- The 2026 BNNP exam window is November 16-20, with scheduling for approved candidates closing November 2.
- Initial fee is $1,700 ($680 application + $1,020 exam); accredited-fellowship candidates get a $250 discount ($1,450 total).
- The exam is 200 multiple-choice questions in four hours, split into two parts with no return to Part 1 after the break.
- UCNS reports an 88% historical average initial-exam pass rate using criterion-referenced standard setting.
Quick Facts Snapshot
This is the one-page version of everything you need to know about Behavioral Neurology & Neuropsychiatry Certification (BNNP) before you sit for the 2026 exam. It's built for last-mile review, not first-time learning - if you need the deep-dive walkthrough of content, start with the BNNP Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt instead. Here, we're compressing the administrative and content facts you're most likely to blank on under time pressure.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Certifying body | United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties (UCNS) |
| Delivery | Testing centers or online with ProctorU live remote proctoring |
| Total questions | 200 multiple-choice, closed book |
| Testing time | 4 hours, two parts, optional break up to 15 minutes |
| Initial fee | $1,700 ($680 application + $1,020 exam); $1,450 with accredited-fellowship discount |
| Reexamination fee | $1,020 |
| 2026 exam window | November 16-20 |
| Application deadline | May 1 (extended: May 15, plus $500 surcharge) |
| Historical pass rate | 88% average, initial attempts |
Registration and Fee Mechanics
Money and deadlines trip up more candidates than content does. The initial BNNP application fee is $680, nonrefundable, and the examination fee is $1,020, for a combined $1,700. If you're applying through an eligible UCNS-accredited fellowship, you receive a $250 discount, dropping your total to $1,450. Miss the May 1 deadline and you can still get in under the extended window through May 15, but it costs an additional $500 surcharge on top of your base fee.
If your first attempt doesn't go your way, the reexamination fee is $1,020 - the same as the original exam fee, minus the application fee since you've already cleared eligibility once. For a full line-by-line breakdown of every fee scenario, including how the discount interacts with the surcharge, see BNNP Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
Exam Format at a Glance
The BNNP exam is 200 multiple-choice questions delivered across four hours of testing time. It is closed book and split into two parts. You get an optional break of up to 15 minutes between them - but once you submit Part 1 and take that break, you cannot go back. That single rule changes how you should pace yourself: flag uncertain items within each part rather than assuming you can circle back after the break.
Passing is determined using criterion-referenced standard setting, meaning your score is measured against a fixed competency threshold rather than curved against other test-takers in your cohort. For the mechanics of exactly how that threshold is set and what score you actually need, see BNNP Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass. For a broader read on relative difficulty and how candidates typically experience the exam day itself, check How Hard Is the BNNP Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026.
Key Takeaway
Because there's no returning to Part 1 answers after the break, do a full pass through each part's flagged questions before you submit - not after.
The Four Domains, Fast
UCNS organizes BNNP content into four domains. Every one of the 200 questions maps back to one of these categories, so your final review should be organized the same way rather than by textbook chapter.
Domain 1: Structural and Functional Neuroanatomy
Covers the anatomic and functional substrates underlying cognition, emotion, and behavior - the wiring you need before you can reason about any syndrome.
- Cortical-subcortical circuits implicated in behavior and cognition
- Correlating lesion location with clinical presentation
- Functional networks relevant to attention, memory, and executive control
Domain 2: Neuropsychiatric Assessment
Tests your command of the clinical and cognitive evaluation toolkit used to characterize behavioral and cognitive change.
- Bedside cognitive and behavioral exam technique
- Interpreting standardized neuropsychological measures
- Recognizing when assessment findings point toward a structural versus psychiatric etiology
Domain 3: Treatments
Focuses on pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic management of behavioral neurology and neuropsychiatric conditions.
- Medication selection and risk-benefit reasoning across syndromes
- Nonpharmacologic and rehabilitative interventions
- Recognizing treatment-limiting complications and interactions
Domain 4: Neurobehavioral and Neuropsychiatric Syndromes
The clinical core - diagnosing and differentiating the syndromes that define the subspecialty.
- Dementias and neurodegenerative behavioral presentations
- Primary psychiatric conditions with neurologic overlap
- Syndromes tied to focal neurologic injury or disease
For a longer treatment of each domain with representative topic lists and study sequencing, see BNNP Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 4 Content Areas. The outline these domains are drawn from is reproduced in Vanderbilt's OCCAM-BNNP curriculum, which is a useful secondary reference if you want to cross-check topic coverage against your own program's syllabus.
Eligibility Routes Recap
There are four ways into the exam room:
- UCNS-accredited fellowship - at least 12 months of training, with application required within 48 months of completion and program verification on file.
- Practice track - 36 months of practice with at least 25% subspecialty practice during the 60 months preceding the application deadline (or August 31, whichever is later), two physician verification letters, plus qualifying non-accredited training, subspecialty CME, or an academic teaching appointment. UCNS confirmed in August 2026 that this pathway remains open.
- Academic appointment at a UCNS-accredited fellowship.
- Internationally trained faculty at a UCNS-accredited training program, under separate credential provisions.
All routes also require qualifying ABMS, AOA, or RCPSC primary specialty certification in good standing plus current unrestricted U.S. or Canadian medical licensure. If you're weighing which route fits your background, or want the practice-track documentation checklist spelled out in full, read BNNP Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
2026 Dates to Circle
- May 1 - standard application deadline
- May 15 - extended application deadline ($500 surcharge applies)
- November 2 - approved-candidate scheduling closes
- November 16-20 - 2026 examination window
Remember that the exam is offered biennially in even-numbered years, so if you miss this cycle, plan accordingly rather than assuming a 2027 sitting. Full scheduling logistics and how to build backward from exam week are covered in BNNP Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.
After You Pass: Continuous Certification
Passing isn't the finish line. Annual C-cert begins the year after your initial certification and requires continued licensure and primary certification, completion of designated readings, and a quiz of 25 questions in 100 minutes. You're allowed to consult the reading-list articles during the quiz, and you need to score at least 80% within three attempts. The annual fee is $175, discounted to $150 if paid by June 1, and requirements must be completed by December 31 each year. Miss requirements for two consecutive years and you lose certification - so this isn't a box to check once and forget.
Key Takeaway
Pay the C-cert fee by June 1 to save $25, and don't let two consecutive years slide - that's the trigger for losing certification entirely.
Final Week Review Plan
If you've already done your primary study cycle (outlined in the study guide), the final stretch should be domain-by-domain triage rather than re-reading everything.
Domain 1 & Domain 4 Review
- Redo anatomy-lesion correlation drills
- Review your weakest syndrome differentials from Domain 4
Domain 2 & Domain 3 Review
- Walk through assessment-tool interpretation scenarios
- Rebuild your treatment decision trees for major syndrome categories
Mixed Practice Blocks
- Run timed question sets mixing all four domains
- Simulate the two-part, no-return-to-Part-1 structure
Logistics, Not Content
- Confirm testing center or ProctorU setup
- Light review only - no new material
Throughout your prep, using realistic practice questions on our practice test platform is one of the fastest ways to convert domain knowledge into exam-day speed, since format familiarity matters as much as content mastery on a 200-question, four-hour exam.
Frequently Asked Questions
Review the four eligibility routes - accredited fellowship, practice track, academic appointment, and internationally trained faculty - against your training and licensure status before submitting the $680 application fee, since it is nonrefundable. See BNNP Requirements 2026 for the full documentation checklist.
Candidates who fail may retake twice within six years of their initial attempt, paying the $1,020 reexamination fee each time.
No. UCNS uses criterion-referenced standard setting, meaning your result is measured against a fixed competency standard, not against how other candidates in your sitting performed.
A single missed year triggers a warning cycle, but failing to complete requirements for two consecutive years results in loss of certification, so it's important to track the December 31 deadline annually.
This cheat sheet focuses on exam and administrative facts. For career and compensation context, see BNNP Salary Guide 2026, BNNP Jobs, and Is the BNNP Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026.