ANCC Exam Accommodations: How to Request Them

To request ANCC exam accommodations:

1. Submit your certification application.
2. Send ANCC a signed report from your physician or another qualified healthcare professional.
3. Wait for ANCC's confirmation email before you book with Prometric.

ANCC says accommodations can't be added to an appointment that already exists.

This page covers all ANCC certification exams, including FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC, AGPCNP-BC, AGACNP-BC, and NE-BC. It does not cover NCLEX or other certification boards. Last verified September 17, 2026 — the published policies and contacts cited below.

Your request, step by step

1. Submit your ANCC certification application first. ANCC takes an accommodation request only after your certification application is complete.

2. Get a report from your clinician that covers ANCC's four required items. The report must be on your physician's or qualified healthcare professional's letterhead, typed, dated, and signed. It must document:

• a specific diagnosis and the date of diagnosis
• specific, current findings that support the diagnosis: relevant medical history, tests given, and the date of your most recent evaluation, which must be within the last 3 years
• your substantial day-to-day functional limitations
• the specific testing accommodation(s) recommended, with a detailed explanation of why each one is needed, including the amount of extra time if extra time is part of the request

Use the letter outline below to give your clinician the full list.

3. Send the report to ANCC, not to Prometric.

• Email. Send scanned copies to certification@ana.org with the subject line Special Accommodations Request.
  • ANCC's handbook contact list and its FAQ name customerservice@ana.org instead. The address above follows ANCC's dedicated accommodations instructions; neither source says the other inbox is invalid.
  • If you need to confirm routing or receipt, call ANCC at 1-800-284-2378 before sending duplicate medical records.
• Mail. ANCC Certification Special Accommodations, 8403 Colesville Road, Suite 500, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Keep copies, and use a mail service with tracking.

Why Prometric's forms aren't the route →

4. Wait for ANCC's email. ANCC emails you the outcome, and it may ask for more information first. Its accommodations page and handbook do not give a review time, so send your report as soon as your application is in.

5. Book with Prometric only after you're approved.

• Before you schedule, you need two things: your Authorization to Test and your accommodation confirmation.
• Follow any scheduling instructions in your approval. Book on Prometric's ANCC page or at 1-800-350-7076 (U.S., Canada, and Mexico; Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–8 p.m. ET).
• Have the eligibility ID from your ANCC email ready. ANCC's own pages may call it your certification number.

6. Check your booking against your approval. Make sure the appointment matches what ANCC approved: time, breaks, room, and equipment. If anything is missing, call Prometric's Testing Accommodations line at 1-800-967-1139 (North America) before test day. Save every confirmation. This step is our advice, not an ANCC rule.

Already booked without approval? ANCC says to contact Prometric right away to cancel. Changes made fewer than two days before the appointment forfeit your testing fees. What to do now →

Sources: ANCC Special Accommodations (Requirements; Important Notice); ANCC Certification Handbook, printed pp. 11–12 and 24; ANCC Certification FAQs; Prometric's ANCC page.

Letter outline for your clinician

ANCC's current instructions describe a clinician's report rather than a separate request form. The outline below follows ANCC's four required items so nothing gets missed.

This is Castleport's outline, not an ANCC document. Your clinician writes the report in their own words, on their own letterhead. Please don't send your records to Castleport. This page does not collect or review accommodation records.

[Clinician's letterhead]

Date: [date signed]

To: ANCC Certification — Special Accommodations
Re: Testing accommodation request for [candidate's full name as on the
    ANCC application], ANCC [certification name] examination

1. Diagnosis and date of diagnosis
   [Specific diagnosis] — diagnosed [date]

2. Current findings that support the diagnosis
   Relevant medical history: [ ]
   Tests or assessments given: [ ]
   Date of most recent evaluation: [date — ANCC asks for an evaluation
   within the last 3 years]

3. Substantial day-to-day functional limitations
   [How the condition limits the candidate day to day, and how that
    affects a timed, computer-based, closed-book exam at a test center]

4. Recommended testing accommodation(s) and why each is needed
   - [Accommodation]: [reason, tied to a limitation in item 3]
   - [Accommodation]: [reason, tied to a limitation in item 3]
   - If additional testing time is recommended: [amount requested]

[Clinician's name and credentials]
[Contact information]
[Signature]

Exam conditions your clinician may want to know

These come from ANCC's handbook (printed pp. 13–15). They describe standard testing conditions; approved accommodations may change them. They are background for your clinician, not letter requirements.

• The exam is computer-based and closed book, taken at a Prometric test center.
• Most ANCC exams allow 3.5 hours of testing time. Check your certification's page for yours.
• You may leave to use the restroom or get water, but the exam clock keeps running.
• No food or drink except water is allowed in the testing room.
• Personal belongings go in a locker. Staff visually inspect eyeglasses, hearing aids, and other items you wear.

How to make the report hold up

Our advice, based on ANCC's requirements and federal guidance on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

• Tie each accommodation to a limitation. "Extra time" on its own gives ANCC little to evaluate. "Additional testing time because [limitation] slows processing of long clinical questions" gives it something concrete.
• Name the amount of extra time. ANCC asks for it. Prometric's accommodations list describes options such as additional time, time and a half, and double time. ANCC decides what it approves.
• Formal testing older than three years? Ask ANCC what it will accept before paying for a full new assessment. ANCC asks for the date of your most recent evaluation within the last three years, but its published wording doesn't say what kind of evaluation that must be.
• Attach proof of past testing accommodations, from your nursing program, NCLEX, or another certification exam.
  • The federal rule for certification exams directs testing entities to give "considerable weight" to that history (28 CFR § 36.309(b)(1)(v)).
  • The Justice Department's testing-accommodations guidance says proof of past accommodations in similar test settings is generally sufficient to support the same accommodations.
• No formal history? You can still ask. The same DOJ guidance makes three points:
  • Having no prior formal accommodations doesn't rule a candidate out.
  • A strong academic record doesn't mean a person has no disability.
  • One of its examples is a student with ADHD and an anxiety disorder who submitted a doctor's letter plus a statement describing informal classroom accommodations.
• Ask the clinician who diagnosed or treats the condition. DOJ describes qualified professionals as licensed or properly credentialed, with expertise in the disability involved.

DOJ's guidance is informal and not legally binding; the regulation's documentation standards are binding. ANCC's published instructions ask for the four report items above. If you already have evidence of past accommodations or an older evaluation, ask ANCC what it needs for your individual request before commissioning additional testing.

Optional cover email

Optional. This is not an official form and does not replace the clinician's report. Fill in the brackets before sending.

To: certification@ana.org
Subject: Special Accommodations Request

Hello ANCC Certification,

I have submitted my application for the [certification name]
examination. Attached is a report from my [physician / qualified
healthcare professional] supporting my request for testing
accommodations.

Name on my application: [full name]
Email on file with ANCC: [email address]
Date I applied: [date]
ANCC ID or application number, if I have one: [number]
Accommodation(s) requested: [as recommended in the attached report]

Please confirm that you received this and let me know if you need
anything else. I will wait for your confirmation before scheduling
with Prometric.

Thank you,
[Full name]
[Phone number]

Before you send

• [ ] My ANCC certification application is submitted.
• [ ] The report is on letterhead, typed, dated, and signed.
• [ ] It names the diagnosis and the date of diagnosis.
• [ ] It includes supporting findings and the date of my most recent evaluation (within 3 years).
• [ ] It describes my day-to-day functional limitations.
• [ ] It names each accommodation and explains why it's needed.
• [ ] It states the amount of extra time, if I'm asking for extra time.
• [ ] I attached proof of past testing accommodations, if I have it (an additional supporting step, not one of ANCC's four listed report items).
• [ ] My email subject line reads Special Accommodations Request.
• [ ] I saved copies of everything.
• [ ] I have not booked with Prometric yet; if I already booked, I have contacted Prometric about cancellation and checked the applicable cutoff and fee.

What needs a request, and what doesn't

These need an ANCC request:

• a change to your time
• a change to your room
• a change to how questions are read or answered
• an exception to ANCC's water-only rule

Many medical devices and mobility aids are on Prometric's general list of items that need no request. But Prometric says each exam sponsor's list may differ. The no-request entries below describe Prometric's general list, not a separate ANCC approval. If your exam day depends on a specific item, confirm with ANCC in writing before you book.

Where your request goes

ANCC decides the request for an ANCC exam. Prometric runs the test center and sets up whatever ANCC approves.

Waiting, already booked, or short on time

You're waiting for a decision

ANCC's accommodation page and handbook do not publish a turnaround time. If you haven't heard back, ask ANCC three things:

• Did you receive my request?
• Is anything missing?
• What should I do about the expiration date on my Authorization to Test?

Don't treat silence, or your Authorization to Test, as accommodation approval.

The Justice Department's guidance says a testing entity's review should respond in time for candidates to register and prepare. It should also give candidates a reasonable chance to answer follow-up questions within the same testing cycle. That is general, non-binding guidance, not an ANCC deadline.

You already booked without approval

ANCC says accommodations can't be added to an existing appointment. It tells candidates without approval to contact Prometric immediately to cancel. Use Prometric's ANCC page or call 1-800-350-7076.

• Fewer than two days before the appointment: a change forfeits your testing fees (ANCC; handbook, printed p. 11).
• Earlier than that: ANCC's two sources disagree.
  • ANCC's accommodations page says rescheduling or canceling within your 120-day window, up to two days before the appointment, costs nothing extra.
  • Its handbook says Prometric may charge a fee to reschedule or cancel.
  • Check the exact cutoff and any fee with Prometric before you act.

Once the appointment is canceled, pick up at step 3: send the report if you have not already submitted it, wait for approval, then book again.

Your testing window is running out

Your Authorization to Test gives you a 120-day testing window. Use the dates on that notice to schedule and take the exam, not just to book it (handbook, printed p. 11). ANCC's published instructions do not say a pending accommodation request pauses that clock, so ask about your request and your end date in the same message.

If you can't test in time, ANCC allows a one-time testing window reassignment:

• You get a new 120-day window.
• The fee is $100 and non-refundable.
• The new window must begin less than six months after the last day of your original window, under ANCC's policy and handbook. Do not plan on the exact six-month boundary without ANCC confirming it.
• Mail the request form with payment to ANCC. The current handbook gives its mailing address as 8403 Colesville Road, Suite 500, Silver Spring, MD 20910 (printed p. 24). Confirm the address with ANCC if your downloaded form shows a different one. The form says to expect your new Authorization to Test letter two to three weeks after ANCC receives the request and fee; that is not an accommodation-review timeline.
• If you don't test during the new window, you must reapply as a new applicant, meet the eligibility requirements then in effect, and pay all fees again.

You need pumping or breastfeeding space

ANCC's accommodations page does not set out a separate lactation process. Prometric provides pumping and breastfeeding space subject to the exam sponsor's approval, so start with ANCC.

Prometric's timing advice:

• Submit your request to your exam sponsor at least 90 days before your exam.
• Contact Prometric at least 60 days before your exam so it can assign you an accommodations advocate.

Ninety days is three-quarters of a 120-day testing window, so raise this with ANCC when you apply. If your date is already closer than that, contact ANCC and Prometric now. These are Prometric's planning guidelines, not an ANCC deadline.

After ANCC approves:

• Call Prometric Testing Accommodations at (800) 967-1139, option 2, with your eligibility ID. Prometric says not to contact a test center directly about this.
• Private space isn't available at every center, so you may need to test at a different location.
• Bring your own pump and milk-storage supplies. No refrigerator is provided.
• You'll go through the security check again each time you re-enter the testing room.
• Our advice: ask ANCC how your approved breaks affect the exam clock. A pumping space and extra testing time are separate questions.

You're testing for FNP-BC in fall 2026

ANCC is updating the FNP test content outline on October 30, 2026. Its certification page announces a 12-business-day testing suspension, but its notice and study-aid labels disagree about the endpoints: the notice says before October 18 or after October 30, while the study-aid labels include October 18 and October 30. Confirm any appointment from October 18 through October 30 directly with ANCC or Prometric.

The outgoing outline is effective September 28, 2022; the revised outline is effective October 30, 2026. If the accommodation review pushes your appointment across the change, your outline changes too. See which FNP outline governs your date.

If ANCC asks for more information or says no

ANCC says it may request more information after reviewing your report. Treat that request as a to-do list, not a rejection.

1. Get the details in writing. Ask what's missing and the reason for any denial. Ask whether ANCC offers a way to reconsider, and by what date.
2. Fix the specific gap. Check the report against ANCC's four required items for gaps such as:

• no evaluation date within three years
• no description of day-to-day limitations
• no reason given for each accommodation
• no amount of extra time, if extra time is requested

Ask ANCC whether a clinician's addendum will address the specific missing information.

3. Add your history. Proof of past accommodations carries weight under federal rules and DOJ guidance (see above).
4. Watch your window. If the back-and-forth drags on, look at the one-time reassignment option.
5. Keep everything: ANCC's messages, what you sent, and the dates.

ANCC's appeal policy. ANCC's published appeal policy covers four kinds of decisions:

• denial of eligibility for initial certification
• denial of renewal
• suspension
• revocation

An accommodation decision isn't on that list. Don't assume the policy's 20-business-day appeal deadline applies to you; ask ANCC which process does.

Federal rules. The ADA regulation for certification exams offered by private entities sets three expectations (28 CFR § 36.309(b)(1)(iv)–(vi)):

• documentation requests must be reasonable and limited to the need
• past accommodations get considerable weight
• requests get a timely response

If you believe you were discriminated against because of a disability, you can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice online or by mail. DOJ says its review can take up to three months, so do not rely on a complaint to resolve an imminent test date. Keep working with ANCC on your request and testing window. For questions, call the ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 (voice) or 1-833-610-1264 (TTY). This is general information, not legal advice.

Testing without accommodations. That's your decision. If you don't pass, know the retest rules first (ANCC retest policy):

• ANCC requires 60 calendar days before a retest.
• It allows no more than three attempts in any 12-month period.
• It reviews each retest as a new application.

On test day

These are ANCC's standard check-in instructions (handbook, printed pp. 12–14). If a disability affects check-in itself, ask ANCC and Prometric about that before test day.

• Arrive at least 15 minutes early. If you arrive so late that your session would disrupt the center's schedule, ANCC treats you as a no-show, and your testing window ends.
• Bring one valid, unexpired ID from ANCC's list:
  • a driver's license or state ID from a U.S. state, D.C., or a U.S. territory
  • a passport
  • U.S. military ID

The ID must show your signature and a photo no more than 10 years old, and it must be in English and signed in English. ANCC accepts an official ID issued without a signature if you also bring a secondary signed ID. No photocopies are accepted. Your first and last name must match your application (ANCC FAQ). Outside the U.S., the handbook requires a valid passport unless you present U.S. military identification.

• Expect security steps:
  • an ID check and a sign-in log
  • a visual inspection of eyeglasses, hearing aids, and other items you wear
  • a locker for your belongings
  • a metal-detector scan
  • a fingerprint, if you're an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) candidate

The checks repeat when you come back from a break.

• Before the clock starts, confirm that your room, time, and equipment match your approval. Our advice: it's much easier to fix a problem before you begin.
• If something goes wrong, for example your accommodation isn't in place or a problem affects your exam:
  • Tell the Test Center Associate before you leave, as ANCC instructs.
  • Call Prometric at 1-800-350-7076.
  • Email certification@ana.org.
  • Keep your approval, your appointment confirmation, and notes on what happened. ANCC's handbook doesn't promise a specific remedy.

Other questions

Is there an official ANCC accommodation request form? ANCC's current handbook and accommodations page describe a report from your clinician, not a separate request form. Use the letter outline to check the required content; it is not an official ANCC document.

Can I take the ANCC certification exam at home? There is no routine at-home option in ANCC's published certification-exam instructions. ANCC says the certification exam is taken at a Prometric test center; live remote proctoring is offered for the separate Readiness Test (ANCC). A disability-related request for an alternative accessible arrangement is a different question: explain the barrier to ANCC before booking. The federal alternative-arrangements rule does not make remote testing an automatic choice.

Does an approval carry over to a retest? ANCC's published accommodation and retest instructions do not say approval automatically carries over. It reviews each retest as a new application, and accommodations can't be added to an existing appointment. Raise your accommodations when you submit the retest application. ANCC directs retest questions to customerservice@ana.org.

Does requesting accommodations cost extra? ANCC's accommodations page and handbook section don't list a request fee. The ADA regulation prohibits a disability-related surcharge to cover measures required to provide nondiscriminatory access (28 CFR § 36.301(c)). Ordinary certification, cancellation, or testing-window fees are separate issues; a generic reference to “special services” is not evidence that required disability accommodations cost extra.

Will my score report show that I had accommodations? ANCC's accommodation instructions do not describe a score-report flag.

• The Justice Department's guidance says testing entities should report accommodated scores the same way as other scores. It also says the ADA prohibits "flagging" policies that keep people with disabilities from competing fairly.
• ANCC's handbook says individual candidate data are confidential, with exceptions for accreditation requirements, certification business needs, or an applicant's authorized release of additional information (handbook, printed p. 22). That policy is not a description of what appears on a particular score report.

I'm testing outside the U.S. Is anything different? Prometric says available accommodations can vary by region. Say where you plan to test in your request, and use the regional contact on Prometric's ANCC page.

Related free guides

• ANCC FNP exam prep: which outline governs your test date
• ANCC PMHNP exam blueprint and eligibility clock
• AGACNP certification: ANCC and AACN routes
• ANCC vs. AANP for adult-gerontology primary care NPs
• NE-BC exam prep and NEA-BC exam prep
• Nurse practitioner exam hub

Sources and verification

Last verified: September 17, 2026.

What we checked:

• ANCC's accommodation, scheduling, testing-window, retest, appeal, and exam-day policies
• Prometric's ANCC scheduling page and its accommodation pages
• the federal ADA examination rule and no-surcharge provision
• DOJ's testing-accommodations guidance and complaint page

This was a check of public sources, not a legal, medical, or test-center review. AI-assisted tools were used in research and editing; source checking is not professional review.

ANCC

• Special Accommodations: Requirements; Important Notice
• Certification Handbook, effective June 2025, Version 4 (January 23, 2026): printed pp. 11–15, 22, 24
• Certification FAQs: "How do I request special testing accommodations?"
• Readiness Tests: testing options; accommodations FAQ
• Test Window Reassignment Request and request form: one-time window, fee, and submission instructions; current mailing address cross-checked against the handbook
• Retest Application
• Appeal Policy & Procedure: section A.1
• Family Nurse Practitioner certification page: October 30, 2026 update notice and study-aid labels; September 2022 outline and October 2026 outline, p. 1
• Certification Policies & Processes

Prometric

• ANCC exam page
• Request Accommodations
• Accommodations Support
• Pre-Approved Items
• Accommodations List
• Breaks and Extended Time
• Breastfeeding and Pumping

Other certification boards

• NPCB FAQ: special testing accommodations; organization identity: AANPCB operating as NPCB
• AACN testing information: ADA accommodations

Federal

• 28 CFR § 36.309, Examinations and courses
• 28 CFR § 36.301(c), Charges
• ADA Requirements: Testing Accommodations, U.S. Department of Justice (originally issued September 8, 2015; last updated February 28, 2020)
• File a Complaint, ADA.gov

Written by the Castleport Test Prep Editorial Team. Methodology · Corrections · Independence policy

Castleport Test Prep is an independent exam prep publisher. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the American Nurses Association, Prometric, the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board, or the AACN Certification Corporation. Exam and credential names are used only to identify the exams discussed, and trademarks belong to their respective owners. ANCC decides accommodation requests, and Prometric arranges testing. This page is general information, not medical or legal advice, and it does not guarantee approval, a score, certification, or licensure.