CCTN Study Guide 2026

Everything you need to pass the CCTN exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.

CCTN exam key facts

  • The CCTN exam contains 175 items, and 150 of them count toward the candidate's score. Source
  • Candidates have three hours to complete the CCTN exam. Source
  • The CCTN exam fee is $350, plus a $150 application fee, and all fees are non-refundable. Source
  • CCTN certification is valid for three years. Source
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📋 CCTN Exam Format at a Glance

175
Questions
180 min
Time Limit
70.00%
Passing Score

📚 CCTN Topics to Study (27)

✍️ Sample CCTN Questions & Answers

1. Which side effect is most associated with long-term tacrolimus use in transplant recipients?
✓ Hypertension and nephrotoxicity

Long-term tacrolimus use commonly causes nephrotoxicity and hypertension, both of which require ongoing monitoring in transplant recipients.

2. A deceased-donor organ allocation nurse receives a kidney offer for a highly sensitized patient with a panel reactive antibody (PRA) of 98%. What is the MOST critical pre-transplant test to perform?
✓ Virtual or prospective crossmatch

In highly sensitized recipients, a virtual or prospective crossmatch is critical to detect donor-specific antibodies (DSA) that could cause hyperacute rejection.

3. Which term describes the phenomenon where a transplanted kidney does not function immediately after transplantation, requiring temporary dialysis?
✓ Delayed graft function (DGF)

Delayed graft function (DGF) is when a transplanted kidney requires dialysis in the first week post-transplant, often due to ischemia-reperfusion injury.

4. A transplant nurse is educating a renal transplant patient about food safety. Which of the following instructions is MOST appropriate?
✓ Raw shellfish and undercooked meats should be strictly avoided

Immunosuppressed transplant recipients are at high risk for foodborne illness from pathogens like Listeria and Vibrio, making raw shellfish and undercooked meats dangerous.

5. What does 'first-person consent' mean in the context of organ donation in the US?
✓ An individual's documented decision to donate (e.g., on a driver's license) is legally binding

First-person consent means a person's registered decision to donate is legally binding and cannot be overridden by family, though family collaboration is still encouraged.

6. Which of the following is the most important factor in determining a patient's risk for rejection in the first year after transplant?
✓ Number of HLA mismatches

The number of HLA mismatches between donor and recipient is the most important immunologic factor determining rejection risk in the first year post-transplant.

🎯 Free CCTN Practice Tests

📖 CCTN Guides & Articles

Your CCTN Study Path
1. Learn with Flashcards → 2. Drill Practice Tests → 3. Take the Full Exam Simulation

What Practice Test Geeks adds beyond an AI chat for CCTN

An AI chatbot can quiz you, but it can't reproduce the exam conditions or keep your record. Here you get:

  • A timed, full-length CCTN mock exam — 175 questions in 180 minutes with a 70% pass mark, modeled on the official exam's question count and time limit, followed by a score report broken down by exam domain.
  • A fixed CCTN question bank: the same test every attempt, so your score is comparable from one try to the next instead of changing with every regenerated quiz.
  • Progress saved on your device: completed tests, scores and missed questions stay in My Progress, so you can retake only what you got wrong.
  • A printable CCTN cheat sheet you can print or save as a PDF.
  • CCTN flashcards built from the same question bank.
  • Free CCTN practice tests with the correct answer shown after each question.
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How this page was made: written with AI tools and published by Nathan Beja, founder of Practice Test Geeks, who is responsible for its content. Exam facts are checked against the official sources listed below. Not reviewed by a subject-matter expert. Editorial policy

Sources & references

Exam facts on this page (fees, format, dates, passing scores) are checked against these official sources; the date is our last check. Editorial policy

  1. abtc.net — Test delivery, score validity, exam format, score release, time limit, fees · verified Oct 2026