News
Revised CMC and CSC Exams Launch Nov. 19, 2026
Aug 19, 2026
On Nov. 19, AACN Certification Corporation will launch updated exams for the CMC (cardiac medicine) and CSC (cardiac surgery) subspecialty certification programs to ensure the continued relevance and integrity of these subspecialty credentials.
CMC subspecialty certification, introduced in 2005, is for specialty certified nurses who provide direct care to acutely/critically ill adult cardiac patients. Nurses interested in CMC certification may work in areas such as CCUs, medical ICUs, telemetry, progressive care, heart failure clinics/home care, interventional cardiology, cardiac catheterization labs and/or electrophysiology units.
CSC subspecialty certification, introduced in 2005, is for specialty certified nurses who provide direct care to acutely/critically ill adult cardiac surgery patients in the first 48 hours postoperatively. Nurses interested in CSC certification may work in areas such as cardiothoracic surgery, cardiovascular surgery or post-anesthesia care units.
Updated Study of Practice
AACN Certification Corporation regularly conducts national studies of practice (SOPs), also known as practice analyses, to update and refresh certification test plans. These studies ensure that our exams are based on evidence and the content of each exam is tied directly to relevant practice.
The most recent study of acute/critical care cardiac practice was conducted in 2025, resulting in changes to the CMC and CSC test plans and exams.
New Resources
Following are links to the updated test plans that go into effect for CMC and CSC exams taken on and after Nov. 19, 2026, along with additional resources being revised based on the 2025 SOP.
Test Plans
These detailed outlines show the content and associated percentage weights that make up the structure of the exams. The test plans are based on the SOP and go through a 100% consensus process involving a national panel of experts (Practice Analysis Task Force). The test plans are analyzed by our psychometrician at PSI and ultimately approved by the AACN Certification Corporation Board of Directors.
Exam Bibliographies
This list comprises the references/resources the item writers and exam developers used to validate the correct answer to each exam question.
Study of Practice Executive Summaries
These brief reports state the purpose, process, response rate, outcomes and analysis of the survey.
Additional Resources
Practice Exam and Questions
AACN's subscription-based, digital CMC and CSC Practice Exam and Questions products align with the new certification test plans, providing hundreds of questions and a realistic test-day experience.
Note: Current CMC and CSC exam study materials continue to be relevant and useful for those testing on and after Nov. 19, 2026.