Darwin Birog, APRN, FNP-C
PMH-BC™ Exam · Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing - Board Certified
Updated April 16, 2026
1400+ questions28.5 CE hours71% pass rate
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About PMH-BC Certification
PMH-BC stands for Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse – Board Certified. PMH-BC is administered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). It is a specialized credential for Registered Nurses (RNs) providing mental health care. PMH-BC certification demonstrates expertise and skills in assessing, diagnosing, and managing patients with psychiatric and mental health conditions. This certification focuses on evidence-based practice, therapeutic interventions, and crisis management in mental-health nursing. Registered Nurses with this credential validate their advanced knowledge in psychiatric-mental health nursing.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
Exam Name | PMH-BC stands for Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing – Board Certified |
Exam Description | A comprehensive certification exam validating the expertise of registered nurses in psychiatric-mental health nursing. |
Credentials Earned | Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse - Board Certified (PMH-BC). |
Eligibility Requirements | Active RN license, two years full-time nursing experience, 2,000 clinical hours in psychiatric-mental health nursing in the last three years, and 30 hours of continuing education. |
Completion Time | 3 hours to complete exam. |
Subjects Covered in the Exam | Includes assessment and diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation. |
Number of Questions | 150 multiple-choice questions, with 125 scored and 25 unscored pretest questions. |
Exam Format | Multiple-choice, computer-based test. |
Exam Proctoring | Administered at Prometric testing centers. Live Remote Proctoring (LRP) is not available. |
Recertification Details | Required every 5 years; includes 75 CE hours and completion of one professional development category. |
Pass/Fail Rates | Pass rates vary annually with an average of 71%. |
Difficulty Level | Hard. |
Study Material | BoardCerts Question Bank provides practice questions that follow the exam blueprint. |
PMH-BC Exam Content Outline
The PMH-BC exam has four key content areas as follows:
- Assessment and Diagnosis (22%) - This area covers psychiatric evaluations, mental status assessments, and diagnostic criteria for mental health disorders.
- Planning (21%) - This area focuses on developing treatment plans, creating patient-centered goals, and coordinating interdisciplinary care.
- Implementation (46%) - This area focuses on evaluating the knowledge of psychopharmacology, crisis management, therapeutic intervention, and patient education as well.
- Evaluation (10%) - This areas focus is to assess the ability to monitor the progress of the patient, adjust the treatment plans, and ensure effective therapeutic outcomes.
Please check the PMH-BC exam content outline for the detailed exam blueprint here: PMH-BC Exam Preparation and Resources.
Exam Categories: Percentage Distribution
Assessment and Diagnosis
Planning
Implementation
Evaluation
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What are the Eligibility Requirements of PMH-BC Exam?
The following are the eligibility requirements for the PMH-BC Exam:
1. Candidate must hold a current, active RN license in the state or territory of the United States OR a legally recognized equivalent in any other country.
2. Candidate must have practiced the equivalent of two years of full-time as a registered nurse.
3. Candidate must have completed a minimum of 2000 hours of clinical practice in psychiatric-mental health nursing within the last 3 years.
4. Candidate must have 30 hours of Continuing Education (CE) in psychiatric-mental health nursing during the same period.
What is the Application Process of PMH-BC Exam?
1. Online Application:
To access the application portal, visit the website of the ANCC - American Nurses Credentialing Center.
2. Application Submission:
Complete your application by providing your personal & professional information. ANCC will review your eligibility once you have applied.
3. Scheduling the Exam:
Once approved, you will receive an ATT (Authorization to Test) notice. You get 120 days from the date of issuance to schedule your exam at a designated Prometric test center. Live remote proctoring (LRP) will not be available.
4. Preparation:
Utilize the BoardCerts PMH-BC Question Bank to effectively prepare for your exam. Our question bank is very closely aligned with the exam blueprint. It also mirrors the difficulty level of the actual test. It provides detailed resources that boost your readiness and confidence.
Hear from nurses who used BoardCerts
Short video stories from real nurses.
Darwin Birog, APRN, FNP-C
Sydney Petri, MSW, LICSW, APHSW-C
Prepped with BoardCertsPassed APHSW-C
“Hi there, my name is Sydney. I am now an Advanced Palliative and Hospice Care social worker certified, thanks to BoardCerts. When I started researching ways to study, the most difficult thing for me was finding example questions to see how the test was laid out. The practice tests and question banks were definitely the most helpful resources. After answering those questions, it laid out which sections and components of the exam I needed to focus on. From there, I was able to use the flashcards to really hone in on those specific competencies. I found BoardCerts by doing research, and it had a lot of really great reviews. I ended up passing my exam on my first try after about a month of studying. BoardCerts was pretty much the only resource I used, and it was extremely helpful. I would highly recommend it to anybody.<h>”
Cherlita Gallardo, PMH-BC, GERO-BC
Prepped with BoardCertsPassed PMH-BC & GERO-BC
“Hi everyone, my name is Grace, and I'm proud to say that I am now a double board-certified nurse. I passed the PMH-BC and GERO-BC. Let me tell you something: taking the PMH-BC exam was one of the hardest certification exams I've ever taken. It was definitely not easy. A friend recommended the BoardCerts app to me, so I decided to subscribe for 3 months to help me prepare for the exam. Honestly, the practice exams were challenging. The difficulty level was comparable to the actual exam, and the practice exam is almost the same as the actual exam. It is very long, but it helped me prepare for what to expect on the exam day. At first, I was disappointed because I kept getting low scores on most of the exams I took. There were moments that I doubted myself and wondered if I was ready, but I reminded myself that practice is part of the process and low scores don't define your ability to pass. I kept studying, learning from my mistakes, and pushing myself to improve, and guess what? I passed! So thanks to the BoardCerts app platform, I am finally and officially PMH-BC and GERO-BC certified. If you are a nurse preparing for your board certification, my advice is to keep going. Trust yourself and don't let your practice scores define you or discourage you from taking your exam. I am telling you, please subscribe to the Board Cert app; it will surely help you. Thank you so much, Board Cert! You are part of my success and preparation journey. Your resources helped me get ready for this challenging exam. Thank you all, bye!”
Briana Kesselring, MSN, CRNP, CNOR
“I was really impressed with the platform. It offers a variety of tools for different learning styles, and the lectures are clear, informative, and easy to follow. The ability to switch between quiz questions and flashcards makes learning quick and effective. I learned a lot in a short time and would highly recommend this product”
PMH-BC Exam Dates and Costs
Candidates can apply for the PMH-BC exam at any time since it is available year-round. Once the application is approved, candidates receive an Authorization to Test (ATT) notice. Candidates get a 120-day window to schedule and take the exam through Prometric.
For the latest updates on PMH-BC exam costs, please check the official website of ANCC.
How is the Exam Format of PMH-BC?
- Number of Questions: The PMH-BC exam consists of 150 questions. Out of 150, 125 questions are scored, and the remaining 25 are pretest questions. These are unscored questions, and they do not affect your final score.
- Exam response options: Multiple-choice format.
- Testing options: Available at Prometric testing centers. Live Remote Proctoring (LRP) is not available.
- Time Allotted: Candidates have 3 hours to complete the exam.
What is the Passing Score of PMH-BC?
Difficulty Level: The average annual pass rate of the PMH-BC Certification is 71%, which makes it challenging.
Passing Score: Scores are reported on a scale with 500 as the highest possible score. The candidate must obtain a minimum scaled score of 350 to successfully pass the exam.
Exam Statistics: Detailed statistics, such as the annual pass rate, number of candidates taking the exam, etc., can be found on the website of the ANCC.
Score Reporting: Results are either pass or fail. Candidates will be able to check their results online through the Prometric Report validation portal after completing the exam. If you fail, your score report will include diagnostic information for each content area of the test.
PMH-BC Exam Proctoring
The PMH-BC exam is administered by the ANCC - American Nurses Credentialing Center, in partnership with Prometric. Candidates can take the exam from one of the Prometric test centers. Test centers are available at various locations. Candidates are expected to attend a physical location to complete the exam under supervised conditions. Currently, the Live Remote Proctoring (LRP) option is not available for ANCC certification exams.
PMH-BC Exam Preparation and Resources
Question Bank: BoardCerts designs its practice questions carefully to align with the exam blueprint of the PMH-BC Exam. Our experts ensure that they cover the key topics that candidates will face in the test. Question banks are developed using the same authoritative sources that are the foundation of the official exam. As a result of this structured approach, we are able to provide targeted and effective preparation experiences to our users.
Topics on Exam: Understand the topics covered in the PMH-BC exam blueprint, which can be found here: PMH-BC Preparation and Resources.
Review Course: Build a strong foundation of exam content and improve your understanding of core topics by enrolling in a psychiatric-mental health nursing review course.
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PMH-BC Certification Renewal
PMH-BC Certification is valid for 5 years. To maintain this credential, the candidate must fulfill specific renewal requirements every 5 years.
Active RN License: Candidate must maintain a current, active Registered Nurse (RN) license in the state or territory of the United States, OR hold a legally recognized equivalent from another country.
Professional Development: Candidate must complete 75 hours of Continuing Education (CE) in psychiatric-mental health nursing. These hours must be related to certification specialty and align with the guidelines of the ANCC.
Renewal Categories: In addition to CE hours, you must fulfill at least one of the following professional development activities:
- Academic Credits: Candidate must complete graduate-level coursework in psychiatric mental health nursing.
- Presentations: Candidate must deliver professional presentations related to the topic of psychiatric-mental health nursing.
- Quality Improvement Projects: Candidate must participate in the projects that are aimed at improving psychiatric-mental health nursing practices.
- Preceptor Hours: Candidate must serve as a preceptor, providing clinical supervision to the nursing students or new nurses in psychiatric-mental health settings.
- Practice Hours: Candidate must accumulate a specified number of practice hours in psychiatric-mental health nursing.
- Professional Services: Candidate must engage themselves in volunteer or leadership roles within the relevant professional organizations.
- Publications: Candidate must author or co-author articles, research papers, or books relevant to psychiatric-mental health nursing.
- Retesting: Opt to retake and pass the PMH-BC certification exam.
Detailed information on each renewal category can be found on the ANCC official certification renewal page.
PMH-BC Practice Questions
- Practice questions are very important for PMH-BC Exam preparation. It helps you to become aware of the exam format, question style, and key content areas. BoardCerts PMH-BC Question Bank provides you with high-quality, exam-focused sample questions that align with the PMH-BC Exam blueprint.
- You can access the BoardCerts PMH-BC practice questions here. These questions are designed to reflect the difficulty level of the real PMH-BC Exam.
Sample questions
Are you ready for the PMH-BC™ exam?
Here are 3 sample questions from our practice test, mapped to the PMH-BC™ exam blueprint.
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Question 1 of 3
33%
A 25-year-old patient with a history of borderline personality disorder has been admitted to a psychiatric unit following a suicide attempt. The patient is participating in milieu therapy as part of the treatment plan. How should the psychiatric-mental health nurse evaluate the effectiveness of the milieu therapy in this setting?
BoardCerts PMH-BC Question Bank
At BoardCerts, we provide a detailed question bank for PMH-BC. Our experts have designed a question bank to align the content with the PMH-BC exam blueprint. We have covered the most key topics relevant to psychiatric-mental health nursing to support the success of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Board Certification (PMH-BC).
Frequently
Asked Questions
Your questions answered - all you need to know to prepare and pass the PMH-BC™ exam.
The PMH-BC certification validates the expertise of registered nurses who specialize in providing holistic care to patients experiencing mental health challenges. It ensures a high standard of competency in psychiatric-mental health nursing practice.