- What the CHPLN Credential Actually Requires
- Licensure Prerequisite: LPN/LVN Status
- Practice Hour Requirements
- Application, Fees, and Testing Windows
- Exam Format and the Seven Domains
- Who Hires CHPLN-Certified Nurses
- A Realistic Path to Qualifying
- Keeping the Credential: Recertification Requirements
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Eligibility needs a current, unrestricted LPN/LVN license plus 500 hours of hospice/palliative practice in 12 months or 1,000 hours in 24 months.
- HPCC awards the CHPLN; PSI administers the 150-question, three-hour exam at test centers or by live remote proctoring.
- Initial fees are $260 for HPNA members and $365 for nonmembers; application deadlines fall six weeks before each testing window.
- Passing requires a scaled score of 500 out of 200-800, based on 135 scored items out of 150 total questions.
What the CHPLN Credential Actually Requires
The Certified Hospice and Palliative Licensed Nurse (CHPLN) credential is awarded by the Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center (HPCC), with the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA) serving as the professional association and preparation resource. Unlike credentials open to any licensed nurse, CHPLN eligibility is built specifically around LPN and LVN scope of practice working under RN supervision in hospice or palliative settings.
Before you spend money on registration or study materials, it's worth confirming you meet every prerequisite. This article breaks down the licensure requirement, the practice-hour thresholds, the application mechanics, and the exam structure itself so you know exactly what "qualifying" means for 2026. For a broader orientation to the credential, see What Is CHPLN? and CHPLN Certification.
Licensure Prerequisite: LPN/LVN Status
The first and non-negotiable requirement is holding a current, unrestricted LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) or LVN (Licensed Vocational Nurse) license issued in a U.S. state or territory. There is no waiver for provisional, probationary, or restricted licenses - the license must be active and in good standing at the time you apply and at the time you sit for the exam.
This is what distinguishes CHPLN from RN-level hospice and palliative credentials: the entire exam content outline, the practice-hour requirement, and the scope of tested scenarios are written for LPN/LVN practice under RN supervision, not independent RN judgment. If you're unsure whether your role qualifies as hospice or palliative nursing practice for eligibility purposes, review your job description against the seven domains covered on the exam - details below in the exam format section.
Practice Hour Requirements
Beyond licensure, HPCC requires documented recent practice in hospice or palliative nursing. You must meet one of two thresholds:
- 500 hours of hospice or palliative nursing practice in the preceding 12 months, or
- 1,000 hours of hospice or palliative nursing practice in the preceding 24 months.
In both cases, that practice must occur under RN supervision, consistent with LPN/LVN scope of practice. There is no exception for part-time or per-diem work as long as the cumulative hours meet one of the two windows - candidates working fewer hours per week simply need to look back across the full 24-month window rather than 12.
Key Takeaway
If you're close to the 500-hour mark for the 12-month window but not quite there, calculate your rolling 24-month total before assuming you're ineligible - many candidates qualify under the longer window instead.
Application, Fees, and Testing Windows
Once eligibility is confirmed, the application and testing process runs on a fixed quarterly schedule. HPCC offers four testing windows per year: March, June, September, and December. Online applications are due six weeks before each window opens:
| Testing Window | Application Deadline |
|---|---|
| March | February 15 |
| June | May 15 |
| September | August 15 |
| December | November 15 |
Initial examination fees are $260 for HPNA members and $365 for nonmembers. The exam is administered by PSI, either at a physical test center or via live remote proctoring, giving candidates in rural areas or with scheduling constraints a way to test without travel.
If you don't pass on the first attempt, HPCC offers a one-time reTEST Assured option for $135, which permits a retake during one of the next three testing windows - but not the same window you just tested in. For a complete cost breakdown including renewal fees, see CHPLN Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown, and for exact dates and planning logistics, see CHPLN Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.
Exam Format and the Seven Domains
The CHPLN exam is closed-book, contains 150 four-option multiple-choice questions, and must be completed within three hours. Of those 150 questions, 135 are scored and 15 are unscored pretest items used to evaluate future exam content - you won't know which is which, so every question deserves full attention.
Passing requires a scaled score of 500 on a 200-800 range. The content outline for 2026 examinations is based on the 2019 job analysis and organizes questions into seven domains, with scored items allocated as follows:
Domain 1: Patient Care: End-Stage Disease Process (18 scored items)
Covers disease trajectories across cancer, cardiac, pulmonary, neurological, and other terminal conditions, plus recognizing signs of approaching death.
- Disease-specific decline patterns and expected complications
Domain 2: Patient Care: Pain and Comfort Management (27 scored items)
Focuses on pain assessment tools, pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions, and comfort-focused positioning and care.
- Opioid and adjuvant therapy monitoring under RN supervision
Domain 3: Patient Care: Symptom Management (39 scored items - the largest domain)
The single heaviest-weighted area, covering dyspnea, nausea, constipation, delirium, anxiety, and other end-of-life symptoms.
- Recognizing symptom clusters and reporting changes appropriately
Domain 4: Patient Care: Treatments and Procedures (12 scored items)
Addresses wound care, catheter and tube management, and other hands-on procedures within LPN/LVN scope.
- Procedure safety and complication recognition
Domain 5: Care of Patient, Family, and Other Caregivers (15 scored items)
Covers grief, bereavement, caregiver burden, and support strategies for the family unit surrounding the patient.
- Identifying caregiver strain and appropriate referrals
Domain 6: Patient and Family Education and Advocacy (13 scored items)
Tests teaching techniques, health literacy considerations, and advocating for patient wishes and comfort goals.
- Culturally sensitive communication and education delivery
Domain 7: Interdisciplinary and Collaborative Practice Issues (11 scored items)
Covers the LPN/LVN's role within the interdisciplinary hospice team, scope-of-practice boundaries, and communication with RNs and other disciplines.
- Reporting lines and delegation boundaries
Because Domain 3 alone accounts for nearly 30% of scored content, allocate your heaviest review time there. For a full breakdown of every domain with sample topic lists, see CHPLN Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 7 Content Areas. If you want a sense of how difficult candidates find the exam overall, How Hard Is the CHPLN Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 walks through the official pass-rate data in more depth, and CHPLN Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass explains how the 500 scaled score is calculated.
Who Hires CHPLN-Certified Nurses
Because eligibility is anchored in LPN/LVN scope of practice under RN supervision, CHPLN-certified nurses typically work in home hospice programs, inpatient hospice units, palliative care consult teams, skilled nursing facilities with palliative service lines, and long-term care settings where end-of-life symptom management is a daily responsibility. Employers value the credential as evidence that an LPN/LVN has demonstrated competency across all seven domains - not just clinical task completion, but symptom recognition, family communication, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
If you're weighing whether the credential will affect your job prospects or pay, CHPLN Jobs covers where the credential shows up in postings, and CHPLN Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis and Is the CHPLN Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 go further into the return on the time and fees invested.
A Realistic Path to Qualifying
Meeting eligibility and passing the exam are two separate milestones. Once you've confirmed your license and hours meet the thresholds above, most candidates benefit from a structured lead-up to their chosen testing window rather than cramming in the final weeks.
Confirm Eligibility & Register
- Verify LPN/LVN license status and calculate your 12- or 24-month practice hours
- Submit the online application before the deadline for your target window
Domain 2 & Domain 3 (Highest Weight)
- Study pain assessment and symptom management protocols in depth - these two domains alone cover roughly half of scored questions
Domains 1, 4, 5
- Review disease trajectories, procedures within LPN/LVN scope, and family/caregiver support strategies
Domains 6 & 7, Full Review
- Cover education/advocacy and interdisciplinary collaboration, then take timed practice questions to simulate the three-hour, 150-item format
For a complete study plan built around this same domain weighting, see CHPLN Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt. Practicing under timed, four-option multiple-choice conditions similar to the real exam - such as the question sets available on our practice test platform - helps candidates get comfortable with pacing before test day. A condensed CHPLN Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts is also useful in the final week before your window opens.
Keeping the Credential: Recertification Requirements
CHPLN certification is valid for four years. To maintain it, certificants renew through HPAR (the Hospice and Palliative Accountability and Recertification process), submitting practice and professional-development evidence through the LearningBuilder platform, or by sitting for the exam again.
HPAR fees are $235 (early) or $345 (standard) for HPNA members, and $340 (early) or $450 (standard) for nonmembers. Nurses who choose re-examination instead pay $235 (members) or $340 (nonmembers). Planning ahead for these deadlines - and deciding between the HPAR pathway and re-testing - is worth doing well before your four-year window closes, since early fees are meaningfully lower than standard rates.
Key Takeaway
Mark your four-year renewal deadline as soon as you pass, and start HPAR documentation early to qualify for the lower early-submission fee.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. CHPLN eligibility specifically requires a current, unrestricted LPN or LVN license, with practice occurring under RN supervision. This credential is built around LPN/LVN scope of practice, not independent RN practice.
You need either 500 hours of hospice or palliative nursing practice in the preceding 12 months, or 1,000 hours in the preceding 24 months, all performed under RN supervision.
You can purchase the one-time reTEST Assured option for $135, which allows you to retake the exam during one of the next three testing windows - not the same window you just sat for.
PSI administers the CHPLN exam, either at a physical test center or through live remote proctoring, giving candidates flexibility in how and where they sit for the 150-question, three-hour exam.
Yes. HPNA members pay $260 for the initial exam versus $365 for nonmembers, and members also receive lower rates on HPAR renewal and re-examination fees.