How hard is the CHPN exam?

You need a scaled score of 500 (criterion-referenced, not curved). HPCC does not publish a pass rate, so there is no official figure to quote. The difficulty concentrates in pain and symptom management and in goals-of-care and ethical content. A question-bank-driven plan that front-loads symptom management is the most reliable approach.

What experience do I need to take the CHPN?

An active US RN license plus documented recent hospice and palliative practice: at least 500 hours in the most recent 12 months or 1,000 hours in the most recent 24 months. This is a requirement, not just a recommendation.

How much does the CHPN exam cost?

It is $305 for HPNA members and $455 for non-members. Membership must be purchased a couple of business days before applying to get the member rate. Confirm current pricing with HPCC.

How do I keep my CHPN current?

Recertify every 4 years through the HPAR accrual model, which combines a situational judgment exercise, practice hours, and professional-development points. It is not a routine re-exam. Confirm the current requirements with HPCC.

CHPN vs ACHPN: which one?

CHPN is for registered nurses. ACHPN is the advanced-practice (NP/CNS) hospice and palliative credential. Choose CHPN if you practice as an RN; ACHPN if you are an APRN in this specialty.

How to Pass the CHPN Boards

Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse · HPCC · Last reviewed June 21, 2026

Built by Keegan, a travel RN · verified against official board sources

CHPN is the recognized credential for registered nurses in hospice and palliative care, a fast-growing field as the population ages. Here is the exam, who qualifies, a realistic study plan, and how recertification works.

Exam quick facts

Exam	HPCC Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse (CHPN)
Format	150 multiple-choice items (135 scored, 15 unscored pretest); computer-based at PSI centers or via Live Remote Proctoring
Time	3 hours
Passing standard	Scaled score (200 to 800); 500 required to pass (Angoff method, criterion-referenced)
Pass rate	Not published by HPCC
Exam fee	$305 HPNA member, $455 non-member
Recertification	Every 4 years via the HPAR accrual model (a situational judgment exercise, practice hours, and professional-development points)

Exam specifications and fees change, so always confirm current details with HPCC before registering.

About the credential

The CHPN certifies expertise in hospice and palliative nursing for registered nurses. It is administered by the Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center (HPCC). Unlike many specialty certs, HPCC requires documented recent practice hours rather than just recommending experience. This guide covers the exam, who qualifies, an efficient study plan, fees, and HPCC's accrual-based recertification.

Who pursues it

Hospice and palliative RNs validating their specialty knowledge
Nurses moving into end-of-life or serious-illness care who want the credential
RNs whose organization offers a certification differential or clinical-ladder credit

Does the CHPN actually raise your pay? (The honest answer)

~60%

of nurses got no direct pay bump for certifying

$1-2/hr (~$2,000-4,000/yr full-time)

typical raise when employers do pay

$1,000-2,000 one-time at some employers

one-time bonus where offered

Here is the part prep vendors and certifying bodies will not lead with: in a large national compensation survey, about 60% of nurses got no direct pay increase for becoming certified. When it does pay, it is typically $1-2/hr or a one-time bonus, set by your employer, not by HPCC. Hospice and palliative organizations often value or expect CHPN on a clinical ladder, but the raise (if any) is your employer's policy. Confirm the dollar amount with HR before assuming a bump.

When it's worth it anyway

Your hospice or palliative organization has a clinical ladder or certification differential; confirm the amount with HR first.
It is expected or preferred for a role you want in serious-illness or end-of-life care.
You are using it as a resume differentiator into hospice and palliative nursing.
You want the structured knowledge and confidence for safer, more compassionate practice.

Verified June 21, 2026. Sources:Medscape RN/LPN Compensation Report (about 60% received no reward for certification)

Eligibility

A current, active RN license in the US or its territories
Functioning as a hospice and palliative RN for at least 500 hours in the most recent 12 months, or 1,000 hours in the most recent 24 months, before applying (this is required, not merely recommended)

A study plan that works

1Weeks 1-2: Map the HPCC CHPN test content outline and benchmark. Let the domains set your schedule and take a full-length practice set early to find your weak areas.
2Weeks 1-6: Run a question bank daily. Hospice and palliative questions are application-level, so daily reps with rationale review are the spine of the plan.
3Weeks 2-4: Front-load pain and symptom management. Pain assessment and the WHO ladder, opioid pharmacology and rotation, and the management of dyspnea, nausea, constipation, delirium, and other common end-of-life symptoms.
4Weeks 3-5: Cover disease-specific trajectories and care models. Common life-limiting diagnoses and their trajectories, the hospice and palliative care models and eligibility, levels of hospice care, and care coordination across settings.
5Weeks 4-6: Add the psychosocial, spiritual, and family-care content. Grief, loss, and bereavement, communication and goals-of-care conversations, cultural and spiritual considerations, and caregiver support.
6Weeks 4-6: Cover the professional and ethical domain. Ethics around withholding and withdrawing treatment, advance directives and the POLST, last-hours-of-life care, and the regulatory and reimbursement basics of hospice.
7Weeks 7-8: Switch to timed, mixed practice. Build stamina for 150 items in 3 hours and rehearse pacing.
8Final week: Consolidate, do not cram. Work your error log and a high-yield symptom-management and opioid sheet, taper new material, and confirm your PSI or LRP logistics.
9Throughout: Keep one error log. The final-week review of your specific missed questions is the highest-return activity.

Best CHPN review courses & question banks

BoardVitals CHPN Question Bank
Subscription qbank
Board-style hospice and palliative question pool with rationales; a strong primary qbank for application-level reps.
View BoardVitals
HPNA Review Course & Core Curriculum
Review course / books
The Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association's review course and core curriculum, aligned to the exam content. (Listed for completeness; no affiliate relationship.)

Some links are affiliate links. If you buy through them, RenewRN may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Courses listed without a link are included for completeness; we have no affiliate relationship with them.

Recommended CHPN books

Core Curriculum for the Hospice and Palliative Registered Nurse
The HPNA core curriculum the CHPN blueprint is built around.
View on Amazon
CHPN Exam Review
An outline-plus-questions review resource for the HPCC CHPN exam.
View on Amazon

As an Amazon Associate, RenewRN earns from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.

Before committing to a full qbank, take a set of hospice and palliative practice questions to see where you stand, especially on pain and symptom management.

Try free CHPN practice questions

Which exam to take

CHPN is the RN-level hospice and palliative credential. HPCC also offers the ACHPN for advanced-practice nurses, the CHPLN for LPN/LVNs, and the CHPPN for pediatric nurses. Choose CHPN if you are an RN certifying hospice and palliative practice.

Keeping it current

HPCC certification is valid for 4 years. You renew through the Hospice and Palliative Accrual for Recertification (HPAR), which combines a situational judgment exercise, practice-hour requirements, and accumulated professional-development points, rather than a single re-exam. Reactivation by exam applies only if it lapses for 3 or more years. Confirm the current requirements with HPCC.

Frequently asked questions

How hard is the CHPN exam?: You need a scaled score of 500 (criterion-referenced, not curved). HPCC does not publish a pass rate, so there is no official figure to quote. The difficulty concentrates in pain and symptom management and in goals-of-care and ethical content. A question-bank-driven plan that front-loads symptom management is the most reliable approach.
What experience do I need to take the CHPN?: An active US RN license plus documented recent hospice and palliative practice: at least 500 hours in the most recent 12 months or 1,000 hours in the most recent 24 months. This is a requirement, not just a recommendation.
How much does the CHPN exam cost?: It is $305 for HPNA members and $455 for non-members. Membership must be purchased a couple of business days before applying to get the member rate. Confirm current pricing with HPCC.
How do I keep my CHPN current?: Recertify every 4 years through the HPAR accrual model, which combines a situational judgment exercise, practice hours, and professional-development points. It is not a routine re-exam. Confirm the current requirements with HPCC.
CHPN vs ACHPN: which one?: CHPN is for registered nurses. ACHPN is the advanced-practice (NP/CNS) hospice and palliative credential. Choose CHPN if you practice as an RN; ACHPN if you are an APRN in this specialty.

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