ANCC PMHNP pass rate, three years of results

In 2025, 8,840 of 10,743 first-time takers passed (82%), according to the latest yearly data. The rate was 83% in 2024, of 9,633 first-time takers, and 90% in 2023, of 8,791.

Two things changed at once. The pool of first-time takers grew by about a fifth between 2023 and 2025, and 2024 was the first complete calendar year under the April 2023 outline. No reason for the lower rate has been published, and the data cannot separate the two, so the timing is not evidence of a cause.

Cut score: 350 of 500 (scaled). The board counts the scored items you answered correctly and converts that raw count to its scale. The handbook does not publish how many raw points equal 350, and the conversion can differ between forms, so “you need 70%” and similar claims have no official source. ANCC fixes the passing point through a modified Angoff study: experienced PMHNPs rate each item for how a borderline-competent candidate would fare. Results are pass or fail against that standard, not a curve.

A pass report says only that you passed. A failing one shows your scaled score and rates each of the five domains high, medium or low. Low means substantial study is needed; medium means marginal; high means well above average but still worth a review. Because Advanced Practice Skills carries 27% of the scored items, a low rating there costs more than a low rating in Psychotherapy and Related Theories (11%). Plan the retest around both the rating and the weight; the study guide orders the domains that way.

NPCB reported that in 2025, 82% of 1,333 first-time takers passed, the same as the 2025 rate above. The two exams differ in length, blueprint and candidate pool (NPCB’s is about an eighth the size), so equal rates say nothing about which exam is easier. What each board’s FNP numbers look like: FNP-C passing score.