ACHRN Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass

There's No ACHRN Exam Score - Here's Why

If you searched for an "ACHRN passing score," you're probably picturing a scored, timed exam similar to other hyperbaric credentials. That's not how the Advanced Certified Hyperbaric Registered Nurse credential works. ACHRN is issued by the Baromedical Nurses Association Certification Board (BNACB) and administered through the National Board of Diving and Hyperbaric Medical Technology (NBDHMT) as an advancement from the Certified Hyperbaric Registered Nurse (CHRN) credential - not as a stand-alone examination you sit for and score.

Instead of a cut score on a test day, ACHRN eligibility is measured against a set of documented thresholds: years of experience, hyperbaric hours, continuing education hours, and professional contributions, all verified in your advancement/recertification application. Understanding that distinction is the single most important thing you can learn before you start preparing, and it's why this site labels its practice questions CHRN rather than presenting an "ACHRN exam" that doesn't exist. For the full breakdown of who qualifies and when, see our ACHRN Requirements guide.

The CHRN Passing Score You Need First: 70%

Before ACHRN advancement is even possible, you must already hold current CHRN certification and a valid RN license. The CHRN credential is earned through an examination: 120 multiple-choice and true/false questions, completed in two hours, with a passing score of 70%. This is the only scored exam in the CHRN-to-ACHRN pathway, and it's the score most candidates researching "ACHRN passing score" actually need to hit.

Because the CHRN exam is the gatekeeper for everything that follows, treat 70% as your real target number. If you want a sense of how challenging that threshold tends to feel in practice, our exam difficulty guide and pass rate breakdown walk through what candidates typically report about the experience. For a content-area-by-content-area breakdown of what the resource manual actually covers, see the exam domains guide.

ACHRN Advancement: The Numbers That Function as Your "Passing Score"

Once you're a practicing CHRN, the June 2024 resource manual permits you to apply for advancement after three years of CHRN certification. The August 2025 advancement/recertification form lays out the specific thresholds that function as your "passing bar" for ACHRN - every one of them documented rather than scored:

Think of these numbers the way you'd think of a passing score: fall short on hours, CE credits, or verification, and the application doesn't advance - regardless of how strong your clinical reputation is. This is a fundamentally different kind of "passing" than a multiple-choice cut score, and it rewards meticulous recordkeeping over test-day performance.

Contribution Categories: Documenting Two of Four

Beyond hours and CE credits, the current advancement form requires you to document at least two of four contribution categories. This is the qualitative piece of ACHRN advancement, and it's where many otherwise-qualified CHRNs stall out because they haven't been tracking their non-clinical contributions.

Because these categories span administrative, educational, clinical-leadership, and organizational involvement, candidates who work in larger hyperbaric programs - the kind of facilities that also drive demand covered in our ACHRN jobs overview - often find it easier to accumulate two categories than nurses working in smaller, single-chamber settings. If you're early in your CHRN career, it's worth deliberately seeking out a teaching opportunity or committee seat well ahead of your three-year advancement eligibility date.

ACHRN Advancement and Recertification Fees

Fees vary by membership status, and paying the wrong tier - or discovering you're missing a document after submitting payment - is an easy way to add unnecessary delay to your advancement.

Because BNA membership can lower your cost by $100 compared to applying as a nonmember, many candidates join before submitting their advancement paperwork. For a fuller comparison of every cost involved across CHRN examination fees and ACHRN advancement fees, see our ACHRN certification cost breakdown.

Passing Renewal: What Every Four Years Requires

ACHRN isn't a one-time achievement. It must be renewed every four years, and renewal has its own version of a "passing standard" - you must continue meeting the advanced requirements, maintain active RN licensure, and resubmit supporting documentation on the same advancement/recertification form used for your initial application.

This makes ongoing documentation habits just as important as your initial application. Nurses who keep a running log of CE certificates, hyperbaric hours, and contribution activity throughout each four-year cycle avoid the scramble that catches unprepared candidates off guard at renewal time.

Preparing for the CHRN Exam Before You Apply for ACHRN

Since the only scored exam in this entire pathway is the CHRN exam, your preparation time is best spent there - before you ever think about advancement paperwork. A focused, phased approach works better than cramming, especially given the two-hour, 120-question format.

For a more detailed, week-by-week plan built specifically around CHRN exam content, read our full study guide, and keep a condensed one-page review sheet handy during your final week. You can also run through clearly labeled CHRN practice questions on our practice test platform to see how your scores compare to the 70% passing benchmark before exam day.

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