Failing the NCE is recoverable, and the rules give you room: up to four attempts per year for two years after program completion, eight attempts total. There is no mandatory waiting period between attempts, though you must submit a new application and fee each time.
Most people who fail once pass on a retake. The first-time pass rate was 90.5% in 2025, which means roughly one in ten strong, graduated candidates sat where you are sitting.
Key points
- Up to eight attempts: four per year over two years.
- No mandatory wait; reapply, pay, and reschedule within days.
- Your diagnostic score report is your retake study plan.
- An NCE fail never touches your RN license.
The retake rules, verified
From NBCRNA's NCE handbook and FAQs:
- Attempts: up to four in the first year after your program completion date, and up to four more in the second year, for a maximum of eight.
- Window: you must pass within two years of program completion. The clock runs even if you take a break; you cannot apply after the second year regardless of attempts left.
- No required wait between attempts. Your real constraint is processing: you submit a new online retake application, pay the exam fee again (check the current fee schedule on nbcrna.com), and allow one to five business days for eligibility. Then you schedule at a test center.
- If the window closes without a pass, the only route back is completing another full, unabridged accredited nurse anesthesia program. That is the outcome to plan against.
Your failing score report includes a total scaled score and diagnostic scores across four content areas. That report is your study plan.
How the exam behaves
The NCE is a computerized adaptive test: minimum 100 questions, 30 of them unscored pretest items, maximum 170, with a three-hour limit. Formats include multiple choice, multiple correct response, calculations, drag and drop, and hotspot items.
Two mechanics matter for retakers. You cannot go back to a previous question, so lingering is pure loss. And failing to reach 100 questions in three hours is an automatic fail, so pacing is a scored skill. If time pressure contributed to your fail, train it explicitly.
How to regroup and pass
Wait a week before deciding anything. The instinct to rebook immediately is usually anxiety, not strategy. The opposite instinct, avoiding the exam for months, burns your two-year window. Most successful retakers rebook four to eight weeks out.
Read the diagnostic report honestly. Target your weakest domains rather than re-running your whole review. A fail driven by one weak content area is a different problem from a fail spread evenly, which usually points to test-taking mechanics or burnout on exam day.
Change something. Same materials, same method, same result is the pattern to avoid. Options that work for retakers:
- A structured review course or question bank you have not already exhausted
- Timed, full-length practice blocks to fix pacing, rather than untimed content review alone
- A study partner or recent grad who passed, for accountability
- Addressing the non-academic failure modes: sleep, test anxiety, and scheduling the exam at your best time of day
Check the mundane details. Valid ID, the 48-hour reschedule rule (canceling or no-showing inside 48 hours forfeits your fees), and the $75 reauthorization fee situations. Losing an attempt to logistics is the worst version of this.
Your program wants you to pass; its accreditation reporting includes NCE outcomes. Ask faculty for a debrief. Many programs offer structured retake support.
Employment while you wait
You are a graduate RN with a doctorate, not yet a CRNA. What that means for work:
- If you have a CRNA job offer, tell the employer promptly. Most have seen this before. Common outcomes are a pushed start date, a delayed credentialing file, or starting in a non-CRNA capacity if one exists. Hiding it and failing credentialing is far worse than the awkward call.
- You can usually work as an RN on your existing RN license while you retake. Some grads return to ICU work part time. Weigh the income against study time; the two-year window is the asset you cannot replace.
- GRNA or resident-style roles exist in some states and systems, allowing graduates to work under supervision pre-certification. Availability varies, so ask your program and check your board of nursing.
- State licensure: APRN licensure generally requires certification, so your CRNA licensure application waits for the pass. Your RN license is unaffected by an NCE fail.
Financially, plan for the gap. Each attempt costs the exam fee again, and a delayed start of even two months at new-grad CRNA pay dwarfs the cost of a good review course. Spend on preparation accordingly.
How many times can you take the NCE?
Up to eight attempts: four per year across the two years following program completion. After that, re-entry requires completing a full accredited program again.
How long do I have to wait to retake the NCE?
There is no mandated waiting period. You reapply, pay again, and get new eligibility in one to five business days, then schedule a seat.
Does failing the NCE affect my RN license?
No. The NCE is a certification exam, separate from licensure. Your RN license stands, and nothing about the fail is reported to employers unless you disclose it.
What score do I need to pass?
NBCRNA uses a scaled passing standard on an adaptive exam, so there is no fixed percentage. Passers get no score; failers get a scaled score plus four content-area diagnostics.
For background on the exam itself, see our NCE exam guide, and for what comes after passing, CRNA recertification.