AE-C exam guide
About the Asthma Educator Specialist (AE-C) exam
The NBRC Asthma Educator Specialist examination assesses asthma science, individualized assessment, evidence-based management and self-management education, and program development. Success requires translating pathophysiology and guidelines into practical, culturally responsive decisions that improve control, technique, adherence, action-plan use, and outcomes.
MedPorium is an independent education platform and is not affiliated with or endorsed by National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC). Exam details can change; confirm them with the official source before applying.
AE-C exam format at a glance
- Questions
- 175
- 150 scored; 25 unscored
- Time
- 3.5 hours
- Delivery
- Computer-based testing at PSI assessment centers
Knowledge to review for the AE-C exam
These foundations support the practical tasks in the official examination matrix.
Asthma mechanisms and clinical variation
- Normal and altered airway anatomy and physiology, inflammation, hyperresponsiveness, edema, mucus, bronchoconstriction, exacerbation, remodeling, severity, impairment, risk, and control
- Allergens, irritants, exercise, infection, tobacco, genetics, occupation, medications, environmental exposure, and age-related presentation
- Obesity, OSA, inducible laryngeal obstruction, stress, depression, pregnancy, reflux, rhinitis, sinusitis, eczema, COPD, and other mimics or modifiers
Individual and family assessment
- Symptom pattern, quality of life, activity, urgent-care history, intubation, steroid bursts, reliever overuse, poor perception, triggers, comorbidities, and specialist referral
- History, examination, spirometry, bronchodilator response, peak flow, oximetry, FENO, allergy testing, bronchoprovocation, imaging, records, and acute severity
- Knowledge, technique, self-management, readiness, literacy, culture, language, beliefs, finances, goals, coping, source of care, family support, and adherence barriers
Management, education, and programs
- Controller and reliever medicines, biologics, routes, safety, interactions, adherence, inhaler and nebulizer devices, chambers, technique, cleaning, troubleshooting, and age or disability fit
- Triggers, smoking cessation, comorbidity, immunization, individualized education, shared decisions, written action plans, peak-flow zones, symptom tracking, follow-up, and plan revision
- Needs assessment, population risk, resources, objectives, teaching methods, material quality, privacy, databases, staff training, validated evaluation, outcomes, community partnerships, and program improvement
AE-C examination matrix
The percentages below are the approximate exam-score weights published by National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC). Use them to allocate study time, then adjust for your own weak areas.
20%
THE ASTHMA CONDITION
Apply asthma anatomy, physiology, inflammation, severity, control, age-related variation, triggers, risks, comorbidities, mimics, and long-term consequences.
- Explain airway inflammation, hyperresponsiveness, bronchoconstriction, mucus, edema, variable obstruction, exacerbation, and remodeling
- Distinguish severity, impairment, risk, control, and lung-function effects across age groups
- Identify allergic, irritant, infectious, exercise, tobacco, occupational, genetic, environmental, medication, and comorbid influences
22.7%
ASSESSMENT OF AN INDIVIDUAL WITH ASTHMA AND FAMILY
Assess symptoms, risk, control, objective findings, acute danger, knowledge, technique, family context, learning needs, and barriers.
- Elicit symptom, quality-of-life, urgent-care, medication, trigger, comorbidity, family, social, and treatment history
- Interpret examination, spirometry, bronchodilator response, peak flow, oximetry, FENO, allergy, challenge, laboratory, and imaging findings within educator scope
- Assess self-management skills, technique, readiness, literacy, language, culture, beliefs, finances, goals, coping, family support, and need for referral or emergent care
47.3%
ASTHMA MANAGEMENT
The dominant area covers medicines, devices, comorbidity and trigger control, individualized education, written action plans, self-monitoring, follow-up, and reassessment.
- Educate about controller and reliever roles, medication safety, adherence, device selection and technique, cleaning, troubleshooting, and return demonstration
- Develop culturally and developmentally appropriate trigger reduction, comorbidity, smoking-cessation, immunization, lifestyle, and self-management strategies
- Create and reinforce written action plans, symptom or peak-flow monitoring, worsening-asthma decisions, care seeking, routine follow-up, outcome review, and plan revision
10%
ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUES
Design, resource, deliver, evaluate, and improve asthma education programs while maintaining safety, privacy, quality, and community collaboration.
- Use population and provider needs data to prioritize resources, evidence-based program design, measurable objectives, teaching methods, settings, and materials
- Apply privacy, safety, infection-control, database, staffing, and training requirements
- Measure participation, knowledge, skills, attitudes, quality of life, function, control, utilization, satisfaction, effectiveness, and community impact and improve the program
How to use this AE-C diagnostic
The 15 questions sample all four current areas, with nearly half devoted to Asthma Management. Classify each gap as pathophysiology, trigger or comorbidity, severity or control, acute-risk recognition, objective testing, learning or adherence assessment, medication or device, environmental control, written action plan, follow-up, or program evaluation.
High-yield AE-C study priorities
Priority 1
Put management at the center
Spend nearly half of practice connecting control and risk with medicines, device technique, triggers, comorbidities, education, action plans, self-monitoring, follow-up, and reassessment.
Priority 2
Separate severity from control
Practise classifying the underlying disease and the patient's current control using symptoms, nighttime waking, activity, reliever use, lung function, exacerbation history, and future risk.
Priority 3
Require demonstration, not agreement
Assess inhaler, spacer, nebulizer, and peak-flow technique by return demonstration and use teach-back to confirm written action-plan decisions.
Priority 4
Measure program outcomes at several levels
Distinguish attendance and process measures from knowledge, skill, behavior, quality of life, asthma control, healthcare use, satisfaction, equity, and population impact.
AE-C exam FAQ
How many questions are on the AE-C examination?
The current AE-C examination contains 175 multiple-choice questions: 150 scored items and 25 unscored pretest items.
How long is the AE-C examination?
Candidates currently have 3.5 hours to complete the examination.
Which AE-C outline does this guide use?
This guide follows the NBRC detailed content outline effective September 2018. Its scored weighting is approximately THE ASTHMA CONDITION 20%, ASSESSMENT OF AN INDIVIDUAL WITH ASTHMA AND FAMILY 22.7%, ASTHMA MANAGEMENT 47.3%, ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUES 10%.
What is the largest AE-C content area?
ASTHMA MANAGEMENT is the largest area at approximately 47.3% of scored content. Use that weighting to allocate study time without neglecting the remaining domains.
Who should verify eligibility for AE-C?
Candidates should verify the current credential, education, experience, application, and testing requirements directly with NBRC before applying. This study page does not determine eligibility.
Does this diagnostic predict whether I will pass?
No. A 15-question diagnostic is a low-confidence baseline, not a validated pass prediction. Review every rationale and confirm patterns with larger mixed and domain-specific sets.
Is MedPorium affiliated with NBRC?
No. MedPorium is an independent education platform and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Board for Respiratory Care.
Review and official source
Clinical reviewer: D. D. Kingley
Exam format and matrix information were checked against the NBRC AE-C examination page and detailed content outline. Source reviewed October 16, 2026.
Ready to check your AE-C knowledge?
Take the free 15-question practice test to identify strengths and topics that need more review.