ANCC vs AANP Certification

Two boards certify nurse practitioners in the United States. Both are accepted for licensure. The real differences are which population foci each one covers, what recertification demands of you every five years, and what it costs.

The short answer

If your population focus is acute care, pediatric primary care, or clinical nurse specialist, the decision is made for you: ANCC is the only one of the two that certifies those roles.

For family, adult-gerontology primary care, and psychiatric-mental health, you can choose either. AANPCB added a PMHNP certification that earned NCCA accreditation effective June 11, 2025, so psych NPs are no longer ANCC-only — older guidance saying otherwise is out of date. Both are accepted for state licensure and by employers; decide on exam content and recertification, not prestige.

The recertification difference is real and lasts your whole career: ANCC wants 75 contact hours plus one professional development category, while AANPCB wants 100 contact hours plus 1,000 clinical practice hours.

Clinically reviewed by License Guide Research Team

Based on 3 official sources • Last verified: September 2026

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Side by side

Factor	ANCC	AANPCB
Certifying body	American Nurses Credentialing Center, a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association	American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board
Credential suffix	-BC ("board certified"), e.g. FNP-BC	-C ("certified"), e.g. FNP-C
NP certifications offered	Family, Adult-Gerontology Primary Care, Adult-Gerontology Acute Care, Psychiatric-Mental Health, Pediatric Primary Care	Family, Adult-Gerontology Primary Care, Psychiatric-Mental Health, and Emergency NP
Psychiatric-mental health NP	Yes — PMHNP-BC	Yes — PMHNP-C, NCCA-accredited effective June 11, 2025
Acute care / pediatric primary care NP	Yes — AGACNP-BC and PPCNP-BC	No
Exam length	175 questions for FNP-BC (150 scored, 25 pretest); varies by exam	150 multiple-choice questions on every exam
Application fee	$395 non-member / $295 ANA member for FNP-BC; set per certification	$315 non-member / $240 AANP or AAENP member
Clinical nurse specialist	Yes — AGCNS-BC and PMHCNS-BC	No, nurse practitioners only
RN specialty certifications	Yes — 30+ options including med-surg, informatics, nurse executive, pain management	No
Certification period	5 years	5 years
Recertification CE	75 contact hours, at least 60 formally approved; 25 must be pharmacology for NPs and CNSs	100 contact hours, 25 of which must be advanced practice pharmacology
Other recertification requirement	One of eight professional development categories, completed in full	1,000 clinical practice hours as an NP in the relevant population focus

Recertification is where they actually diverge

You take the exam once. You recertify every five years for the rest of your career, so this is the difference that compounds.

ANCC, every 5 years

75 continuing education contact hours, all related to your certification role and specialty
At least 60 of those 75 must be formally approved CE
NPs and CNSs: 25 of the 75 must be pharmacology
Plus one of eight professional development categories in full — practice hours, precepting, presentations, academic credit, an EBP or QI project, publication or research, professional service, or retaking the exam

Practice hours are optional here. If you do use them as your category, the minimum is 1,000.

AANPCB, every 5 years

100 continuing education contact hours
25 of those 100 must be advanced practice pharmacology, completed within the five-year period
1,000 clinical practice hours as an NP in the relevant population focus, completed within the five-year period

Practice hours are mandatory here, not one option among several. An NP who has stepped away from direct clinical practice may not qualify.

The practical read: AANPCB asks for more contact hours but accepts ordinary clinical work as the second requirement. ANCC asks for fewer hours but expects a professional development activity, which is easier if you precept, present, or publish — and more work if you do none of those. Nurses out of direct practice generally find ANCC more forgiving.

Full ANCC renewal requirements

Cost

ANCC prices each certification separately and discounts by membership. Below is Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP-BC) as a worked example.

Membership	FNP-BC application
Non-member	$395
ANA member	$295
AANP member	$340
AANP student member	$290
GAPNA member	$340

Prices include a $140 non-refundable administrative fee. Note that ANCC discounts for AANP members too — holding an AANP membership saves $55 on the ANCC exam, so membership in one organization does not lock you into its board.

AANPCB charges $315 for non-members and $240 for AANP or AAENP members, a flat $75 membership discount that applies to the retake fee too. That is below every ANCC rate above. Confirm current pricing at aanpcert.org before you apply — boards adjust fees, and that includes the figures on this page.

ANCC exam mechanics

Length (FNP-BC) 175 questions: 150 scored, 25 unscored pretest
Time (FNP-BC) 3.5 hours
Scoring Scale to 500; 350 required to pass
Result Pass or fail, with diagnostic feedback if you fail
Scheduling window 120 days from your Authorization to Test notice
Retest After 60 days; max 3 attempts per 12 months

Question counts and time limits vary by certification. ANCC's general handbook describes exams as 125 to 150 scored items plus 25 pilot items; check the test content outline for the exam you are sitting.

AANPCB exam mechanics

Length 150 multiple-choice questions on every exam
Time Not published by AANPCB
Results Emailed within 3-5 business days after testing
Scheduling window Eligibility to test is valid for 120 days
Retest FNP: up to 3 attempts per calendar year from Jan 2026; other exams 2

AANPCB does not publish an exam time limit on its public pages, so we do not state one. Third-party sources commonly cite three hours; treat that as unverified and confirm in the candidate handbook.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ANCC or AANP certification better?

Neither is ranked above the other. Both are accredited, both are accepted by state boards of nursing for APRN licensure, and both are accepted by employers and payers. The choice is driven by which certification you actually need: if you want pediatric primary care, acute care, or a clinical nurse specialist credential, ANCC is your only option. For family, adult-gerontology primary care, and psychiatric-mental health, you can pick either.

What is the difference between FNP-BC and FNP-C?

FNP-BC is the ANCC credential ("board certified") and FNP-C is the AANPCB credential ("certified"). They cover the same role and are equivalent for licensure and employment. The difference is which organization issued the credential, which exam you sat, and which recertification rules you follow for the next five years.

Which exam is easier, ANCC or AANP?

Neither board publishes a difficulty comparison, so treat any claim that one is easier as anecdote rather than fact. The substantive difference is content coverage: ANCC exams include professional role, ethics, policy, and research alongside clinical content, while the AANPCB exams concentrate on clinical assessment, diagnosis, and management. Candidates who prefer purely clinical questions often favor AANPCB for that reason.

Does AANPCB certify psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners?

Yes. AANPCB now offers a PMHNP certification alongside its family, adult-gerontology primary care, and emergency NP exams. The program received Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification accreditation in January 2025 and National Commission for Certifying Agencies accreditation effective June 11, 2025. Guidance published before then said psych NPs had to certify through ANCC; that is no longer correct.

Can I hold both ANCC and AANP certification?

Yes. Nothing prevents holding certifications from both bodies, and some NPs do when they practice across two population foci. Each certification carries its own five-year cycle, its own renewal requirements, and its own fees, so the maintenance burden roughly doubles.

Which certification do employers prefer?

Employers overwhelmingly require national certification appropriate to your role and population, not a specific certifying body. Job postings usually say "national certification required" or list both. Where a preference does show up, it tends to be in academic and Magnet-recognized settings that lean toward ANCC because of the ANA affiliation — verify against the specific employer rather than assuming.