ANCC-MSN Exam Information and Outline
Medical-Surgical Nursing
ANCC-MSN Exam Syllabus & Study Guide
Before you start practicing with our exam simulator, it is essential to understand the official ANCC-MSN exam objectives. This course outline serves as your roadmap, breaking down exactly which technical domains and skills will be tested. By reviewing the syllabus, you can identify your strengths and focus your study time on the areas where you need the most improvement.
The information below reflects the latest 2026 course contents as defined by ANCC. We provide this detailed breakdown to help you align your preparation with the actual exam format, ensuring there are no surprises on test day. Use this outline as a checklist to track your progress as you move through our practice question banks.
Below are complete topics detail with latest syllabus and course outline, that will help you good knowledge about exam objectives and topics that you have to prepare. These contents are covered in questions and answers pool of exam.
Exam ID : ANCC-MSN
Exam Title : Medical-Surgical Nursing Board Certification Examination
Questions : 125 (25 unscored)
The ANCC Medical-Surgical Nursing board certification examination is a competency based examination that provides a valid and reliable assessment of the entry-level clinical knowledge and skills of registered nurses in the medical-surgical specialty after initial RN licensure. Once you complete eligibility requirements to take the certification examination and successfully pass the exam- you are awarded the credential: Registered Nurse-Board Certified (RN-BC). This credential is valid for 5 years. You can continue to use this credential by maintaining your license to practice and meeting the renewal requirements in place at the time of your certification renewal. The Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification accredits this ANCC certification.
There are 150 questions on this examination. Of these- 125 are scored questions and 25 are pretest
questions that are not scored. Pretest questions are used to determine how well these questions will
perform before they are used on the scored portion of the examination. The pretest questions cannot
be distinguished from those that will be scored- so it is important for a candidate to answer all
questions. A candidate's score- however- is based solely on the 125 scored questions. Performance on
pretest questions does not affect a candidate's score.
Category Content Domain Number of Questions Percentage
I Assessment and Diagnosis 52 42%
II Planning- Implementation- and Evaluation 58 46%
III Professional Role 15 12%
TOTAL 125 100%
I Assessment and Diagnosis
A. Skill
1. Health history collection
2. Physical assessment (e.g.- disease process- review of systems- activities of daily living)
3. Psychosocial assessment (e.g.- developmental stages- suicide risk- abuse- substance use disorders)
4. Cognitive assessment (e.g.- neuro status- developmental age- impairment)
5. Diagnostic and laboratory testing (e.g.- patient preparation- response to abnormal values- medication considerations)
6. Nursing diagnosis identification and prioritization
B. Knowledge
1. Fluids and electrolytes (e.g.- imbalances- disease-related- blood products)
II Planning- Implementation- and Evaluation
A. Skill
1. Nursing care planning (e.g.- interventions- modifications- outcomes)
2. Postoperative complication prevention and management (e.g.- bleeding- infection- emboli)
3. Patient teaching (i.e.- learning preferences- barriers- and confirmation)
B. Knowledge
1. Education topics (e.g.- self-management- acute and chronic conditions- population specific)
2. Patient safety measures (e.g.- screening tools- infection prevention- restraints- medical equipment)
3. Non-pharmacologic treatments (e.g.- complementary and alternative medicine- diversional activities)
4. Medication interactions and adverse effects (e.g.- pain management- polypharmacy- drug-drug- food-drug)
5. Health and wellness promotion (e.g.- screenings- vaccinations- healthy lifestyle modifications)
III Professional Role
A. Skill
1. Therapeutic communication (e.g.- patient- and family-centered care- cultural competence)
B. Knowledge
1. Nursing ethics (e.g.- evidence-based practice- advocacy)