What Is ATI CMS? The Content Mastery Series Proctored Exams Explained

ATI CMS is the Content Mastery Series: the proctored exams many nursing schools give at the end of a course, one subject at a time. ATI describes them as secure assessments that measure NCLEX content mastery. Each subject has a proctored exam and online practice tests, and after each one you get a Focused Review of the topics you missed. You get a proficiency level, not a pass or fail.

The nine RN CMS exams

ATI lists nine RN content areas today. Pediatric Nursing used to be called Nursing Care of Children, and you will still see both names. A tenth set, the Targeted Medical Surgical tests, is practice only.

Schools name the versions by year, which is why students search for “ATI fundamentals proctored 2023”: a proctored form is labelled with its year, and a retake is a separate version. If your program is concept-based, your ATI exams may instead be the Concept-Based Assessments, Levels 1 to 4.

How the scoring works

ATI turns your score into a proficiency level, with cut scores set in a national standard-setting study. ATI’s 2019 educator guide calls them recommendations, not requirements, and discourages schools from using CMS as the only reason to hold a student back.

ATI does not publish the percent each level needs, and it differs by exam and version. The full explanation is in ATI proficiency levels explained.

How schools use them

• A small part of the grade. In the policies we read, ATI was 10% of a course grade or less at the University at Buffalo and the McCloskey School of Nursing, and 8% per course at UNMC.
• Points for the practice, not just the proctored exam. Many rubrics award points for completing Practice A and B and the Focused Review, then add points by level.
• A gate before the exam. Some schools require a practice score (75% at Buffalo, 95% at UNMC) before you can sit the proctored exam.
• Remediation after it. Writing out key points for each missed topic (often “three critical points” or ATI’s Active Learning Templates), and a retake for students below the target level.

Why it is worth taking seriously

An ATI-funded study published in January 2026 followed 9,728 students. RN students who reached Level 2 or higher on all nine CMS exams had about a 98% predicted probability of passing the NCLEX. That is the Comprehensive Predictor’s estimate, not actual NCLEX results, and it shows a link, not cause; but the subjects that mattered most for RN students were Leadership, Pediatrics and Adult Med-Surg.

A ready-made plan for any CMS exam

Pick the exam and the weeks you have left:

How to study for any CMS exam

1. Measure first. Take Practice A with rationales off, the way the proctored exam feels. ATI itself says practice scores are not built to predict the proctored score, so treat it as a map of what you missed, not a forecast.
2. Fix the misses, not the whole book. Work the Focused Review it builds and write out the key points for each missed topic (many schools assign “three critical points” or ATI’s Active Learning Templates). Then take Practice B with rationales on.
3. Relearn by system, then mix. Learn each weak area with short recall sessions (on NurseSavvy, the topic’s cards and cheat sheet), then answer mixed questions so you practice choosing the area, not just answering inside it.
4. Spend the last days on priority and safety. These exams are written in the NCLEX style: what do you do first, which finding do you report, what does the teaching need to correct. Our priority-question guide covers the reasoning.
5. Stop the night before. Sleep is the last study session.

Sources: ATI’s Content Mastery Series page, its 2019 RN CMS educator implementation guide, ATI’s January 2026 research release, and the ATI policies of the University at Buffalo, McCloskey School of Nursing and UNMC. Read October 24, 2026.

ATI, Content Mastery Series and Comprehensive Predictor are trademarks of Assessment Technologies Institute, LLC. HESI is a registered trademark of Elsevier. Kaplan is a trademark of Kaplan, Inc. NCLEX is a registered trademark of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. NurseSavvy is not affiliated with or endorsed by these companies, and every NurseSavvy practice question is original.