Eligibility

• Before you can qualify to take the ANCC nurse executive certification exam, you must confirm that you have a current U.S. registered nurse license or, alternatively, an accepted equivalent certification from another country. You also must have at least a bachelor's degree in nursing and have worked in nursing administration at the executive level, taught nursing administration at the graduate level or worked as a full-time nursing management consultant for at least 24 months in the past five years. In addition, you need to have completed a minimum of 30 hours of nursing administration continuing education credits in the past three years; however, nurse executives with a master's degree in nursing administration are exempt from this requirement. All eligibility criteria must be completed before you submit your application.
  
  

Application

• You can download the application for the nurse executive certification examination directly from the ANCC website. The application reviews the eligibility requirements, provides a brief outline of subjects covered on the exam and notes the application fees. When completing the application, you will need to provide general information about yourself and your employer and confirm that you meet all the eligibility requirements. In addition, continuing education credit hour details must be provided, along with college or university information, including transcripts for your academic coursework. Lastly, you will need to provide a copy of your current registered nurse license.
  
  

Review Courses and Resources

• Included on both the ANCC website and nurse executive certification application are lists of review courses and resources available to assist nurses in preparing for the examination. The ANCC provides review seminars, study groups, online narrated review courses and review and resource manuals. In addition, sample questions like those you'll be asked on the actual computer-based test are available on the website. Private nursing schools, like that of Villanova University, also offer certification review courses that you can take to prepare for the exam.
  
  

Fees

• Examination fees must be paid along with the application. As of 2010 members of the American Nurses Association pay $270 and members of other approved organizations are charged $340 to take the nurse executive certification exam. The fee for non-members is $390, and nurses taking the exam internationally need to pay $125 in addition the examination fee.
  
  

Renewal

• ANCC nurse executive certifications need to be renewed every five years. The ANCC will notify you six months before your current certification is set to expire, but do note it is your responsibility to make sure you complete the renewal application and submit your eligibility requirements promptly to ensure your certification does not expire.