The purpose of certification is to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public by encouraging high standards and professional competence of persons practicing in the profession of nutritional counseling. It provides a trademark designation (C.N.C.®), which serves to inform the practitioner’s clients and potential clients that the practitioner has met professional requirements in addition to, and beyond, normal academic studies and/or professional experience.


The Certification Program, including establishment of standards and eligibility requirements, is administered by the Commission on Certification of the A.A.N.C. The Certification Program and services of the Commission on Certification are supported entirely by examination fees and annual membership dues. For questions regarding the administration of the exam, please contact us.


Candidates are required to complete a series of eleven tests which will demonstrate proficiency in the areas of General and Applied Nutrition and in Practice Management.

Candidates are required to have at least one year of previous education and/or experience in nutrition or another health related field. Please contact us if you are unsure whether or not you would qualify.


Payment of a one-time examination fee of $250 is required at the time of application. There are no annual maintenance fees. Expenses of administering the examinations, maintaining permanent records, grading papers and preparation of the certification certificates are met entirely from the examination fee and annual membership dues.

Candidates should keep in mind that the A.A.N.C. is not a school. For that reason, and to keep the candidate's fees as low as possible, no textbooks are provided.

However, we realize that in preparation for the tests, the candidate may feel that he or she needs to review one or more of the subjects. Therefore, we include with the examination topics a list of recommended textbooks. The recommended textbooks are those which will assist the candidate in successfully completing the specific portions of the examination shown below.


There are many options for purchasing the suggested reading material for the exam. The books may be found in libraries, purchased from bookstores and some health food stores or purchased at Member Discount Prices from the Reagan's Bookstore (1-866-233-8398). However, if you decide not to order through Reagan's Bookstore, please contact us to make sure the book you are buying from another source is the correct edition. Older versions of the books below may NOT help successfully complete the certification exam.