The CNS-S credential requires which of the following?

• A. Graduate degree and clinical experience
• B. Graduate degree and passing of exam
• C. Passing of exam only
• D. Graduate degree

Answer: (B)

The essential idea is that earning the CNS-S credential requires both advanced education and demonstrated knowledge through a formal assessment. A graduate degree shows you’ve completed higher-level training, but the credential also needs you to prove you can apply that knowledge in practice. The exam provides a standardized measure of competency across all applicants, ensuring you’ve mastered the specialty content.

If you only have a graduate degree, you’ve completed education but there’s no verified proof of current, specialty-specific competence. If you only pass an exam, there’s no confirmed level of formal graduate-level education backing that test performance. If you have a graduate degree plus clinical experience, that’s valuable, but the credentialing process typically still requires passing the exam to verify standardized knowledge. Therefore, the combination of a graduate degree and passing the exam best fits how the CNS-S credential is structured.