The primary purpose of abns is to conduct examinations of candidates who voluntarily seek certification, and to issue certificates to those who meet the requirments of the board.

The written primary examination was given once in 2017 to 793 residents who were tested. 244 took it for credit and 243 passed; 99% pass rate. The oral examination was administered twice during 2017 to a total of 182 neurological surgery candidates. 145 candidates were certified.