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.
Before the Exam
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 presented during the ASMBS Annual Meeting and at ASMBS Weekend (also known as the Spring Educational Event). You can register for this course while registering for the conferences, or you can watch the course online at your convenience.
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 window of time you can register and take the CBN exam differ each year. 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 AND FIND OUT MY TEST SCORE?
No, scores are not released over the telephone or by fax.
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 and would like to have the CBN designation added to their names in the ASMBS directory can e-mail cbn@asmbs.org with this request.
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, but it could take longer. 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. Please read the section on recertification in the official CBN Handbook for more information.
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. Please read the section on recertification in the official CBN Handbook for more information.
WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME THAT MY CERTIFICATION HAD EXPIRED?
It is the responsibility of the Certified Bariatric Nurse to maintain valid credentials. Please read the section on recertification in the the official CBN Handbook to learn how to again use the CBN credential.