).  Upcoming exam dates:

Content

The national exam for school nurses is a written exam composed of a maximum of 250 multiple-choice, objective questions with a total testing time of four (4) hours. 

For a complete Content Outline and Sample Questions, refer to our handbook.

The exam will be weighted in approximately the following manner:

1. 27% HEALTH APPRAISAL

2. 28% HEALTH PROBLEMS AND NURSING MANAGEMENT

3. 20% HEALTH PROMOTION/DISEASE PREVENTION

4. 10% SPECIAL HEALTH ISSUES

5. 15% PROFESSIONAL ISSUES

back to top 

Preparation

Exam preparation is a unique process for each candidate.  School nurses have formed study groups, attended school nurse curriculum workshops, and reviewed school nursing texts in preparation for the examination.  The examination is national in scope, and reflects the broad variety of student and community populations, specialty practice situations and legal and current health issues that school nurses confront in everyday practice.  Exam questions are chosen from a larger pool of questions enabling variation on exam content and undergo a rigorous process to ensure their validity, reliability and applicability to current school nursing practice.  

Although there is no single study guide, a List of Resources, which may be helpful in preparing, is included in the NCSN Handbook for Candidates. Many of the resource publications can be found at the NASN bookstore.  In addition, you will find Sample Questions in the handbook.

Click here to Download the Handbook and Application

Online Practice Test for School Nurses

What is it? The Online Practice Test for School Nurses is a practice test of 75 questions with a testing time of 2 hours taken over the Internet

Why take it? The Online Practice Test for School Nurses offers the experience of taking a computerized examination, the chance to review an example of the type of content included in the Certification Examination for School Nurses, and the opportunity to learn more about question format, style, and level of difficulty. After completing the online practice test, you will receive an instant score report showing test performance in each of the content areas.

How much is it? The fee is $75 by credit card

How do I apply? Go to https://secure.ptcny.com/webtest/ and follow directions on how to create an account and pay online

Technical specifications: The Online Practice Test for School Nurses can be taken on any Internet-ready PC. It is not compatible with Macintosh computers. Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher is recommended for optimum performance. Pop-up windows must be allowed from https://secure.ptcny.com/webtest/

Please note: Performance on the Online Practice Test for School Nurses may differ from actual performance on the Certification Examination for School Nurses. There is no guarantee that taking the online practice test will help you to prepare for or pass the Certification Examination for School Nurses.

For more information, please visit www.ptcny.com or call Professional Testing Corporation at 212-356-0668.

back to top

Copyright © 2000-2010 National Board for Certification of School Nurses, Inc.
E-mail - certification@nbcsn.com