Study guide
Current Examination, Blueprint & Preparation
ABPN Neurocritical Care Study Guide Exam
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1 Chapter 1: Neurologic Examination & Coma Assessment in the ICU
Current Examination, Blueprint & Preparation Neurologic Examination in Critically Ill Patients Coma Evaluation & Consciousness Alterations Delirium & Toxic-Metabolic Encephalopathy in the ICU
2 Chapter 2: Cerebral Physiology & Intracranial Dynamics
Cerebral Blood Flow, Metabolism & Autoregulation Intracranial Pressure & Compliance Cerebral Edema & Herniation Syndromes
3 Chapter 3: Intracranial Hypertension & Cerebral Perfusion Management
Tiered ICP Management Protocols Hyperosmolar Therapy & Fluid Management Advanced & Refractory ICP Interventions
4 Chapter 4: Airway, Mechanical Ventilation & Pulmonary ICU Management
Emergency Airway Management & Neuro-Intubation Mechanical Ventilation Strategies in Acute Brain Injury Tracheostomy & Ventilator Weaning in Neurocritical Care Pulmonary Complications in the Neuro-ICU Obstructive Lung Disease, Pulmonary Hypertension & Bronchoscopy
5 Chapter 5: Hemodynamics, Shock & Cardiovascular Management
Hemodynamic Monitoring & Blood Pressure Targets Vasoactive Agents: Inotropes, Vasopressors & Antihypertensives Cardiac Complications of Brain Injury
6 Chapter 6: Neuropharmacology, Analgesia & Sedation
ICU Sedation & Analgesia Neuromuscular Blockade & Monitoring Propofol Infusion Syndrome & Drug Toxicities Antiseizure Drug Pharmacology in the ICU
7 Bleeding, Thrombosis & Hematologic Emergencies
Warfarin & Heparin Reversal Direct Oral Anticoagulant (DOAC) Reversal Antiplatelet Management & Platelet Dysfunction Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis & Management Transfusion, Coagulopathy, TMA & Cellular-Therapy Neurotoxicity
8 Chapter 8: Systemic ICU Care, Fluids, Electrolytes & Endocrine
Hyponatremia & Osmoregulation: SIADH vs Cerebral Salt Wasting Diabetes Insipidus, Hypernatremia & Endocrine Crises Critical Care Prophylaxis, Nutrition & Infection Prevention
9 Systemic Trauma & Environmental Injury
Polytrauma, Chest Injury & Abdominal Hemorrhage Burns, Electrical Injury & Hanging
10 Cardiac Emergencies & Mechanical Support
IABP, Ventricular Devices & ECMO Acute Coronary, Valvular, Rhythm & Aortic Emergencies
11 Kidney Injury, Acid–Base & Renal Replacement
Acute Kidney Injury & Renal Drug Clearance Acid–Base Disorders, Electrolytes & Renal Replacement
12 Systemic Infection & Endocrine Emergencies
Sepsis, Endocarditis & Antimicrobial Principles Thyroid, Adrenal & Dysglycemic Emergencies
13 Gastrointestinal & Hepatic Emergencies
Acute Abdomen, GI Bleeding & Abdominal Compartment Syndrome Acute Liver Failure, Cirrhosis & Hepatic Drug Effects
14 Chapter 9: Neuroimaging in the Neuro-ICU
Non-Contrast CT & CT Angiography CT Perfusion & Advanced Perfusion Imaging Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Critical Illness
15 Chapter 10: Electrophysiology & Neuromonitoring
Continuous EEG & ACNS Standardized Critical Care Terminology Invasive Neuromonitoring: ICP & External Ventricular Drains Multimodal Monitoring: PbtO2, Microdialysis & Transcranial Doppler
16 Angiography, Electrodiagnosis & CSF Analysis
Conventional Angiography & Cranial–Spinal Shunts EMG, Nerve Conduction & Acute Muscle Disease CSF Analysis: Infection, Inflammation & Hemorrhage
17 Chapter 11: Bedside Procedures, Ultrasound & Death by Neurologic Criteria
Critical Care Procedural Skills Critical Care Ultrasound & Echocardiography Determination of Death by Neurologic Criteria
18 Chapter 12: Acute Ischemic Stroke & Reperfusion Therapies
Acute Ischemic Stroke Management & Thrombolysis Endovascular Thrombectomy & Large Vessel Occlusion Malignant Hemispheric & Cerebellar Infarction
19 Chapter 13: Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage & Intraventricular Hemorrhage
Acute Intraparenchymal Hemorrhage Management Intraventricular Hemorrhage & Hydrocephalus Surgical Evacuation & Minimally Invasive Surgery in ICH
20 Chapter 14: Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage & Delayed Cerebral Ischemia
Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: Acute Resuscitation & Securing Delayed Cerebral Ischemia & Cerebral Vasospasm Non-Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage & Vascular Malformations
21 Venous, Spinal & Traumatic Vascular Disease
Cerebral Venous Thrombosis & Spinal Cord Infarction Traumatic Dissection, Carotid–Cavernous Fistula & Penetrating Injury
22 Chapter 15: Traumatic Brain & Spinal Cord Injury
Severe Traumatic Brain Injury & Contusions Acute Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury & Neurogenic Shock Spine Trauma, Fractures & Cord Syndromes
23 Chapter 16: Status Epilepticus, Seizures & Neuromuscular Emergencies
Status Epilepticus: Convulsive & Non-Convulsive Refractory & Super-Refractory Status Epilepticus Acute Neuromuscular Respiratory Failure
24 Chapter 17: Post-Cardiac Arrest Care, CNS Infections & Encephalitis
Targeted Temperature Management & Post-Cardiac Arrest Care Post-Cardiac Arrest Neuroprognostication Acute CNS Infections, Encephalitis & Inflammatory Emergencies
25 Neuroinflammation & Neurooncology
Fulminant Demyelination & Autoimmune Encephalitis Brain, Spinal & Leptomeningeal Cancer Emergencies
26 Pregnancy, Transplantation & Pediatric Care
Pregnancy, Postpartum & Post-Transplant Neurologic Care Pediatric Neurocritical Care
27 Chapter 18: Neurosurgical & Perioperative Emergencies
Postoperative Neurosurgical Complications Device Complications: EVDs, Shunts & ICP Monitors Cerebral Hyperperfusion Syndrome & Post-Interventional Emergencies
28 Chapter 19: Ethics, Palliative Care & Organ Donation in the Neuro-ICU
Communication, Surrogate Decision-Making & Conflict Resolution Neuroprognostication Ethics, Withdrawal of Life Support & Palliative Care Organ Donation & Management of the Deceased Donor
Current Examination, Blueprint & Preparation
Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI
ABPN delivers 270 one-best-answer questions in five sections of 54; the question time is 310 minutes.
The official domain ranges are 42–48%, 13–17%, 27–33%, 3–7%, and 3–7%.
The October 5–9, 2026 administration has ended; ABPN lists the next administration in 2028.
ABPN diplomates apply through ABPN; diplomates of the four co-sponsoring boards apply through their own board.
Last updated: October 2026
Establish the Credential Before Planning
Neurocritical Care certification administered by ABPN is the ABMS subspecialty examination jointly developed with anesthesiology, emergency medicine, internal medicine, and neurological surgery boards. This guide provides independent teaching for that examination. The United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties offers a separate NCC certification; its question count, testing schedule, and eligibility policies should not be imported into ABPN preparation. The 100 items in ExamFinch's practice bank are practice inventory, not the live examination's length.
The ABPN content specifications currently linked from its exam page were posted December 23, 2021. The date does not make a different organization's newer outline applicable. Use the document the responsible board actually links, while checking current clinical guidelines separately. Blueprint percentages describe examination content, whereas a clinical guideline describes patient management; they answer different questions.
Format, Timing, and Scoring
- Component Official format
- NDA and instructions 5 minutes
- Questions 270 one-best-answer multiple-choice items
- Delivery Five sections of 54 stand-alone items
- Question time 310 minutes total
- End survey 5 minutes
- Optional pooled breaks Up to 40 minutes between sections
The scheduled components total 320 minutes; adding the full break pool gives 360 minutes. The average question budget is 310/270 = approximately 1.15 minutes, or 69 seconds. This is an average for planning, not an official per-question clock or a promise that every section has an independently fixed 62-minute timer. Spending extra time on an imaging vignette requires recovering time elsewhere. Excess break time is deducted from remaining examination time. Candidates sign in and out of the testing room, so budget break logistics as well as food and rest.
The format document permits flagging or skipping questions and reports no guessing penalty. Answer every item before concluding the examination within the interface's available review rules. Some research or pretest items may be unscored; ABPN does not identify their positions. Do not devote less effort to a question because it looks experimental.
ABPN reports a total standard score and diagnostic subtopic feedback. The passing standard is criterion referenced: there is no predefined percentage of candidates who must fail. The public format document does not provide a fixed raw percentage or number-correct cutoff. A practice percentage cannot be converted into a guaranteed pass. Commercial readiness targets and study-hour estimates are planning aids rather than board policies.
Use the Whole Blueprint
Domain Official range Study implication
Principles of neurocritical care 42–48% Study pulmonary, cardiovascular, renal, infectious, endocrine, gastrointestinal, hematologic, and general trauma care alongside cerebral physiology and drugs
Diagnostic studies and procedural skills 13–17% Interpret imaging, electrophysiology, CSF, monitoring, ultrasound, and death determination
Neurocritical care diseases 27–33% Cover uncommon vascular, inflammatory, oncologic, neuromuscular, and pediatric disease as well as stroke, TBI, and seizures
Neurosurgical and perioperative complications 3–7% Recognize postoperative and device emergencies
Ethics, research, and practice-based learning 3–7% Apply communication, decision-making, prognostication, end-of-life, and donation principles
Do not replace the ranges with claims that exactly 45% or 30% of every administration has one particular topic. Those midpoints can guide study allocation, but only the ranges are published. Build an error log indexed to the outline: identify the incorrect decision, the reason the distractor was tempting, and the clinical information that would change the answer. Alternate focused review with mixed, timed sets so that disease recognition does not depend on a chapter label.
Eligibility, Dates, and Fees
ABPN's 2026 dates were October 5–9 and are past as of this guide's October 17 review. Its page lists 2028 as the next administration. Do not assume 2026 deadlines or fees establish the next cycle. The current ABPN fee schedule lists an initial subspecialty examination fee of $1,900 and an additional $500 late application fee when applicable; other sponsoring boards administer their own applications and may charge different amounts.
Applicants require eligible primary certification by December 31 of the preceding year and training completion by July 31 of the examination year, subject to their board's requirements. The temporary practice pathway applied to 2021–2026 administrations. After that period, neurology, child neurology, anesthesiology, and emergency medicine pathways require either two years of ACGME-accredited NCC fellowship or one year of qualifying ACGME-accredited general critical care plus one year of NCC. Neurosurgery and internal medicine have different specified pathways; ABIM candidates need critical care medicine certification plus an NCC fellowship year. Verify eligibility directly with the primary board rather than treating a colleague's route as transferable.
Sources checked October 17, 2026: ABPN examination page , content specifications , format and scoring , and fee schedule .