- What a PBSE Actually Is
- Where PBSE Sits in the CCP Pathway
- The 11 Knowledge-Base Domains
- Format, Timing and Test-Day Delivery
- How PBSE Scoring Works
- What the 2025 ABCP Pass Data Shows
- Who Can Sit for PBSE
- Fees, Deadlines and Testing Windows
- Sequencing Your Preparation by Domain
- What Comes After PBSE, and What It Does Not Do
- Frequently Asked Questions
- PBSE means Perfusion Basic Science Examination, Part I of the ABCP process toward the Certified Clinical Perfusionist (CCP) credential.
- Passing PBSE alone does not award CCP; you must also pass CAPE, the separate Part II application-focused exam.
- The exam has approximately 220 multiple-choice items, a four-hour limit, and a passing scaled score of 400 on a 120-480 scale.
- The PBSE fee is USD 360, with a USD 100 late fee when applicable and a no-refund policy.
What a PBSE Actually Is
In this context, PBSE stands for the Perfusion Basic Science Examination, a computer-based certification examination administered by the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion (ABCP). It is the first of two exams a perfusionist must pass to earn the Certified Clinical Perfusionist (CCP) credential. If you have seen the same four letters attached to other credentials in other industries, set those aside: everything on this page concerns the ABCP perfusion exam only.
The exam is built around the science underneath cardiopulmonary bypass and related extracorporeal support. It tests whether a graduating or recently graduated perfusionist understands the physiology, pharmacology, pathology, equipment principles and monitoring concepts that make safe perfusion practice possible. It is not a job title, and it is not a standalone credential you can hold and renew. It is a gate you pass on the way to CCP.
For a broader orientation to the terminology, see our explainer on what PBSE stands for and the overview of PBSE certification.
Where PBSE Sits in the CCP Pathway
ABCP certification is a two-exam process. PBSE is Part I; the Clinical Applications in Perfusion Examination (CAPE) is Part II. The two share a common knowledge base, but they lean in different directions: PBSE emphasizes basic-science processes, while CAPE emphasizes applying that knowledge to clinical scenarios. Each exam has its own separate four-hour timer.
| Feature | PBSE (Part I) | CAPE (Part II) |
|---|---|---|
| Emphasis | Basic-science processes | Clinical application |
| Knowledge base | Same 11 headings | Same 11 headings |
| Time limit | Four hours | Separate four-hour timer |
| Awards CCP on its own? | No | Not by itself; both exams are required |
Because the two exams share one scope, studying for PBSE is not wasted effort on CAPE. The same domains return, just framed differently. Our PBSE study guide walks through how to build that foundation.
The 11 Knowledge-Base Domains
ABCP publishes eleven examination knowledge-base headings in its 2026 Examination Guidebook. These headings are shared by PBSE and CAPE, and any of them may appear on PBSE. Importantly, no official percentage distribution across the headings has been verified, so you should not assume any one area is the largest or that the list is weighted. Treat all eleven as fair game, with PBSE leaning toward the mechanisms and processes within each.
Domain 1: Anatomy & Physiology
The foundation for everything else. Expect questions on the cardiovascular, pulmonary, renal and neurologic systems and how bypass perturbs them.
- Hemodynamic relationships and what changes on bypass
- Gas exchange, acid-base balance and oxygen delivery concepts
- Coagulation and blood-surface interaction at a physiologic level
Domain 2: Pharmacology
Drugs used before, during and after bypass, with attention to mechanism, effect and interaction.
- Anticoagulation agents and their reversal
- Vasoactive and cardioplegic agents
- How bypass alters drug distribution and response
Domain 3: Pathology
The disease states that bring patients to the operating room and the complications that can follow.
- Cardiac and vascular disease processes
- Inflammatory and organ-injury responses associated with bypass
Domain 4: Laboratory Analysis
Interpreting the numbers that guide perfusion decisions.
- Blood gas and electrolyte interpretation
- Coagulation testing and what each result means
- Hematologic values and their clinical implications
Domain 5: Quality Assurance
The systems and practices that make perfusion safe and reproducible.
- Documentation, checklists and process review
- Equipment checks and safety culture concepts
Domain 6: Devices & Equipment
How the circuit and its components work, and why they are designed as they are.
- Pumps, oxygenators, heat exchangers and filters
- Physical principles behind flow, pressure and gas transfer
Domain 7: Clinical Management
Managing the patient on bypass from initiation through separation.
- Flow, pressure and temperature management logic
- Anticoagulation, myocardial protection and fluid balance
Domain 8: Special Patient Groups
Populations whose physiology demands different thinking.
- Pediatric and neonatal considerations
- Other patient groups with altered physiology or risk
Domain 9: Special Procedures/Special Techniques
Support modes and procedures beyond routine adult bypass.
- Extracorporeal support and ventricular assist concepts
- Techniques used in specialized surgical settings
Domain 10: Catastrophic Events & Device Failure
Recognizing and reasoning through emergencies and failures.
- Principles for responding to circuit or device problems
- Why certain failures occur and what they threaten
Domain 11: Monitoring
The measurements that tell you how the patient and the circuit are doing.
- Hemodynamic, temperature and oxygenation monitoring
- Neurologic and perfusion-adequacy monitoring concepts
For a deeper treatment of each heading, read the full guide to all 11 PBSE content areas. One practical caution: the guidebook itself exists in conflicting version labels (parsed text says 1.6, the rendered cover says 1.3), though the eleven scope headings agree across both. The last knowledge-base survey was conducted in 2023.
Format, Timing and Test-Day Delivery
PBSE contains approximately 220 multiple-choice items with a four-hour testing limit. The item count is approximate, so avoid planning around an exact number. Pearson VUE test centers deliver the exam, with Professional Testing, Inc. (PTI) supporting development and administration.
The Fall 2026 shift to blocks
Beginning with the Fall 2026 administration, delivery uses blocks. Once you submit a block, you cannot return to it. Total testing time and the approximate item count are unchanged, and no official block size has been stated. The practical implication is that you should practice committing to answers rather than relying on a long end-of-exam review pass. ABCP's relaunched official practice exams mirror this structure: block format, approximately half-length timing, domain feedback, and online calculator and whiteboard features. Those descriptions apply to the practice products, and they should not be read as a verified statement of the actual exam's calculator policy.
Identification
Bring matching, original, unexpired government-issued photo identification. A name mismatch or an expired document is an avoidable way to lose an exam day.
Key Takeaway
Because submitted blocks cannot be reopened, train yourself to answer decisively on the first pass. Use official or timed practice that mimics block delivery, and extend your timed sessions toward the full four hours before test day. You can also rehearse the format with our PBSE practice tests.
How PBSE Scoring Works
The passing scaled score is 400 on a 120-480 scale. ABCP uses a criterion-referenced standard, which means your result is measured against a fixed competence standard rather than against other candidates. There is no grading curve, and ABCP does not publish a raw-percentage rule you can reverse-engineer. Your target is competence across the domains, not beating a cutoff percentage.
- A preliminary pass/fail result is issued at the test center.
- Final verified results are provided within six weeks.
- There is no cap on the number of attempts, but you may test only once per examination window. Separate state licensure rules may impose their own attempt limits.
For a closer look at the number itself, see what the PBSE passing score means.
What the 2025 ABCP Pass Data Shows
ABCP's 2025 Annual Report publishes results by administration and by candidate cohort. These figures should never be blended into a single "PBSE pass rate," and they are not CAPE statistics or a 2026 forecast.
| Administration | First-time candidates | All candidates | Repeat candidates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2025 | 74.4% (32/43) | 70.1% (54/77) | 64.7% (22/34) |
| Fall 2025 | 92.0% (242/263) | 89.4% (253/283) | 55.0% (11/20) |
Two things stand out. First, the Fall cohort is far larger than the Spring cohort, which partly explains why the numbers differ so much between windows. Second, repeat candidates passed at lower rates than first-timers in both administrations, which suggests that retesting without changing your preparation approach is a weak strategy. Read more context in our PBSE pass rate analysis and the difficulty guide.
Who Can Sit for PBSE
Eligibility is tied to completing an accredited perfusion education program and documenting clinical experience. In general, you need:
- Graduation from an accredited perfusion program before testing (you may apply while still enrolled, provided graduation precedes the exam date)
- An official graduation transcript
- A school clinical-competency statement
- A documented case record
Limited historic exceptions exist for people who entered training before April 15, 1981 and for previously certified perfusionists.
The case-record detail that trips people up
The detailed guidebook criteria require at least 75 qualifying primary clinical perfusion activities: at least 70 primary CPB cases plus five qualifying 3P ECMO or 6P VAD cases. This detailed 70-plus-5 rule takes precedence over the simplified "75 CPB" wording that appears on the main PBSE page. In addition:
- At least 10 pediatric CPB cases must be performed or observed. Performed pediatric cases may overlap with the 75, but observed cases cannot count toward the 75.
- Cases must occur in the United States, its territories or Canada.
- An ABCP-certified CCP instructor must be physically present during CPB cases.
- Effective November 1, 2025, submitted records must include the instructor's full first and last name and CCP number, including the overseeing CCP for ECMO and VAD cases.
Our PBSE requirements guide covers documentation in more depth.
Fees, Deadlines and Testing Windows
The PBSE fee is USD 360, with an additional USD 100 late-application fee when applicable. ABCP's published no-refund policy applies, so confirm your eligibility and your readiness before paying. For the full picture of related expenses, see the PBSE certification cost breakdown.
The current window
The current ABCP calendar lists the fall 2026 examination for October 20-24, 2026. An older figure in the 2025 Annual Report lists October 21-24, but the current calendar takes precedence. Applications for that window closed on October 5, 2026, with a late fee beginning after September 21, so the fall application window is no longer open as of the research date of October 14, 2026.
Pilot windows in 2027
ABCP has announced January and July 2027 pilot windows, but these are limited to eligible retesting candidates and qualifying CAPE holdovers who already have prior-window applications on file. They are not open to unrestricted new PBSE applicants. The regular spring and fall windows remain the main path for first-time candidates. Track all of this in our PBSE exam dates guide.
Sequencing Your Preparation by Domain
Rather than a generic schedule, sequence your study so that foundational domains come first and applied or integrative domains come later. The logic is that Anatomy & Physiology underpins nearly every other heading, so errors there compound.
Foundations
- Anatomy & Physiology: hemodynamics, gas exchange, acid-base
- Pathology: disease processes that lead to surgery
Chemistry and Tools
- Pharmacology: anticoagulation, cardioplegia, vasoactives
- Laboratory Analysis: blood gas, coagulation and hematology interpretation
- Devices & Equipment: component function and physical principles
Management and Specialization
- Clinical Management and Monitoring
- Special Patient Groups and Special Procedures/Special Techniques
Safety and Integration
- Quality Assurance and Catastrophic Events & Device Failure
- Full-length timed practice in block format, then targeted review of weak domains
Adjust the pacing to your own timeline; the ordering is the point. Use our one-page review sheet for late-stage consolidation, and run domain-level drills in the practice test platform to find gaps before the exam does.
What Comes After PBSE, and What It Does Not Do
Passing PBSE moves you toward CAPE. Only after both exams are passed is the CCP credential awarded. From there, certification maintenance begins. These maintenance rules apply to the CCP credential, not to PBSE itself, and they are not additional PBSE exam domains.
- Standard maintenance requires 40 clinical activities annually, including at least 25 primary and no more than 15 secondary.
- Maintenance also requires 45 continuing education units per three-year cycle, including at least 15 Category I CEUs.
- For new CCPs certified in the fall, the first reporting cycle requires 20 activities (at least 13 primary and no more than seven secondary). The standard 40-activity requirement resumes afterward, and professional-activity CEU requirements are not prorated.
- Reporting periods end June 30, with reports due July 31.
These figures follow ABCP's live recertification pages. ABCP's separate Booklet of Information shows conflicting editions (a 2026 version 2.0 in parsed text and a 2025 version 1.2 in the rendered copy), so rely on the live pages when planning.
Careers and pay
PBSE is a milestone toward working as a certified perfusionist, typically in hospital cardiac surgery programs. No PBSE-specific salary premium has been verified, so it is a mistake to attach a pay figure to passing this exam alone. Perfusionist compensation involves occupational pay, call pay, training costs and, eventually, the CCP credential. Explore the nuances in our salary analysis, weigh the investment in the ROI discussion, and browse PBSE-related job context.
Frequently Asked Questions
It stands for Perfusion Basic Science Examination, the first part of the ABCP examination process leading to the Certified Clinical Perfusionist (CCP) credential. It is followed by the separate CAPE exam.
No. PBSE is Part I only. The CCP credential is awarded after you pass both PBSE and CAPE and meet ABCP's other requirements.
The exam has approximately 220 multiple-choice items with a four-hour testing limit. The item count is approximate, and starting in Fall 2026 delivery is in blocks you cannot revisit once submitted.
The passing scaled score is 400 on a 120-480 scale, set by a criterion-referenced standard rather than a curve. ABCP does not publish an equivalent raw percentage.
Yes. ABCP permits unlimited attempts, limited to once per examination window. Separate state licensure rules may impose their own attempt limits, so check your state if licensure applies to you.
If you are still orienting yourself, our companion pages on what PBSE is and what PBSE certification involves cover related ground from a slightly different angle.