The fastest way to pass the CHPN (Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse) is to study in proportion to what the exam tests — and in our 1000-card deck, Management (28%), Basics (19%), Pharmacology (19%) carry the most weight. This guide lays out exactly where to focus, how hard the material gets, and a 5-step plan built on active recall.
Based on the 1000 flashcards in our CHPN deck. Use it to budget study time, then confirm the official blueprint with the certifying body below.
| Topic | Cards | Share of deck | Practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Management | 280 | 28% | Free questions → |
| Basics | 190 | 19% | in the full deck |
| Pharmacology | 190 | 19% | in the full deck |
| Pathology | 140 | 14% | in the full deck |
| Assessment | 130 | 13% | in the full deck |
| Procedures | 60 | 6% | in the full deck |
Our CHPN cards carry difficulty ratings. The spread tells you how much of the deck is quick recall versus genuinely demanding:
0
Easy cards
0% of deck
497
Medium cards
50% of deck
496
Hard cards
50% of deck
These are genuine cards from the heaviest-weighted topics above. Answer each one before you reveal it — that is what active recall means in practice.
A terminal patient is completely disabled, cannot carry on any self-care, and is totally confined to bed or chair. What is the ECOG score?
Show answer →ECOG 4. Rationale: ECOG 4 is the highest level of disability before death (ECOG 5). It represents total confinement to bed/chair and inability to perform any self-care. Clinical Pearl: ECOG 4 is often associated with a prognosis of weeks or days. When documenting for the HPCC exam, ECOG 4 is a strong indicator of hospice appropriateness and the need for intensive family support for total care.
A patient with glioblastoma is bedbound, requires total care for all needs, and is in a deep coma. They are no longer taking any oral fluids. What is the PPS score?
Show answer →PPS 10%. Rationale: The defining features of PPS 10% are Bedbound, Total Care, Mouth care only (no intake), and Coma. This represents the final stage of the scale before death (0%). Clinical Pearl: PPS 10% is a critical indicator for the nurse to initiate final hours/imminent death protocols and support the family in the active dying phase.
Which tool is often preferred over the MMSE in hospice for tracking end-stage dementia decline, and why?
Show answer →The FAST scale is preferred because it tracks functional decline through the final stages of life (7a-7f), whereas the MMSE has a floor effect. By the time a patient is hospice-eligible, they usually score 0-5 on the MMSE, making it impossible to measure further decline. The FAST scale allows nurses to document continued progression (e.g., moving from 7c to 7d) which supports ongoing hospice eligibility and recertification.
Eligibility, fees, question counts and the current blueprint live on the official HPCC site (linked below). Print the outline — it is the map for everything that follows.
These 3 topics alone account for roughly 66% of our 1000-card CHPN deck. Time spent here pays off more than anywhere else.
Answer questions before flipping to the answer — that struggle is what builds retention. Start with the 30 free CHPN cards, then work through the full deck one category at a time.
After a full pass, re-drill only the cards you missed. Small categories are quick wins — closing a weak topic can be an afternoon's work.
Our deck rates 496 cards as hard. If those feel comfortable in your final two weeks, you are studying above test level.
Start with 30 free CHPN flashcards, or unlock all 1000 for a one-time $7 — lifetime access, no subscription.
Weight your time toward the biggest topics: in our 1000-card CHPN deck, Management has 280 cards (28%), Basics has 190 cards (19%), Pharmacology has 190 cards (19%). Always cross-check against the official HPCC exam outline.
Question counts, time limits and fees change — always confirm them in the official HPCC handbook (linked on this page). For practice, our CHPN deck has 1000 question-and-answer flashcards covering the listed topics.
Difficulty is personal, but our deck's ratings give a sense of the spread: 0 easy, 497 medium and 496 hard cards. If the hard cards feel manageable, you are in good shape.
Try the 30 free CHPN flashcards — no sign-up needed. If the format works for you, the full 1000-card deck is a one-time $7.
Eligibility rules, fees, question counts and passing standards are set by the certifying body and change over time. Always confirm them at the source before you apply or schedule your exam — our flashcards are practice material, not the official handbook.