Changed : New CFRN outline; passing score · BCEN
CFRN pass rate, and two new cut scores
BCEN · pass marks and pass counts · checked Nov 11, 2026
In 2026 the board replaced both transport outlines and reset both marks: the flight bar came down and the ground bar went up. It reports how many exams were passed and failed each year rather than a rate, so every percentage below is our division of its counts.
Marks and counts as BCEN publishes them
Shares are passes over the sum of passes and fails, repeat attempts included; the board publishes only the counts.
- 01
Passing mark
CFRN: 102 of 150 scored questions from August 31, 2026. CTRN: 99 of 150 from March 30, 2026Each mark changed with its new outline: CFRN came down from 108, CTRN went up from 92. BCEN uses the Angoff method and equates forms; neither exam is curved. - 02
Pass data
In 2025, 930 CFRN exams were passed and 680 failed (1,696 delivered); 98 CTRN exams were passed and 75 failed (186 delivered)BCEN publishes exam counts, repeat attempts included, rather than a pass rate. Passes as a share of all exams passed or failed, 2025: CFRN 57.8%, CTRN 56.6%; in 2024: 62.1% and 56.4%.share calculated from BCEN counts (read Nov 11, 2026)[5] BCENchecked
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Questions that are scored
150 scored questions on each exam - 04
Outline in force
CFRN outline effective August 31, 2026; CTRN outline effective March 30, 2026 - 05
Nurses certified
7,769 CFRN and 669 CTRN certificants (2025)[5] BCENchecked
| Exam | Before | Now | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| CFRN | 102 of 150 | Changed | |
| CTRN | 99 of 150 | Changed |
| Year | CFRN | CTRN |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 930 passed, 680 failed (57.8%) | 98 passed, 75 failed (56.6%) |
| 2024 | 1,322 passed, 806 failed (62.1%) | 110 passed, 85 failed (56.4%) |
| 2023 | 911 passed, 545 failed (62.6%) | 98 passed, 42 failed (70.0%) |
| 2022 | 697 passed, 382 failed (64.6%) | 109 passed, 39 failed (73.6%) |
share calculated from BCEN counts (read Nov 11, 2026)
Two marks reset in one year
- CTRN, from March 30, 2026: the mark rose from 92 to 99 of 150, from about 61% to 66% of scored questions.
- CFRN, from August 31, 2026: the mark fell from 108 to 102 of 150, from 72% to 68%.
Each mark belongs to a new outline with new questions, so a lower number is not by itself an easier exam, nor a higher one a harder exam. How the marks are set: BCEN sets both by the Angoff method and equates forms, so a mark can shift slightly between forms; neither is a curve. Prep pages that still quote 108 or 92 were written for the earlier forms.
Reading BCEN's yearly counts
The year table above lists passes and fails. As shares of exams with a result:
- CFRN: 64.6% in 2022, 62.6% in 2023, 62.1% in 2024 and 57.8% in 2025, every year before the 2026 change.
- CTRN: 73.6%, 70.0%, 56.4% and 56.6% over the same years; the drop came in 2024, two years before the higher mark.
Three cautions. The counts include repeat attempts, so no first-time rate exists for either exam. In 2025 the board lists more exams delivered than passed plus failed (86 more for CFRN), so the shares are of exams with a recorded result. And CTRN numbers are small, under two hundred results a year, so one cohort can move the share by several points.
What the mark means in missed questions
A mark of 102 of 150 lets you miss 48 scored questions on the flight exam and still pass; on the ground exam the margin is 51. You cannot tell scored from pretest questions while testing, so every question has to be treated as one that counts.
The margin goes fastest where the outline is heaviest: resuscitation at 40 scored questions and medical emergencies at 35 items. The study guide plans in that proportion; the ground outline's split is on CTRN certification.
Practice for the new CFRN mark
Practice on your phone
Other CFRN and CTRN facts
- CFRN and CTRNWhat CFRN means, the 2026 outline, the pass mark, and when CTRN fits better
- CFRN practice testA CFRN set across the five 2026 domains, every option explained
- CFRN exam factsEligibility, PSI testing, both formats, results, retakes and renewal
- CTRNGround transport credential: 150 scored items, the mark of 99, four domains
- CFRN costExam fee, ASTNA and military prices, Test Assurance math, renewal, both credentials
- CFRN study guideWeek-by-week CFRN plan sized to the 2026 outline, plus a CTRN variant
Pass marks and pass rates
What is the CFRN pass rate?
No rate is published. The latest counts read 930 passed, 680 failed (CFRN, 2025), so passes were 57.8% of results by our arithmetic, repeat attempts included.
How many correct answers does the CFRN require?
102 of 150 scored questions, on forms given since the new outline took effect. Before that the mark was 108.
Did the CTRN get harder in 2026?
Its mark went up, from 92 to 99 of 150, with a new outline and new questions. The board's counts for 2026 are not out yet.
Sources
all read Nov 11, 2026
- [1]BCEN: CFRN FAQs bcen.org
- [2]BCEN: CTRN FAQs bcen.org
- [3]BCEN blog: updating the CTRN certification exam bcen.org
- [4]BCEN: Candidate Handbook (PDF), pp. 5–7, 15 bcen.org
- [5]BCEN: certification exam statistics (2025 counts) bcen.org
- [6]BCEN: CFRN Examination Content Outline, effective August 2026 (PDF), pp. 1–4 bcen.org
- [7]BCEN: CTRN Examination Content Outline, effective March 30, 2026 (PDF), pp. 1–3 bcen.org