United States · Credentialing examNBRC’s practice exams and other study options compared
| Option | Price | Free to use | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official | |||
NBRC TMC practice examinationOfficial online practice exam in the real exam softwareSign in with your email address and take it in one sitting; your results show on screen and are emailed to you. Built for the TMC, which is given through December 31, 2026. | No charge | Yes, NBRC calls its practice exams free, and no account is needed | |
NBRC RT practice examinationOfficial online practice exam for the RT ExaminationFor candidates who test on or after January 4, 2027, when the Respiratory Therapy (RT) Examination replaces the TMC. | No charge | Yes, NBRC lists it as a free practice examination | |
NBRC TMC Self-Assessment ExaminationsOfficial 140-item self-assessments, Forms 2020 A and 2020 B, sold by PSIWritten by the TMC exam committee, with an explanation of every option afterward. One attempt, 90 days of access. PSI labels them for therapists who test before January 1, 2027. | $50 each, in US dollars | No | |
NBRC RT Self-Assessment ExaminationOfficial 160-item self-assessment for the RT Examination, Form PurpleMirrors the RT Examination’s content and difficulty, with the same option-by-option feedback as the TMC versions. One attempt, 90 days of access. PSI labels it for therapists who test after December 31, 2026. | $100, in US dollars | No | |
NBRC Detailed Content Outlines and Candidate HandbookOfficial exam outlines and the rules for every NBRC examThe TMC outline covers exams through December 31, 2026 and the RT outline exams from January 2027. The handbook, revised September 3, 2026, has the admission policies, fees, test-day rules and NBRC’s suggested study sequence. | No charge; PDFs on NBRC’s site | NBRC lists the Candidate Handbook among tools available at no cost | |
| Courses | |||
Kettering National SeminarsReview seminars, webinars and HomeStudy packages for the CRT, RRT and RT examsThe three-day CRT/RRT seminar reviews the TMC and CSE with a study guide, workbook, two full-length 160-question online TMC practice exams and a 22-problem online simulation. The RTE HomeStudy for the 2027 exam includes a study guide, workbook, audio lectures, a clinical judgment workshop and two practice exams. Extra practice modules cost $5 a token. Kettering is independent of NBRC. | Set by Kettering; see its product page | Free samples and assessment tests in its practice portal, its site says | |
Prices and ratings checked October 2026.
How do you take NBRC’s free practice TMC exam?
You sign in with your email address, and that’s where your results go. Take the whole exam in one sitting, because nothing is saved if you leave part way. When you finish, click Finish and Display to see your results on screen. The questions sample the range of content on the real exam, and the software is identical to what you’ll use at the test center.
NBRC’s Candidate Handbook suggests giving yourself no more than the real time limit, printing the Performance Report and finding the right answer to every question you missed or couldn’t answer. You’ll need cookies and scripting turned on and pop-up blocking turned off.
If you’ll test in 2027, take NBRC’s RT practice exam instead. It’s built for the Respiratory Therapy (RT) Examination that replaces the TMC on January 4, 2027.
What NBRC’s Self-Assessment Examinations give you
An SAE mirrors the content and difficulty of the real exam and was written by the same exam committee. You get one attempt, with no pretest questions. Afterward, a feedback report shows each question with an explanation of every option. Each explanation starts with a code: h for a response that could harm the patient, u for one that isn’t correct, a for one that could be acceptable but isn’t the best, c for the best answer and e for one that engages thinking about ethics.
PSI sells them in its online store, and your card statement will show the charge from LXR. There are two TMC versions, Forms 2020 A and 2020 B, with 140 items each, and one RT version, Form Purple, with 160 items. Their prices are in the comparison on this page.
NBRC’s RT Examination FAQs say a second RT version goes on sale in March 2027. A Secure SAE is sold only to program directors of accredited respiratory therapy programs.
Is there a free NBRC practice test for every exam?
There’s a free one for each NBRC credentialing exam: the TMC, the Clinical Simulation Examination (CSE), the RT Examination and the specialty exams. The CSE practice exam is a single patient problem, meant to show you the format and software, not the difficulty of the real simulations. NBRC calls its practice exams and the Candidate Handbook tools available at no cost. The SAEs are the paid step up.
Stay away from groups that trade real exam questions. NBRC’s questions, SAEs and SAE feedback are copyrighted, you agree not to share them when you open any NBRC exam, and NBRC has warned about a paid Facebook group that shared them and set up a page for reporting it.
Which TMC review fits you?
- Want to know how the test feels? Start with NBRC’s free practice exam.
- Want to know why each answer is the best one? Buy an SAE, the only product with the exam committee’s reasons.
- Testing on or after January 4, 2027? Use the RT practice exam, the RT SAE and the RT content outline, because the TMC versions follow a different outline.
- Want lectures, a printed study guide and a tutor? Kettering National Seminars runs a three-day seminar for the Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT) and Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) exams and sells HomeStudy packages, including one written for the 2027 RT Examination.
Kettering is a private company, and its prices and contents come from its own site. NBRC doesn’t review or endorse any review course.
NBRC’s suggested study sequence
- Read the NBRC Candidate Handbook and the exam’s content outline all the way through.
- Take NBRC’s free practice exam under exam conditions, without distractions and within the time limit.
- Review the Performance Report and note the content areas where you could do better.
- Go back over every question you got wrong to find the topics that need more study.
- Take at least one version of the SAE.
- Review the SAE questions you missed, with their explanations, to see where more study would help.
NBRC’s advice is to study what matters for safe practice rather than every fact about a topic, because the exam tests content critical to the job.
Sources: NBRC · PSI and 5 more. Checked October 2026.
- NBRC: Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT), free practice exam and self-assessment ↗
- NBRC: Examinations FAQs and RT Examination FAQs ↗
- NBRC: Candidate Handbook, revised September 3, 2026 (PDF) ↗
- PSI: NBRC Self-Assessment Examinations ↗
- PSI: Therapist Multiple-Choice SAE (Form 2020 A) ↗
- PSI: Respiratory Therapist Multiple-Choice SAE (Form Purple) ↗
- NBRC: An Important Update on Exam Security, June 17, 2024 ↗
Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.
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