All Nursing Exams

When do NP exam results come out?

The AANP board shows a preliminary result at once and emails the score letter in 3 to 5 business days. ANCC results are online after the exam.

Checked November 10, 2026

Short answer: The AANP board shows a preliminary pass or fail result immediately after the exam and emails the official score letter within 3 to 5 business days. ANCC results are available after the exam ends, through Prometric's online score report portal.

The AANP board is the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB), which now operates under the name NPCB. ANCC is the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Both boards test at Prometric centers.

Results at each board

Step AANP board ANCC
Right after the exam Preliminary pass or fail result Results are available upon completing the exam, by ANCC policy
How you get the result Score letter by email within 3 to 5 business days Email with instructions, then the Prometric score report portal
Wall certificate Mailed within 3 weeks after certification is released Claimed online by emailed invitation. See below

AANP board: preliminary first, official later

The preliminary result at the test center is not official. It becomes official after the board reviews your eligibility requirements, your exam result and your documents, and then releases the result.

Your online account holds the score letter and a wallet card. The board mails the wall certificate to the address in your online account.

The board may share your pass or fail status with your school for program evaluation. You can opt out during the application or in your profile.

ANCC: results through Prometric

After the exam, you receive an email with instructions for viewing your result. You view it at https://scorereports.prometric.com/. ANCC itself receives the result within 24 to 48 hours.

ANCC does not say that a pass or fail result appears on the screen at the test center. If this matters to you, confirm with ANCC before test day.

Your certification start date is the date you passed, if ANCC has all your required documents. Otherwise it is the date ANCC receives and reviews your final documents.

The certificate timing is not clear at ANCC. The handbook says the certificate and pin are mailed approximately 4 weeks after you pass and meet all requirements. The website says that since March 1, 2026, new certificants receive an emailed invitation to claim a free wall certificate online, and that shipping takes longer than the usual 4 to 6 weeks. Confirm the timing with ANCC if you need the certificate by a date.

If you tested before graduation

Both boards hold your certification until your school sends the final transcript.

  • AANP board: you may test with an unofficial transcript. The board releases certification only after it receives your final, official transcript with the degree conferral date.
  • ANCC: you are not certified until ANCC receives and reviews the final, official transcript. The transcript must arrive within 2 years after you pass. After that, ANCC treats the application as abandoned and does not refund the fee.

How your state board of nursing is told

Neither board sends your result to the state board automatically. You request a verification online. Verification sent to a state board of nursing is free at both boards.

The AANP board never shares exam results with employers or state boards. It shares only certification status. It does not report exam failures to state boards. A verification for an employer or a credentialing organization costs US$50 each at the AANP board, and the fee is non-refundable.

At ANCC, the first verification for an individual is free and each later one costs US$40. Institutions pay US$50 each. ANCC sends verification letters only after you complete the entire certification process.

What to do next

  1. Ask your school to send the final official transcript as soon as your degree is conferred.
  2. When your certification is released, request the free verification for your state board of nursing.
  3. If you did not pass, read How many times can you retake an NP board exam?.

Common questions

Can I call the board for my result?

No. The AANP board does not give exam results by phone. ANCC does not release results by telephone, fax or email for any reason.

What does a failing ANCC report show?

It shows your scaled score and high, medium or low performance for each major content area. The passing score is explained in What is the passing score on the NP board exams?.

Does passing the exam give me a license?

No. The board gives you a certification. Your state board of nursing gives the advanced practice license and charges its own fees, so confirm the steps with your state board.

Prep from our team

NPractitioner has 2,500+ practice questions for the FNP and adult-gerontology primary care board exams, written to American guidelines, with study sheets by topic. All Nursing Exams, NCLEXPace and NPractitioner are run by the same team. See https://www.npractitioner.com.

Sources