Changed : New exam content outline; passing score · BCEN
What the TCRN costs, first try to renewal
Cost · TCRN · BCEN prices read Nov 11, 2026
One exam, three prices, an optional add-on and a renewal fee every cycle. The only decision with real money riding on it is whether to buy Test Assurance up front; the arithmetic is below.
Each TCRN charge BCEN lists
From the board's cost and recertification pages, read November 11, 2026. Prices change, so recheck them at checkout.
- 01
Exam fee
$380, or $285 for Society of Trauma Nurses (STN) membersActive-duty service members, reservists and veterans pay $195.[1] BCENchecked
- 02
Discount through
Society of Trauma Nurses (STN): $285 exam and $210 renewal instead of $380 and $280STN does not list its dues on its membership page. - 03
Retest and add-ons
A retest booked within 12 months of the first attempt: $200. With BCEN Test Assurance the second attempt is included: $450, or $355 for STN members ($265 military) - 04
After a fail
Wait 90 days between attempts and reapply each time; the $200 retest price applies for a year after the first exam - 05
Renewal fee
$280, or $210 for STN members; $195 military[2] BCENchecked
- 06
How to renew
Every 4 years: pass the exam again or attest to 100 contact hours, at least 75 of them clinical; at least 50 must come from accredited providers, and 75 for applications from January 1, 2027[2] BCENchecked
List, STN and military prices
- List price: $380 as of November 2026.
- Society of Trauma Nurses members: $285. The discount partner for this exam is STN; ENA membership lowers the price of the emergency exams, not this one (BCEN certifications).
- Active duty, reserve and veterans: $195.
STN does not publish its dues on its membership page, so whether joining pays for itself on one exam cannot be worked out from public numbers.
Test Assurance or a paid retest?
Test Assurance is bought with the application and includes a second attempt. Without it, a retest within a year costs $200. List prices:
| Exam alone | $380 | |
|---|---|---|
| Exam with Test Assurance | $450 | |
| Extra paid up front (the difference) | $70 | |
| Retest it replaces | $200 | |
| Break-even chance of failing ($70 divided by the retest price) | 35% | |
| Test Assurance comes out ahead if your risk of failing | is above 35% | |
Our arithmetic from the cost page; the STN prices give the same $70 gap. For scale, fails were 38–42% of exams with a result each year from 2022 to 2025 in the board's counts, repeat attempts included, so the figure describes all takers rather than your own odds.
One TCRN cycle, priced
Pass on the first attempt, then renew four years later by contact hours:
- List prices: $380 + $280 = $660 paid to the board.
- STN member: $285 + $210 = $495, plus dues for the years you stay a member.
- Military: $195 + $195 = $390.
None of these totals include the contact hours themselves, which may cost nothing through an employer or carry fees of their own. A failed first attempt adds $200 within the year, or the full fee again after it.
Ways the bill gets smaller
- Employer vouchers: the board runs a voucher program that sells exam fees in volume to employers; the cost page suggests taking it to your manager.
- VA education benefit: the VA lists the board's certifications as an approved education benefit, so an eligible service member or veteran can be reimbursed for the fee.
- Scholarships: the board takes scholarship applications for initial exams and for recertification.
Details for all three: the TCRN cost page.
Once the fee is paid
Practice on your phone
TCRN pages beyond fees
- TCRNWhat the trauma board exam covers, who can sit it, fees and scoring
- TCRN practice testMixed trauma items in outline proportions, a reason for each choice
- TCRN exam factsFormat, booking, results on the day, retest wait and renewal
- TCRN requirementsWho can sit the exam, the pass mark, four years of pass counts
- TCRN study guideA plan by item counts, the 2026 resource list, guideline editions
Quick answers on TCRN money
Does ENA membership lower the TCRN fee?
No. The member price is for the Society of Trauma Nurses; ENA discounts the board's two emergency exams.
What does renewal cost each cycle?
$280 at list price, $210 for STN members and $195 for military candidates, as of November 2026.
Sources
all read Nov 11, 2026
- [1]BCEN: TCRN cost bcen.org
- [2]BCEN: Recertify (requirements and pricing) bcen.org
- [3]BCEN: Candidate Handbook (PDF), pp. 5–7, 15 bcen.org
- [4]BCEN: TCRN FAQs bcen.org