CHPN Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the CHPN 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.
CHPN exam key facts
- The CHPN exam has 150 multiple-choice items, of which 135 are scored and 15 are unscored pretest items. Source
- Candidates have three hours to complete the CHPN exam. Source
- The minimum passing score for the CHPN exam is a scaled score of 500 on a 200–800 scale. Source
- Initial CHPN certification costs $445 for non-members and $305 for HPNA members. Source
- Candidates who fail the CHPN exam may reapply in any open testing window with unlimited attempts, and may use the reTEST Assured program once. Source
- CHPN certification is valid for four years. Source
📋 CHPN Exam Format at a Glance
📚 CHPN Topics to Study (25)
✍️ Sample CHPN Questions & Answers
1. A patient with end-stage COPD experiences refractory dyspnea despite optimized bronchodilators. Which pharmacologic intervention has the strongest evidence for relieving dyspnea in this setting?
Low-dose systemic opioids have the strongest evidence base for relieving refractory dyspnea in end-stage lung disease.
2. Which of the following is the most important nursing documentation required immediately following a hospice patient's death?
Documentation must include the exact time of death, clinical findings confirming death, all notifications made (physician, funeral home, supervisor), and the emotional status of those present.
3. A family member is crying intensely and saying 'I can't believe she's gone' immediately after the patient's death. The hospice nurse's best response is:
Acute grief immediately after death requires compassionate, non-judgmental presence; the nurse should sit with the family, allow emotional expression, and provide supportive silence or validation.
4. Which assessment tool is most appropriate to evaluate a hospice patient's spiritual distress?
The FICA Spiritual History Tool assesses Faith, Importance, Community, and Address, making it appropriate for spiritual distress evaluation in hospice.
5. When a CHPN professional identifies a potential regulatory violation, the CORRECT first step is to:
Proper documentation and reporting through established channels ensures accountability.
6. What is palliative care?
Palliative care is specialized medical care for people living with a serious illness, focused on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of the illness. Its goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family, regardless of the stage of the disease or whether a cure is possible. It can be provided alongside curative treatment.
🎯 Free CHPN Practice Tests
📖 CHPN Guides & Articles
What Practice Test Geeks adds beyond an AI chat for CHPN
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 CHPN mock exam — 150 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 CHPN 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 CHPN cheat sheet you can print or save as a PDF.
- CHPN flashcards built from the same question bank.
- Free CHPN practice tests with the correct answer shown after each question.
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
- advancingexpertcare.org — Test delivery, exam format, passing score, retake policy, score release, time limit, score validity, eligibility, fees, registration · verified Oct 2026