Eligibility, Fees, and Testing Windows

Eligibility starts with RN licensure and stroke practice

ABNN's SCRN eligibility standard is practice-based, not education-based — there is no required degree level or course beyond RN licensure. A candidate must hold a current, unrestricted RN license in the United States, Canada, or a qualifying U.S. territory. International candidates may be considered when they hold comparable unrestricted licensure, can read and understand English (the exam is delivered in English only), and have their licensure equivalency verified before applying. A license under active investigation, probation, suspension, or other encumbrance does not satisfy the "unrestricted" requirement.

The experience requirement is 1 year of full-time practice, defined as 2,080 hours, of direct or indirect stroke nursing practice as a registered nurse, completed within the 3 years immediately preceding the application. Direct practice means hands-on nursing-process involvement with stroke patients, families, or groups where stroke-focused nursing judgments influence outcomes — bedside ED, neuro ICU, stroke unit, or stepdown work.

Indirect practice can include clinical supervision, stroke-program coordination, research, consultation, administration, or education, but only when the role is genuinely stroke-focused. Hours need not be continuous and may be aggregated across employers, but they must fall inside the three-year look-back.

Fees and application windows

The 2026 SCRN candidate handbook lists three testing windows, each with an earlier application deadline:

Application materials and the fee must be submitted online by the published deadline; deficiencies discovered after the deadline generally cannot be corrected for that window. As of mid-2026, the February and May windows have closed, making August 6, 2026 (for the September 1-30 window) the next live deadline for a candidate who has not yet applied. Note that ABNN typically publishes the following year's calendar in advance, so always confirm the current handbook rather than relying on remembered dates.

Fees depend on AANN membership status and payment method:

AANN membership often costs less than the $100 non-member surcharge it removes, so joining before applying can be cost-neutral or net-positive while also unlocking discounted review materials. Paying by credit card is cheaper than paying by check in both tiers.

Audits, refunds, and scheduling

ABNN randomly audits a portion of certification applications and may audit others at its discretion. If selected, the candidate must document RN licensure and stroke-practice eligibility, including supervisor verification of the claimed hours. A candidate who fails to complete an audit can be denied and should not expect a refund. Falsifying eligibility is grounds for denial or revocation.

After ABNN approves the application, the candidate schedules with PSI, choosing a physical PSI test center or live online remote proctoring when meeting the technical and security requirements (a private room, a compatible computer with webcam, and a stable connection). Appointments are first-come, first-served within the eligibility window. The handbook warns that candidates cannot schedule and test on the same day, so waiting until the final days of a window risks losing the chance to sit entirely.

Refund and cancellation rules also affect planning. If a candidate has not yet scheduled and cancels early enough, ABNN may refund the application fee minus an administrative fee. Once an appointment is scheduled — or if the candidate misses the appointment, arrives late, fails ID matching, lets the eligibility period lapse, or does not reschedule in time — a new complete application and full fee are required.

Calendar planning notes

Build the calendar backward from the application deadline, not from the first day of the testing window. Leave time for supervisor verification, licensure documentation, payment processing, any accommodation request under ADA provisions, and PSI appointment availability. A practical plan: finish the first full content pass before the application deadline, use the approval-to-test period for mixed timed practice, and reserve the final 10-14 days for full-length timed sets and targeted remediation.

Candidates planning remote proctoring should run the PSI system check early enough to fall back to a test center if their home setup is rejected.

Documenting eligibility without surprises

The single most common avoidable delay is treating the application as a formality. ABNN's audit process can require, on short notice, documentation that proves both the licensure and the practice-hours claims. Assemble that evidence before you apply, even if you are not audited, so an audit cannot stall your window:

• A copy or verification of your current, unrestricted RN license and its expiration date.
• A record of your employer(s), role(s), and dates covering the qualifying period.
• A way to reach a supervisor or manager who can verify your stroke-focused hours, ideally someone who will still be reachable months later.
• For indirect-practice claims (coordinator, educator, researcher), a short description that makes the stroke focus obvious rather than generic neuroscience or general nursing.

If any of these is shaky — for example, you changed jobs and your prior supervisor is hard to reach — resolve it before the deadline rather than after an audit notice arrives.

Accommodations and special situations

ABNN provides reasonable testing accommodations under applicable disability law. Accommodation requests (for example, extended time, a separate room, or assistive technology) must be submitted with the application and supporting documentation by the deadline, not negotiated at the test center. Plan for the extra review time these requests require.

Name changes are another quiet trap: the name on your application and PSI registration must exactly match the government-issued photo ID you present on test day. A mismatch — a maiden name on the ID but a married name on the registration, for instance — can cause PSI to refuse admission, which counts as a missed appointment and forces a new application and fee. Verify the name match the moment you schedule.

A defensible application timeline

Working backward this way means an audit, a name mismatch, or an accommodation review costs you margin you planned for — not the entire testing window.