Exam facts · handbook v5 · checked Nov 6, 2026
The NI-BC credential, format to renewal
Facts checked against nursingworld.org, codeofethics.ana.org and 2 more sites · Last checked Nov 6, 2026 · Not affiliated with ANCC, ANA, AONL, NLN or AACN.
Everything ANCC publishes about how the informatics exam runs, checked against the current handbook, the exam page and the outline. Where no figure is printed, we say so instead of guessing.
Open the NI-BC practice test60 questions, mixed content domainsANCC certifications
Informatics exam facts with sources
| Fact | Detail | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certifying body | American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) | ANCC: Informatics Nursing Certification (NI-BC)1 | |
| Accreditation | Accredited by ABSNC and NCCA | ANCC: Informatics Nursing Certification (NI-BC)1 | |
| Who it is for | Informatics nurses: entry-level knowledge and skills in the informatics specialty | ANCC: Informatics Nursing Certification (NI-BC)1 | |
| Eligibility | Active RN license; a bachelor’s or higher in nursing; 2 years of full-time RN practice; 30 hours of informatics CE in the last 3 years; plus one of: 2,000 hours of informatics practice in 3 years, 1,000 hours plus 12 semester hours of graduate informatics coursework, or a graduate informatics program with at least 200 supervised practicum hours | ANCC: Informatics Nursing Certification (NI-BC)1 | |
| Questions | 150 questions125 scored and 25 unscored pretest questions, mixed in and not marked. | ANCC: NI-BC Test Content Outline, effective May 3, 2023 (PDF, reposted Aug 29, 2025) · ANCC: Informatics Nursing Certification (NI-BC)12 | |
| Scored questions | 125 scored questions | ANCC: NI-BC Test Content Outline, effective May 3, 2023 (PDF, reposted Aug 29, 2025)2 | |
| Question format | Multiple choice, one best answer | ANCC: Informatics Nursing Certification (NI-BC) · ANCC: NI-BC Test Content Outline, effective May 3, 2023 (PDF, reposted Aug 29, 2025)12 | |
| Exam time | 3 hours | ANCC: Informatics Nursing Certification (NI-BC)1 | |
| Where you test | Computer-based test at a Prometric test centerThe ANCC handbook (version 5) lists no remote-proctored option. | ANCC: Informatics Nursing Certification (NI-BC) · ANCC Certification Handbook, effective June 2025, version 5, Oct 12, 2026 (PDF)13 | |
| Testing window | Apply year-round; after approval you have a 120-day window to testOne move to a new 120-day window costs $100 and must start within 6 months after the first window ends. | ANCC: Informatics Nursing Certification (NI-BC) · ANCC Certification Handbook, effective June 2025, version 5, Oct 12, 2026 (PDF)13 | |
| Passing score | A scaled score of 350 on a scale that tops out at 500Criterion-referenced (modified Angoff). The raw score on the 125 scored questions is converted to the scale, so there is no fixed percentage or number of questions to pass. | ANCC Certification Handbook, effective June 2025, version 5, Oct 12, 2026 (PDF)3 | |
| Results | Pass/fail on the Prometric score portal after the exam; ANCC has the result within 24–48 hoursA failing report shows the scaled score and high, medium or low feedback for each content domain. | ANCC Certification Handbook, effective June 2025, version 5, Oct 12, 2026 (PDF)3 | |
| Exam fee | $395, $295 for ANA members, or $340 for ANIA membersEach price includes a $140 non-refundable administrative fee. Member prices need ANA or American Nursing Informatics Association membership, claimed within 5 business days after ANCC receives the application. | ANCC: Informatics Nursing Certification (NI-BC)1 | |
| Other fees | $100 to move to a new 120-day testing window (once); Prometric may charge to reschedule or cancel | ANCC Certification Handbook, effective June 2025, version 5, Oct 12, 2026 (PDF)3 | |
| Retakes | After 60 calendar days, up to 3 attempts in any 12 months, with a new retest application and feeApply at least 5 days after the exam; eligibility is checked again. ANCC does not publish the retest fee on its exam pages, handbook or retest page. | ANCC Certification Handbook, effective June 2025, version 5, Oct 12, 2026 (PDF) · ANCC: Scores and retest application34 | |
| Valid for | 5 years | ANCC: Informatics Nursing Certification (NI-BC)1 | |
| Renewal | Every 5 years: 75 continuing education contact hours plus at least 1 of 8 professional development categoriesApply up to a year before expiry; there is no grace period. Since January 14, 2026 activities must fall inside the current 5-year period. The 25 pharmacology hours apply only to NP and CNS certifications. A new renewal handbook takes effect February 1, 2027. | ANCC Certification Renewal Handbook, effective Sep 10, 2025, version 2, Feb 10, 2026 (PDF) · 2 more156 | |
| Pass rate | 65% of first-time candidates in 2025 (229 of 352) | ANCC: 2025 certification data (PDF), p. 27 | |
| Certified nurses | 3,536 certified nurses (December 31, 2025) | ANCC: 2025 certification data (PDF), p. 27 | |
| Outline in force | Test Content Outline effective May 3, 2023 (still current; reposted August 29, 2025) | ANCC: NI-BC Test Content Outline, effective May 3, 2023 (PDF, reposted Aug 29, 2025)2 | |
| What changed recently | No new outline since May 3, 2023; ANCC’s free sample questions apply to exams from March 23, 2018 and predate it | ANCC: NI-BC Test Content Outline, effective May 3, 2023 (PDF, reposted Aug 29, 2025) · ANCC: Informatics sample test questions (for exams from March 23, 2018)28 | |
| Prep from the certifying body | No ANCC Readiness Test for NI-BC; free ANCC sample questions dated 2018 | ANCC: Readiness Tests · ANCC: Informatics sample test questions (for exams from March 23, 2018)89 |
The letters and the old name
Passing earns the NI-BC credential for 5 years, as long as your RN license stays active. If a prep site calls the informatics credential RN-BC, it is using the retired name, and its other details may be just as old.
Format and the testing window
- Questions: 150 in all. Only 125 affect your score; 25 unmarked pretest items sit among them.
- Time: 3 hours of testing at a Prometric test center.
- When: apply any time; approval opens a 120-day window, which you can move once for $100.
Outline in force
The outline dated May 3, 2023 is still the one in use. Three domains share the scored questions:
- Foundations of Practice: 36%, 45 questions. Our page: foundations of practice.
- System Design Lifecycle: 35%, 44 of 125 scored questions. No split is published inside it; we cover planning and build and testing, go-live and support separately.
- Data Management and Healthcare Technology: 29%, 36 questions. Our page: data management and technology.
Scaled scoring on the informatics exam
The cut is a scaled 350 on a scale that tops out at 500. ANCC sets it by the modified Angoff method and converts your raw score on the 125 counted items, so the raw target is not fixed and can differ between forms.
Prometric's portal shows pass or fail after you finish. A failing report adds a three-level rating for every domain, which is the most direct guide to what to restudy.
The 2025 certification data put the first-time pass rate for this exam at 65%.
If you have to sit it again
You can retest 60 calendar days after your last attempt, up to three times in any 12 months, with a new retest application; ANCC prints no retest fee. The full price picture for a second attempt is on the cost page.
When renewal comes due
Renewal comes every 5 years: 75 contact hours of CE plus at least one of eight professional-development categories. The categories, the in-cycle rule and the 2027 handbook change are covered once, for the four ANCC exams that share these rules, on the renewal page.
Other pages on this credential
- NI-BCWho qualifies, three domains, and how it differs from AMIA and HIMSS
- NI-BC practice testOne set drawn from all three NI-BC domains in outline proportions
- NI-BC costExam fee by membership, the ANIA math, window move, retake, renewal
- NI-BC eligibilityDegree, RN years, informatics CE and the three hour routes, with worked cases
- NI-BC study guideStudy plan by outline weight, the Scope and Standards book and the ANCC reference list
The NI-BC outline
- 36%Foundations of Practice
- 35%System Design Lifecycle
- 29%Data Management and Healthcare Technology
Before the window opens
The same NI-BC questions with every option explained, in a study app.
NI-BC format and scoring, briefly
How many correct answers does a pass take?
There is no fixed number. Your raw score on the counted questions is converted to a scale, and a pass sits at a scaled 350.
Can I push my exam past the testing window?
Once, for $100. The new window has to begin within six months after the first one closes; details under format and the testing window.
Is the RN-BC in informatics a different exam?
No. It is the earlier name for the same credential; the current letters are NI-BC.
Sources
- ANCC: Informatics Nursing Certification (NI-BC) nursingworld.org · checked Nov 6, 2026
- ANCC: NI-BC Test Content Outline, effective May 3, 2023 (PDF, reposted Aug 29, 2025) prd.healthynursehealthynation.org · checked Nov 6, 2026
- ANCC Certification Handbook, effective June 2025, version 5, Oct 12, 2026 (PDF) nursingworld.org · checked Nov 6, 2026
- ANCC: Scores and retest application nursingworld.org · checked Nov 6, 2026
- ANCC Certification Renewal Handbook, effective Sep 10, 2025, version 2, Feb 10, 2026 (PDF) nursingworld.org · checked Nov 6, 2026
- ANCC Certification Renewal Handbook effective Feb 1, 2027 (PDF) nursingworld.org · checked Nov 6, 2026
- ANCC: 2025 certification data (PDF), p. 2 nursingworld.org · checked Nov 6, 2026
- ANCC: Informatics sample test questions (for exams from March 23, 2018) nursingworld.org · checked Nov 6, 2026
- ANCC: Readiness Tests nursingworld.org · checked Nov 6, 2026
Each figure is reread against its document on a fixed cycle, and the date beside a source is its latest pass. Where a number here and the document part ways, the document wins (how corrections happen).