TCRN Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the TCRN 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.
TCRN exam key facts
- The TCRN exam has 175 items, of which 150 are scored and 25 are unscored pretest items. Source
- The TCRN exam allows a total seat time of 180 minutes (3 hours). Source
- To pass the TCRN exam, candidates must answer 96 of the 150 scored items correctly. Source
- The TCRN exam fee is $380 for non-members and $285 for professional association members such as STN members. Source
- TCRN candidates may retest an unlimited number of times but must wait 90 days after a failed attempt before retesting. Source
- TCRN certification is valid for a 4-year certification period. Source
📋 TCRN Exam Format at a Glance
📚 TCRN Topics to Study (29)
✍️ Sample TCRN Questions & Answers
1. A patient presents with paradoxical chest wall movement and severe respiratory distress after a motor vehicle crash. Which injury is MOST likely?
Paradoxical movement (segment moves inward on inspiration) is the hallmark of flail chest, caused by fractures of three or more consecutive ribs in two places.
2. Grief following traumatic death of a patient is a normal response for trauma nurses. Which statement about nurse grief is true?
Debriefing, peer support, and rituals of acknowledgment allow nurses to process grief healthily, supporting long-term resilience.
3. Under which circumstance may a trauma nurse legally restrain a patient without a physician's order?
Emergency restraint is permissible when there is immediate danger, but a physician order must be obtained as soon as possible after application.
4. Which clinical finding best distinguishes neurogenic shock from hemorrhagic shock in a trauma patient with spinal cord injury?
Neurogenic shock results from loss of sympathetic tone, producing hypotension paired with paradoxical bradycardia and peripheral vasodilation, contrasting with the tachycardia of hemorrhagic shock.
5. Tranexamic acid (TXA) is MOST effective when given within what time frame after injury?
TXA reduces mortality when given within 3 hours of injury; evidence from the CRASH-2 trial shows no benefit and possible harm when given after 3 hours.
6. Which intervention is the priority when a spinal cord injury patient develops autonomic dysreflexia with BP 220/130 mmHg?
Sitting the patient upright uses gravity to lower BP while rapid identification and removal of the offending stimulus is the definitive treatment.
🎯 Free TCRN Practice Tests
📖 TCRN Guides & Articles
What Practice Test Geeks adds beyond an AI chat for TCRN
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 TCRN mock exam — 175 questions in 180 minutes with a 64% 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 TCRN 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 TCRN cheat sheet you can print or save as a PDF.
- TCRN flashcards built from the same question bank.
- Free TCRN 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
- bcen.org — Test delivery, fees, exam format, passing score, retake policy, test dates, time limit, eligibility, renewal, score validity · verified Oct 2026