NP Exam Authorization to Test: Scheduling, Rescheduling and Testing Windows

An Authorization to Test (ATT) is the email that turns an approved NP certification application into a bookable exam. At both NPCB (the AANP board) and ANCC it opens a 120-day window, and the exam must be scheduled and taken at a Prometric test center inside that window. The boards differ on when the ATT is issued, where you book, what a change costs and how a missed window is repaired: NPCB ties the ATT to the program completion date you entered and charges $50 for changes made 5 to 29 days out, while ANCC issues it after review and lets Prometric's own policies govern changes, with the testing fee forfeited under 2 days. Knowing these rules before you apply prevents the two most expensive mistakes, a window that opens before you are ready and a late change that costs the full exam fee.

When the ATT arrives

NPCB

NPCB lets students apply up to 6 months before an MSN or post-graduate program ends and 12 months before a DNP ends, but the ATT is not released on approval. The FNP handbook states that candidates "will receive an Authorization to Test (ATT) notification after the program completion date has been reached and eligibility has been confirmed." The program completion date is the day all didactic coursework and clinical hours finish, entered by the candidate on the application. If it falls on a weekend or holiday, the notice goes out the next business day, and NPCB tells candidates to check spam and junk folders.

Because the window starts from that date, a candidate who finishes clinicals on May 15 and wants to test in late June should expect the ATT around May 15 and a window running to mid-September. Entering an earlier date to move things along is prohibited; the handbook says NPCB may verify the date with the program and delay or revoke the application.

ANCC

ANCC asks candidates to apply only after all eligibility requirements are met, which for students means coursework and the 500 clinical hours are complete even if the degree has not posted. The ATT notice is emailed to the address in the ANCC account after review of a complete application. ANCC publishes no standard review time in its handbook; it does offer expedited review, which reduces processing to three business days from the date payment is received, for an additional non-refundable fee. Missing documents, signatures or a request for syllabi stop the clock until resolved.

Scheduling

ANCC's handbook advice applies to both boards: "Schedule as soon as possible for your preferred date and time," because candidates who wait until late in the window "may have to accept any appointment available." Urban centers fill fastest around graduation months.

ANCC candidates should also check the exam title and code on the screen before starting. If you applied for the wrong exam and ask to switch, ANCC must confirm eligibility for the new one and may charge a $100 administrative fee.

The FNP outline pause in October 2026

ANCC's FNP page announces a new Test Content Outline effective October 30, 2026 and a 12-business-day testing suspension around the change. Candidates may test before October 18, 2026 or after October 30, 2026. An ATT window that straddles those dates still runs; only the appointments inside the pause are unavailable, so schedule on one side of it and study to the matching outline.

Rescheduling and cancellation

NPCB

NPCB candidates make changes through the same "Schedule an Exam" link in their account, and all changes "are subject to Prometric policies, including applicable fees and deadlines." The fee schedule, effective July 1, 2025, is:

The handbook adds that canceling within 24 hours of the appointment or failing to appear "may result in forfeiture of fees," and that a candidate who does not test as scheduled must use the eligibility reset process described below.

ANCC

The ANCC handbook states that "Prometric may charge a fee to reschedule or cancel your appointment" and directs candidates to the Prometric ANCC page for the current schedule. It states one rule itself: candidates cancelling less than 2 days before a test date forfeit their testing fee. The specific tiers Prometric applies to ANCC appointments were not available on the public page at the time of writing, so read the schedule shown when you book and treat 30 days as a safe margin for a free change.

Missing the window

Both boards allow exactly one repair, and both charge for it.

NPCB eligibility reset. A candidate who does not test within the 120 days or who fails to appear must request an eligibility reset. The FAQ lists the fee at $75, non-refundable, and the handbook limits it to one reset per application. Requests can be submitted only after the window has ended, unless the candidate was a no-show, in which case the request can go in immediately. The request must be made within one year of the original application date; applications older than one year require a new application and the full fee. The FAQ also notes that approval is "not guaranteed."

ANCC testing window re-assignment. A candidate unable to test in the 120-day window may request, one time only, a new 120-day window with the Testing Window Re-Assignment Request Form. The fee is $100. The new window must begin less than six months after the last day of the first window. A candidate who misses the second window must reapply as a new applicant, meet the eligibility rules then in force (including the five-year rule from degree conferral that began January 1, 2026) and pay all fees again.

Refunds when you withdraw instead

NPCB offers a partial refund, minus a $120 processing fee, only if no appointment has been scheduled and the window has not expired; the request goes by email. ANCC refunds the fee minus its $140 administrative fee when the written request reaches customerservice@ana.org before you test and before the window closes. Neither board refunds a candidate who scheduled and then no-showed.

Late arrival and no-shows

Prometric's regulations ask candidates to arrive early enough for check-in; ANCC specifies "at least 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment time," and NPCB's reschedule notice treats an arrival more than 30 minutes late that leads to denied admission as a full-fee event. ANCC goes further: an arrival so late that it would interfere with the center's schedule is a no-show, the testing window "will automatically expire," and the candidate must submit additional documentation and fees for a new date. Plan for traffic, parking and the possibility that the center is in a building with security at the door.

A timeline that works

1. Confirm the date all clinical hours will be logged and approved by faculty. This is the NPCB program completion date and the earliest ANCC can accept the application.
2. Apply early at NPCB (up to 6 or 12 months ahead) or, at ANCC, the week the last hours are signed off.
3. When the ATT arrives, open the Prometric calendar the same day and book a date that leaves two to four weeks of buffer before the window closes.
4. Submit any accommodation request before booking, since it cannot be added afterward at either board.
5. Put the 30-day and 5-day marks before the appointment in your calendar; after the 30-day mark a change starts to cost money.
6. If the window must be extended, file the NPCB reset or the ANCC re-assignment promptly; both are single-use.

Practice-exam timing can follow the same calendar, and a tool such as NPPace can be set to the blueprint of whichever board issued the ATT.

Key points

Related NPPace guides

• NP Exam Day: Identification Rules, What to Bring and What Happens at the Center
• After You Pass: NP State License, Prescriptive Authority and Your DEA Number
• How to Apply for the ANCC NP Certification Exam: Step by Step
• AANP vs ANCC: Which NP Certification Exam Should You Take?