CertifyRN is a free nursing certification preparation platform. We provide adaptive, scenario-based practice questions to help registered nurses prepare for certifications including CPHQ, PCRN, CCRN, and others.

CertifyRN is operated independently and is not affiliated with NAHQ, AACN, ANCC, or any other certification body. We do not issue, endorse, or guarantee certification outcomes.

When you sign in with Google and use CertifyRN, we collect the following information:

We collect data for three purposes only:

• To run the platform — your progress data powers the adaptive quiz engine, Focus Mode, and performance dashboard. Without it, the app cannot personalize your study experience.
• To improve the platform — aggregate answer data (not tied to your identity) helps us identify questions that are too easy, too hard, or poorly written so we can improve them.
• To serve relevant ads — CertifyRN is free because of advertising. Google AdSense uses cookies to show ads relevant to nurses and healthcare professionals. See Section 5 for full details.

We want to be explicit about what CertifyRN does not collect or do:

• We do not collect payment information — CertifyRN is free and we do not process any financial transactions
• We do not collect your nursing license number, employee ID, or any professional credentials
• We do not collect Social Security numbers, date of birth, or government-issued ID information
• We do not collect any patient data, clinical records, or Protected Health Information (PHI)
• We do not track your precise GPS location — only an approximate region derived from your IP address
• We do not sell your personal data to any third party — ever
• We do not share your individual study scores or performance data with your employer, hospital, licensing board, or certification body
• We do not send unsolicited marketing emails beyond platform updates

CertifyRN is free to use. To sustain the platform, we display advertisements powered by Google AdSense. Here is what that means for you:

• Google AdSense places cookies in your browser to show you relevant ads based on your browsing history and interests
• These cookies are managed by Google, not by CertifyRN. We do not have access to the data Google uses for ad targeting
• Google may use the DoubleClick cookie to serve ads across websites you visit, not just CertifyRN
• Ads displayed on CertifyRN are targeted to healthcare professionals and nurses — we do not control which specific advertisers appear
• You can opt out of personalized Google ads at adssettings.google.com
• You can also use your browser's privacy settings to block or manage cookies

Beyond AdSense, CertifyRN uses Firebase Analytics (also by Google) which uses cookies and device identifiers to track usage patterns such as which screens are visited and how long sessions last. This data is aggregate and anonymous.

CertifyRN is built on Google Firebase, which means Google infrastructure handles our backend. The third-party services we use are:

Each of these providers has their own privacy policy. We encourage you to review Google's Privacy Policy for full details on how they handle data.

We take reasonable steps to protect your information:

• All data is stored in Google Firebase, which uses industry-standard encryption at rest and in transit
• Authentication is handled entirely by Google — we never see or store your Google password
• Firebase Security Rules restrict database access so users can only read and write their own data
• Admin access to the platform database is restricted and password protected
• We do not store sensitive personal or financial information on our servers

No system is 100% secure. While we use commercially reasonable measures to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security. If you believe your account has been compromised, please contact us immediately.

You have the following rights regarding your data:

• Access — You can request a copy of the data we hold about you
• Correction — You can request that inaccurate data be corrected
• Deletion — You can request that your account and all associated data be permanently deleted. We will process deletion requests within 30 days.
• Portability — You can export your study progress data at any time using the Export feature in the app dashboard
• Opt-out of ads — You can opt out of personalized advertising through Google's ad settings
• GDPR rights — If you are located in the European Economic Area, you have additional rights under GDPR including the right to object to processing and the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at the email address in Section 12.

We retain your data for as long as your account is active. Specifically:

• Your account and study progress data is retained indefinitely while you use the platform — this is necessary for the adaptive learning engine to function across sessions
• Aggregate question analytics (not tied to your identity) may be retained indefinitely to improve question quality
• If you request account deletion, we will remove all personally identifiable data within 30 days
• Anonymous, aggregate usage statistics may be retained after account deletion

CertifyRN is designed exclusively for licensed registered nurses and nursing professionals — all of whom are adults. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18 years of age.

If we become aware that a user under 18 has created an account, we will delete that account and all associated data immediately. If you believe a minor has registered on CertifyRN, please contact us.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time as the platform grows and evolves. When we make significant changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page.

Continued use of CertifyRN after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, want to request data deletion, or have a privacy concern, please reach out: