CHPN
CHPN® (Registered Nurse) - Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center certification
More study resources
Cheat sheet
Keep the key ideas within reach.
ExploreKey terms
Get comfortable with the vocabulary.
ExploreStudy plan
Give each week a clear focus.
ExploreCommon mistakes
Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
ExploreCase studies
Put your knowledge to work in context.
ExploreExam-day guide
Prepare for the day ahead.
ExploreAbout this exam
CHPN® (Registered Nurse) is the hospice and palliative nursing credential for registered nurses in the HPCC credential family. The Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center lists CHPN® alongside ACHPN® (Advanced Practice RN), CHPPN® (Pediatric RN), CHPLN® (Licensed Practical Nurse), CHPNA® (Nursing Assistant), CHPCA® (Administrator), APHSW-C® (Social Worker), and CPLC® (Perinatal Loss Care). Earning the credential signals that an RN has met the profession's own standard for hospice and palliative practice, and it is frequently listed in clinical ladder and specialty job requirements.
This page gives you original, self-contained practice questions across the content areas that hospice and palliative nursing certification exams draw on: assessment and care planning, pain, non-pain symptom management, communication and advance care planning, ethics and legal issues, psychosocial and spiritual care, grief and bereavement, care at the end of life, and professional practice and quality.
Preparation that works: read the current candidate handbook and official content outline before you start, use practice sets to find weak areas rather than to confirm strengths, review every rationale (including on items you answered correctly), and pair question practice with HPNA-published resources, the on-demand Learning Center, and HPCC's CHPN® Prep offering.
We are an independent study resource. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by HPNA or HPCC. Domain weightings shown on this page are provisional placeholders and should be replaced with the official outline before you build a study plan.
What you'll study
About CHPN preparation
What exactly is the CHPN® credential?
It is a professional certification - not a nursing license - for registered nurses practicing in hospice and palliative care, administered within the HPCC credential family. HPCC lists it on advancingexpertcare.org next to the advanced practice (ACHPN®), pediatric (CHPPN®), licensed practical nurse (CHPLN®), and nursing assistant (CHPNA®) credentials.
Do I qualify to sit for the exam?
Eligibility rules - required practice hours, recency of hospice or palliative experience, and application steps - are set by HPCC and are not reproduced in the source pages we retrieved. Treat any eligibility figure you see on a third-party site as unverified and confirm it in HPCC's current candidate handbook before paying an application fee.
What is the exam format - item count, time limit, delivery?
The retrieved HPCC pages do not state item count, time limit, or delivery format, so we do not publish guesses. Two useful pointers from the site: HPCC maintains an Exam Statistics page, and Live Remote Proctoring (LRP) appears among its testing resources. Check both before you schedule so you know your real appointment length.
How hard is the exam, and what is the pass rate?
We have no verified pass rate and will not invent one; HPCC's Exam Statistics page is the only defensible source. Difficulty usually comes from the item style rather than obscure trivia - you are asked to pick the best next nursing action for a specific patient and family, not to recall isolated facts.
In what order should I study?
Start with a cold diagnostic set so you know where you actually lose points, then sequence by weakest area rather than by page order. Scenario-heavy areas such as pain, symptom management, and end-of-life care improve fastest when communication, ethics, and spiritual threads are practiced inside those same cases instead of as separate topics.
What are the most common failure modes?
Three recur: memorizing drug and staging facts without practicing their application to a dying patient; skipping psychosocial, grief, and ethics content because it feels soft; and answering the question you expected instead of the one asked, missing who the patient, family, or care setting is in the stem.
Is there an official prep course or practice test?
Yes. HPNA/HPCC maintains a CHPN® Prep page under Certification Prep on advancingexpertcare.org, alongside prep material for the other credentials in the family. HPNA also publishes RN-focused books and runs an on-demand Learning Center. Use official material as your content authority and third-party questions as retrieval practice.
Can I retake the exam if I do not pass?
The site's navigation references a reTEST Assured option and separate certification resources, but the retrieved text does not spell out waiting periods, fees, or attempt limits. Confirm retake terms in writing with HPCC before you register, and build your study plan around a single attempt.
How long is certification valid, and how do I recertify?
Validity period and recertification requirements are not stated in the source pages we retrieved. HPCC does maintain Recertification, How to Recertify, LearningBuilder, and HPAR pages, so those are the authoritative places to check the current cycle length and the accepted recertification activities well before your expiration date.
How do I verify my credential or get a digital badge?
HPCC lists Certification Verification and Digital Badging among its certification services; that is where you or an employer can confirm an active credential. Keep the name on your application identical to the name on your nursing license to avoid verification mismatches later.