CBN Certification FAQ

On this page, find answers to commonly asked questions about the CBN certification exam. Further details about the exam can be found in the official CBN Candidate Handbook. Examination and testing questions can be found at PSI Exams

Before the Exam

WHO IS A CERTIFIED BARIATRIC NURSE (CBN)

A Certified Bariatric Nurse (CBN) is an RN who also holds a certificate from ASMBS’ Certified Bariatric Nurse program indicating achievement of the specialized skills and knowledge required for the delivery of quality patient care for the morbidly obese and bariatric surgery patients. CBN candidates must hold an RN license (or an international equivalent), have two years of experience in caring for morbidly obese and bariatric surgery patients and pass the CBN examination. When all of these criteria have been met, candidates are free to use the CBN designation after their name. The CBN credential is issued for a term of 4 years, at which time a CBN may re-certify to maintain the certificate.

AM I ELIGIBLE TO TAKE THE EXAM?

Licensed RNs with a minimum of 24 months’ experience working with morbidly obese and bariatric surgery patients are eligible to take the exam. For more information, including details for international nurses, please visit the CBN Eligibility Requirements page.

HOW LONG IS THE EXAM?

Candidates are allowed three hours (180 minutes) to complete the exam.

WHAT WILL I BE TESTED ON?

The CBN exam has questions from the following areas of knowledge or domains: Clinical Management: Preoperative (Pre-hospital) (27 test items), Clinical Management: Perioperative (Hospital) (36 test items), Clinical Management: Follow-up (Post-hospital) (38 test items), Multidisciplinary Team Collaboration (22 test items), and Outreach (9 test items) Program Quality (18 test items).

WHAT IS THE FORMAT OF THE EXAM?

The exam consists of 175 multiple-choice items, of which are 25 unscored pretest questions. Each question has four response choices (A, B, C and D), and credit is granted for selecting the single best response.

WHAT STUDY RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE TO HELP PREPARE FOR THE CBN EXAM?

ASMBS offers a live CBN Review Course, which is presented during the ASMBS Annual Meeting, and an online Review Course.

Additionally, the CBN Candidate Handbook offers a reference list of resources that may be useful in preparing for the exam.

WHERE CAN I TAKE THE EXAM?

The CBN exam is administered at testing sites throughout the United States. Find more information on the Testing Information page.

WHEN IS THE CBN EXAM OFFERED?

The CBN Examination is administered during two test windows annually. Find more information on the Testing Information page.

HOW ARE TESTS SCORED?

To ensure the integrity and security of the test, every form of the CBN examination consists of a unique combination of test items. Thus, no two versions of the CBN examination are identical.

After the Exam

WHEN DO I GET MY TEST RESULTS?

Test results will be mailed to all candidates approximately four to eight weeks after the exam.

WHAT WILL MY TEST RESULTS LOOK LIKE?

The score report given to candidates states whether the candidate has passed or failed, along with the candidate’s total raw score and the number of test questions the candidate answered correctly for each domain area.

CAN I CALL OR EMAIL AND FIND OUT MY TEST SCORE?

No, scores are not released from ASMBS via phone or email.

Certification

WHEN CAN I START USING THE CBN CREDENTIAL?

Candidates who have passed the CBN examination are free to use the CBN designation after their name. Members of the ASMBS who have passed will have the CBN designation added to their names in the ASMBS directory. Any questions can e-mailed to cbn@asmbs.org.

HOW LONG WILL MY CBN CERTIFICATION LAST?

The CBN credential is issued for a term of four years. Re-certification is available to maintain this credential.

Recertification

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO GET RECERTIFIED?

Recertification takes roughly 12 weeks. Please give yourself enough time to complete the recertification process to avoid an interruption in your certification status. We suggest beginning your recertification process more than three months before your certification expires.

MY CERTIFICATION EXPIRED OVER A YEAR AGO. CAN I RECERTIFY?

If your certification expired over one year ago, you will need to apply as a new applicant and take the exam again. WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME THAT MY CERTIFICATION HAD EXPIRED?

It is the responsibility of the Certified Bariatric Nurse to maintain valid credentials.