Updated July 2026 · 8 min read

CRNA Board Exam Pass Rates by School 2026

Part of the CRNA Career Hub — browse every related guide in one place.

Medical Disclaimer: This article is general educational information. Pass rate data changes annually; always verify the most current figures at nbcrna.com before making program selection decisions.

The National Certification Examination (NCE) for nurse anesthesia is the single board exam all CRNA graduates must pass to practice. First-time pass rates — the percentage of first-time candidates from a given program who pass — are published by the NBCRNA and are one of the most meaningful data points for evaluating CRNA program quality. Here is how to find, read, and act on this data.

Where to Find Official Pass Rate Data

The authoritative source for NCE pass rates is the NBCRNA (National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists) at nbcrna.com. The NBCRNA publishes pass rates by accredited program, updated annually. The Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA) also publishes program-specific data as part of accreditation reports. Always use these official sources rather than relying on program self-reporting, which may be selectively presented.

When reviewing NBCRNA data: look at 3-year aggregated pass rates rather than a single year (small program cohorts make single-year data noisy), and distinguish between first-time pass rate and overall pass rate (including repeat takers). First-time pass rate is the metric that matters for program quality assessment.

What Pass Rates Tell You — and Don't

High pass rates indicate

Strong didactic curriculum that maps to the NCE content outline. Adequate clinical volume and case diversity. A program that filters for academically prepared students. Rigorous internal assessments and remediation processes for struggling students. NCE preparation that's integrated throughout the program rather than only in the final semester.

What pass rates don't tell you

Pass rates don't capture: the quality of clinical training beyond what's needed to pass the NCE, regional anesthesia case volume, OB anesthesia training depth, research and DNP project quality, or faculty-to-student clinical mentoring ratios. A program with a 95% NCE pass rate might produce graduates who are technically exam-ready but who have seen a narrow range of cases. Look at both pass rates and case diversity when selecting a program.

Programs With Historically Strong Pass Rates

Because pass rate data changes annually and small cohort sizes cause statistical volatility, this article avoids listing specific ranked institutions. Instead, here is the methodology for identifying strong programs using publicly available data:

What Causes Low NCE Pass Rates

Programs with below-average pass rates typically have one or more of these issues: inadequate clinical site variety (students not exposed to full range of case types tested on the NCE), didactic curriculum that doesn't align with NBCRNA content outline, inadequate internal board-style exam practice, poor selection criteria (admitting underprepared applicants), and insufficient remediation support for students struggling mid-program. Some programs with consistently low pass rates are on COA probation — avoid these.

NCE Exam Preparation — What Works

For students preparing for the NCE during or after the program:

Best preparation resources

The NBCRNA publishes an official content outline and practice questions. Valley Anesthesia (a review course), the Nagelhout & Elisha nurse anesthesia textbook, and Prodigy (an adaptive question bank for CRNA students) are widely used and highly regarded. Most high-performing programs integrate board-style practice exams throughout all three years rather than reserving prep for the final semester. Students who practice 2,000+ board-style questions with deliberate review of wrong answers consistently outperform those who only read.

When to take the NCE

Most candidates sit for the NCE within 1 to 3 months of program graduation. Delay increases anxiety without necessarily improving performance for well-prepared graduates. Programs that conduct mock board exams in the final semester give graduates a reliable predictor of readiness — if your mock score was 75% or above on a validated practice exam, you are likely ready to sit.

Related: CRNA programs ranked by cost, how long does CRNA school take, ICU to CRNA transition guide.