Eligibility and Instructions

To obtain and maintain the Certified Nutrition Specialist℠ (CNS℠) credential, a professional must:

  1. Hold an advanced degree (masters or doctoral level);
  2. Demonstrate significant experience in the field of nutrition;
  3. Pass the CBNS℠ Certifying Examination; and
  4. Every 5 years, obtain 75 Continuing Education credits and recertify.

Eligibility Requirements to Sit for the CBNS Exam:

If you are a licensed professional with an MD, DO, DDS, DPM, OD, DC, Pharm.D, DPT or Doctor of Nursing degree, you must have:

    1. Documentation of graduation and a copy of your license;
    2. Experience of either:
      • 50 hours of documented continuing education in nutrition; or
      • 10 detailed case studies. The case studies must be structured so as to include a standard medical and focused nutrition history, nutrition assessment (including anthropometry), identification of nutrition concerns, the plan of management, and the outcome of the intervention.
      • The experience may be completed after passing the examination; and
    3. Submitted all supporting materials under Application Procedure below

If you are a health professional other than those listed above, such as a Nutritionist, PA, RN, NP, RD or other, you must have:

    1. A Master’s degree or Doctorate
      • in nutrition, or an allied field that is relevant to the practice of nutrition,
      • from either a regionally accredited US college or university,
        • “Regionally accredited” means an institution that has been accredited by a regional accrediting organization recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or the U.S. Department of Education.
        • To determine whether a college or university is regionally accredited:
      • or from an equivalent college or university outside the US;
    2. Documented, supervised experience in nutrition
      • If a Master’s degree, 1000 hours
      • If a Doctorate degree, 500 hours
      • The experience must come during or after the graduate degree program.
      • The experience may be completed after passing the examination; and
    3. Submitted all supporting materials under Application Procedure below

Candidates who have passed the exam, but have not yet completed their experience requirement will not be certified (and may not use the CNS credential) until they have completed the experience requirement.

Examination Fees and Procedures

The 4-hour CBNS certifying examination is administered in various locations in the USA from 10 AM to 2 PM on a Saturday, once in the spring and once in the fall. See the exams page for the latest exam dates and deadlines. Eligible applicants will be advised of the exam date and available sites for examination. Application for the examination, including payment of a nonrefundable application fee of $50, must be received by the posted application deadline. The $50 application fee is not refundable. An additional examination fee of $300 will be due before an approved applicant will be allowed to sit for the examination. Both fees ($350 in total) may be included with this application. The examination fee of $300 is refundable, if a written refund request is received by CBNS by the refund deadline and the examination has not yet been taken.

Applicants meeting the education and experience requirements, and who have applied and paid the application fees in full by the posted deadline, will be notified of their eligibility as soon as possible. Applicants deemed to be ineligible also will be notified and, if paid previously, the $300 examination fee will be refunded. Applications will not be accepted after the posted application deadline, without exception. If necessary, eligible applicants may postpone taking the examination for up to 18 months from their scheduled exam date without penalty or additional fees so long as the CBNS is notified in writing prior to the first day of the month of their scheduled examination. After 18 months, previously eligible candidates who have not yet taken the examination will be disqualified and will be required to re-apply and pay new fees.

Five-Year Recertification and Yearly Maintenance Fees

A passing grade on the examination will maintain the certification of successful examinees for five years, to the end (December 31) of the fifth year. Recertification is required at five year intervals (by December 31) by submitting a recertification fee of $200 and documentation of 75 credit hours of acceptable continuing credits. A yearly maintenance fee of $50 also is required. The current-year maintenance fee is due from newly-certified CNS designees within 60 days of their initial certification. By applying for recertification, successful CNS holders consent to be listed in the CBNS directory and website. The re-certification and maintenance fees are used by CBNS to improve the examination program, maintain and publish a directory of CNS designees, and act on legislative matters in the interest of CNS designees.

Certification Examination Specifications

Candidates for the Certified Nutrition Specialist credential will be allowed four hours to complete the examination. The examination questions will be drawn from a bank of questions submitted by invited experts and validated by a review committee. The examination will consist of 200 questions, all in single-answer, multiple choice format, and will cover the broad spectrum of basic and applied nutritional science. Themes such as basic nutritional science, nutrition assessment, prevention and treatment of disease by nutritional means, epidemiology, and integration of these areas are threaded throughout the examination. An adjusted score of 65% is required to pass the examination. A diploma acknowledging the Certified Nutrition Specialist certification will be sent to successful candidates. Candidates whose examination scores are below the minimum acceptable standard may request manual confirmation of their examination score upon payment of a $50 regrading fee. Unsuccessful candidates are eligible to sit for a subsequent examination (within 24 months of their initial examination) by submission of a letter stating their intent and a re-examination fee of $150. The Third Edition CBNS Study Guide is available as an e-book at a cost of $50. You can purchase the study guide online or by check or money order. Checks and money orders should be payable to the CBNS.

Application Procedure (Required of All Applicants)

  1. Submit completed application form and all supporting materials.
    Best: Scan and email to office@cbns.org or fax to (888) 712-1450.
    Otherwise, mail to:
    Certification Board for Nutrition Specialists
    4707 Willow Springs Rd, Suite 203B
    La Grange IL 60525
  2. Make payment of $50 for application fee, $300 for examination fee, and $50 if a copy of the Study Guide is desired via the online payment form or include a check or money order. Checks and money orders should be payable to the CBNS.
  3. Arrange for submission of graduate or professional school transcripts, with evidence of degrees awarded, from the institution directly to CBNS.
  4. Submit documentation of professional experience as a nutritionist. Documentation of professional experience may take the form of a resume or curriculum vitae.
  5. Submit copies of any relevant licenses.
  6. Arrange for submission of two letters of recommendation from health care professionals familiar with the applicant’s work as a nutrition professional; these letters are to be submitted by the recommender directly to CBNS.
  7. If the applicant is required to complete and document the completion of 1000 hours of post-graduate supervised experience in nutrition, a letter from the supervisor detailing the supervised experience submitted directly by the Supervisor to CBNS, also is required.
  8. If required, evidence of 50 hours of documented continuing education in nutrition or a set of 10 detailed case studies is required to be submitted to CBNS.

In all cases, the materials provided must be adequate to allow a complete evaluation of the eligibility of the applicant.

Application forms, the nonrefundable application fee and all supporting materials must be received by CBNS no later than the application deadline.

Voluntary withdrawals (for any reason) will be honored until the refund deadline, and the examination fee of $300 (if paid) will be returned. No refunds will be made if CBNS receives notification after the refund deadline.