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AOCNPRenewal · ONCC renewal pages read Nov 7, 2026

AOCNP renewal, points set by your own results

Facts read from oncc.org · last checked Nov 7, 2026

There is no single CE target for every holder. The number of points you need, and the subject areas they must fall in, come from your own test results report or from the ILNA, an online assessment taken early in the cycle. Below: eligibility, the three options, the dates and the fees.

Practice questions

60 questions written to the AOCNP outline; each choice is explained once you pick.

Start the AOCNP practice testExam rules and dates
Questions
165125 scored
Time
3 h
Cut score
55 of 75 (scaled)
Exam fee
$420
Pass rate
79% (2025)
Valid for
4 years

Figure 1.Test content outline drawn to scale: each run is one domain’s weight

2025 outline · checked Nov 7, 2026
  1. I. Cancer Continuum28%
  2. II. Cancer Treatment and Supportive Care45%
  3. III. Oncologic Emergencies12%
  4. IV. Psychosocial Issues10%
  5. V. Professional Practice and Roles of the APRN5%

All exams on NP Board Prep

9 more listed · every exam by population

ONCC renewal rules for the AOCNP

sources [1]–[7]
Table 1. From ONCC's AOCNP renewal page, renewal guide, points page and renewal fee page, read November 7, 2026.[1]–[7]
FactValueSourceRead on
Certification period4 yearsONCC [1][2]
Keeping it currentEvery 4 years: 1,000 hours of adult oncology NP practice in the prior 48 months, plus ILNA points or the examThe ILNA is a timed online assessment taken early in the cycle; its results set how many points you need in each subject area.ONCC [2]
Ways to renewOption 1: practice hours and points · Option 2: practice hours and a passed test · Option 3: points and a passed testONCC [2][3]
Who sets your pointsFor the first renewal after the exam, your test results report sets the points and subject areas; after a renewal by points, the ILNA sets themONCC [3][4][5]
Learning needs assessmentA timed online Individual Learning Needs Assessment of about 2 hours, taken in one sitting by January 31 of the renewal yearSkipping it is allowed: you then renew with 100 points that exactly match the subject areas and weights of the current outline.ONCC [3][5][6][7]
How points are counted1 contact hour = 1 point; 1 academic credit = 15 points; 1 hour of presentation = 3 pointsONCC [5]
Renewal deadlinesEarly bird September 15 and final October 15 (11:59 p.m. ET) in the year the credential expires; reinstatement until March 31 of the next yearONCC [2][7]
Renewal fee$460 by practice hours and points, or $340 for ONS or APHON members, at the final deadlineApplying by the early-bird deadline saves $100 ($360 and $240). Renewing by test alone costs $420 or $300.ONCC [7]

Before choosing an option

Every option needs a current credential and an RN license that is current, active and unencumbered. Options 1 and 2 also need 1,000 hours of adult oncology NP practice in the 48 months before you apply. Only Option 3 drops the practice requirement.

ONCC's three renewal routes

  1. Option 1, practice hours + points: the route the board calls the most popular. Points are entered in LearningBuilder, its online tool.
  2. Option 2, practice hours + a passed test: the same exam new candidates take. Apply by September 1 to keep a full 90-day window before your credential expires.
  3. Option 3, points + a passed test: both halves, and no practice hours.

Who decides how many points you owe

It depends on how you earned your current credential:

  • First renewal after passing the exam: your test results report lists the points you need and the subject areas they must cover. Points count from the day you passed.
  • After a renewal by points: you take the ILNA, a timed online Individual Learning Needs Assessment of about 2 hours, taken in one sitting by January 31 of the renewal year. The authorization arrives soon after your last renewal is approved, and early is better, because points cannot be earned before it.
  • If you skip the ILNA: you can still renew with 100 points that exactly match the subject areas and weights of the current outline; the board builds that plan on request.

Either way, the plan follows the outline's subject areas, so a cycle of CE in only one area will not satisfy it.

Turning CE into ONCC points

  • Continuing education: 1 point per contact hour, from a provider accredited for nursing (CNE or NCPD), medical (CME) or pharmacy (CPE) education. One activity counts once per cycle.
  • Academic courses: 15 points per academic credit, grade C or better, in a subject area on your plan.
  • Presentations: 3 points per hour of presentation, first delivery only; talks that are part of your job do not count.
  • Publications: points by type, from a book or chapter to a peer-reviewed article, on the board's points page.

Keep certificates and course records: uploading them is required only in an audit.

The renewal year, date by date

  1. January 31: last day for the ILNA, if your plan comes from it.
  2. September 1: apply by now if you renew by test, so a 90-day window fits before expiration.
  3. September 15: early-bird application deadline, $100 off.
  4. October 15: final application deadline, 11:59 p.m. ET.
  5. March 31 of the next year: last date for a reinstatement application.

All of these fall in the year your credential expires unless marked otherwise. Fees by option are in the table above and on the cost page.

Two renewal clocks for dual-certified NPs

sources [1], [2], [7], [14]
Table 2. AOCNP and FNP-C and PMHNP-BC and WHNP-BC, fact by fact[1][2][7]–[14]
FactAOCNPONCC · Advanced Oncology Certified Nurse Practitioner examPracticeFNP-CNPCB · Family Nurse Practitioner certification examPracticePMHNP-BCANCC · Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (Across the Lifespan) certification examPracticeWHNP-BCNCC · Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner certification examPractice
Certification period4 years5 years5 years3 years
Keeping it currentEvery 4 years: 1,000 hours of adult oncology NP practice in the prior 48 months, plus ILNA points or the examEvery 5 years: 1,000 NP practice hours plus 100 continuing education hours (25 in pharmacology), or pass the exam againEvery 5 years: 75 CE contact hours, including 25 in pharmacology, and one or more of 8 professional development categoriesEvery 3 years: a free Continuing Competency Assessment, then an education plan of 15 to 50 CE hours
Renewal fee$460 by practice hours and points, or $340 for ONS or APHON members, at the final deadline$195, or $120 for AANP members; renewing by exam costs $315 or $240$375, or $275 for ANA members and $250 for APNA members$100, less with NCC continuing education ($80, $70 or $60 for 15, 30 or 45 hours)

If you also hold a population certification, it renews on its own schedule. The oncology board counts adult oncology NP work only; NPCB and ANCC apply their own rules (NPCB recertification, ANCC renewal). Before planning CE, check whether one activity can count for both boards.

No flat CE-hour total often wrong

Renewal guides written for ANCC or NPCB credentials quote a fixed number of CE hours. Here the number of points and their subject areas are personal, set by your results report or ILNA, so a colleague's figure is not yours.

If you renew by retesting

Study on a phone

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Beyond renewal: AOCNP pages

  • AOCNPONCC oncology credential for NPs: format, fees, areas, renewal
  • AOCNP practice testFour-option oncology NP questions across the outline, each option explained
  • AOCNP exam factsEligibility hours, format, scaled score, pass rates, retakes, booking
  • AOCNP costTest fee, member price, DoubleTake math, FreeTake, renewal fees
  • AOCNP study guideReview plan by outline weight, ONCC references, courses, outdated material

ONCC renewal, short answers

Missed the ILNA deadline: can I still renew?

Yes, by points: submit 100 points that exactly match the subject areas and weights of the current outline. Ask the board to create that plan.

Can a lapsed credential be reinstated?

Reinstatement applications are accepted until March 31 of the year after expiration.

Does every CE certificate count toward renewal?

Only contact hours awarded by an accredited nursing, medical or pharmacy CE provider or approver, and only in a subject area on your plan.

Sources

all read Nov 7, 2026
  1. [1]ONCC: Advanced Oncology Certified Nurse Practitioner (AOCNP) oncc.org read Nov 7, 2026
  2. [2]ONCC: AOCNP renewal oncc.org read Nov 7, 2026
  3. [3]ONCC: Certification renewal guide oncc.org read Nov 7, 2026
  4. [4]ONCC: 2026 Test Registration Manual (PDF), pp. 2, 4–5, 21–24, 37–42 oncc.org read Nov 7, 2026
  5. [5]ONCC: How to apply renewal points oncc.org read Nov 7, 2026
  6. [6]ONCC: ILNA renewal resources oncc.org read Nov 7, 2026
  7. [7]ONCC: Renewal application deadlines, dates and fees oncc.org read Nov 7, 2026
  8. [8]NPCB: FNP Renewal Handbook, June 4, 2026 (PDF), pp. 6–9 aanpcert.org read Nov 7, 2026
  9. [9]NPCB: home page aanpcert.org read Nov 7, 2026
  10. [10]PMHNP-BC (across the lifespan) exam page at ANCC nursingworld.org read Nov 7, 2026
  11. [11]WHNP-BC candidate guide, 2026 edition (NCC PDF), pp. 2–8, 18–21 nccwebsite.org read Nov 7, 2026
  12. [12]NCC: 2026 Maintenance Catalog (PDF), pp. 7, 14, 18 nccwebsite.org read Nov 7, 2026
  13. [13]ANCC renewal handbook in force since September 10, 2025 (v2), PDF nursingworld.org read Nov 7, 2026
  14. [14]NPCB: Certify, application fees aanpcert.org read Nov 7, 2026