How Can I Get Ready for My Nurse Practitioner Certification Test?

How Can I Get Ready for My Nurse Practitioner Certification Test?

Becoming a nurse practitioner (NP) involves passing the NP board certification exam in your specialized area. This exam is the final step after years of education and clinical experience to go from a registered nurse (RN) to an NP. Understanding what’s on the certification exam and how to prepare for it is really important for an NP’s education.

This guide offers information and tools to help nurses get ready for the certification test. Using these resources can give you the support you need to pass the exam on your first try.

What Will Be Covered on the Nurse Practitioner Certification Exam?

The specific board that gives the exam depends on your specialty. Usually, one board certifies each NP specialization, but sometimes, like in cases such as pediatric primary care NP, emergency nurse practitioner, and adult-gerontology primary care NP, a nurse practitioner might get certified from one or more boards.

You should check your certifying board’s website for an outline of the exam’s content. They might also provide other materials like books, practice tests, and workshops to help you study.

You can find your certifying board and its website by looking for your chosen NP specialization in the list below.

American Nurses Credentialing Center

The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) certifies specialties like acute care, adult, adult-gerontology acute care, and adult-gerontology primary care. It also offers certifications in adult psychiatric mental health (PMH) and psychiatric mental health. Other certifications include school, emergency, family, gerontological, and pediatric primary care.

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Pediatric Nursing Certification Board

The Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB) certifies pediatric primary care and pediatric acute care.

National Certification Corporation

The National Certification Corporation (NCC) certifies neonatal and women’s health.

American Association of Critical-Care Nurses

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) offers certification in adult-gerontology acute care.

American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program

The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program (AANPCP) certifies adult, family, gerontological, and adult-gerontology primary care.

Nurse Practitioner Certification Exam Outlines

There are six different exams provided by the five main certification boards. Each exam has 150 questions. There are also some practice questions that don’t affect your final score. You’ll have 3-3.5 hours to complete the exam.

The cost of the exam is usually between $300 and $400. However, many certification agencies offer a discount for nurses who are members of the organization.

Most of the exams consist of multiple-choice questions and are divided into 4-5 sections. Knowing about these sections can help you focus on specific areas. You can find outlines for some of the most popular certification exams below.

AANPCB – FNP Exam Overview

The family nurse practitioner (FNP) certification exam from AANPCB has four sections: assessment, diagnosis, treatment plans, and evaluation. AANPCB members pay $240 for the exam, while nonmembers pay $315.

AANPCB – ENP Exam Overview

AANPCB offers the emergency nurse practitioner (ENP) certification exam, which tests nursing knowledge in five areas: medical screening, medical decision-making, patient management, patient disposition, and ethical practices. The cost for members is $240.

ANCC – PMHNP Exam Overview

ANCC’s PMHNP exam focuses on scientific foundations, advanced practice skills, diagnosis and treatments. It also covers psychotherapy, ethical and legal principles. The exam costs $295 for ANCC members and $395 for nonmembers.

ANCC – FNP Exam Overview

ANCC’s FNP certification exam evaluates nurses’ skills in assessment, diagnosis, clinical management, and professional role. ANCC members pay $295 for the exam, while nonmembers pay $395.

PNCB – CPNP-PC Exam Overview

For the certified pediatric NP-primary care (CPNP-PC) exam by PNCB, nurses should be knowledgeable in health maintenance, assessment and diagnosis, management, and roles and responsibilities. The exam fee is $395.

NCC – NNP Exam Overview

The neonatal NP exam covers general assessment, management, pharmacology, embryology, physiology, pathophysiology, systems management, and professional issues. NCC members pay $260, and nonmembers pay $370.

AACN – ACNPC-AG Exam Overview

AACN’s acute care adult-gerontology NP exam tests patient care problems, skills, procedures, clinical judgment, advocacy, and diversity. Members pay $260, while nonmembers pay $370.

How to Prepare for the Nurse Practitioner Board-Certification Exam

To get ready for your nurse practitioner board-certification exam, you need a plan that suits your specific exam. Regardless of your chosen specialty, preparing for the exam can be a big task.

Creating a strategy to organize what and when to study becomes important to pass the exam on your first try. The more you prepare, the better your chances of success.

1 Collect Study Materials and Review Resources

Using study materials and review resources can aid your exam preparation. Each certifying body offers official exam review materials that help nurses understand both the content and format of the test. These resources include practice questions, helping you get comfortable with the test style.

How Can I Get Ready for My Nurse Practitioner Certification Exam?

Online resources like practice tests, flashcards, study guides, and videos are also available. These materials can help reduce test anxiety. Practice tests, in particular, not only review content but also help you get a sense of the exam’s length so you can manage your time.

When looking for resources, make sure they’re accurate. Reliable sources like reputable academic institutions and nursing organizations should provide or endorse the materials.

The best starting point is the organization offering the exam, as their materials closely match the test content.

2 Develop a Study Plan

Once you’ve gathered the necessary study materials, create a plan for studying. Use the exam content outline to identify areas to focus on. While reviewing all aspects of the exam is important, concentrating more on areas where you need improvement can be effective.

After pinpointing which content needs more time, set aside the time you’ll spend on each topic. Establishing target dates for completing each part can help you stick to your schedule.

It’s recommended that nurses spend 6-12 weeks preparing for their certification exam.

Stick to your study schedule to prevent burnout, anxiety, and last-minute cramming.

Incorporating personal rewards for reaching goals can help maintain motivation. However, ensure your schedule is flexible enough to accommodate changes without disrupting your plan.

Your study plan doesn’t have to be only about personal study time. Joining study groups or taking review courses can also enhance your exam performance.

3 Join a Study Group

Collaborating with fellow nurses in exam preparation can be very helpful. Whether in person or online, participating in a study group can be beneficial as long as everyone is dedicated to the review sessions. Establishing a schedule and specific goals for meetings ensures each session’s objectives are met.

Study groups work well when each member takes responsibility for researching and presenting specific topics. After a presentation, discussions and question-and-answer sessions can follow. Sharing the load can make reviewing all the content less overwhelming.

It’s crucial that each group member is accountable and committed to supporting everyone. Through this group dynamic, each individual’s strengths can complement others’ weaknesses.

4 Complete Online Practice Tests

Taking online practice tests is a good way to become familiar with the exam’s structure. However, they shouldn’t be your only study resource. They’re not effective for building knowledge. Instead, they offer the following benefits:

Identify knowledge gaps.

Practice tests help you find areas where you need improvement, so you know what content to focus on.

Evaluate study strategies.

They show which study methods are working and which ones aren’t.

Reduce test anxiety.

Completing practice exams lets you become familiar with the test’s format, which can help lessen test-related stress.

Apply Knowledge

Applying learned content to practice questions in the exam helps you remember it better.

Manage Time

Since the certification exam is timed, practice tests help you develop pacing strategies and manage your time better.

Practice tests are available for purchase on the certifying board’s website, often including some free sample questions. They’re also sold by test preparation companies like Barron’s, Mometrix Media, Ascencia, and Trivium Test Prep.

5 Enroll in Review Courses

Various review courses are available to help nurses prepare for their specific certification exams. When selecting a course, choose one approved by the certifying body or other respected nursing organizations.

Most courses are available online and offer live or prerecorded lessons, workbooks, practice exams, and self-study materials.

Review courses provide in-depth study on content specific to the nurse’s upcoming certification exam. The course may offer more detailed information focused on test content.

Although these courses directly aid exam preparation, the costs of some programs might be a concern for some nurses.

Three organizations providing suitable AANP-accredited review courses for certification exams are Advanced Practice Education Associates, Barkley & Associates, and Fitzgerald Health Education Associates.

Advanced Practice Education Associates

This company, founded by a nurse practitioner, offers certification preparation resources, continuing education, books, and an online clinical reference library. They conduct live courses across the United States throughout the year.

They provide certification preparation materials for family, adult-gerontology, and adult specialties.

Berkley and Associates

Barkley & Associates provides education for nurse practitioners, offering certification preparation, review books, and continuing education.

They offer their courses online, in person, or through audio CDs. Their faculty includes expert nurse practitioners from various specialties. They offer certification preparation materials for family, adult-gerontology primary care, pediatric, adult-gerontology acute care, psychiatric mental health, and women’s health.

Fitzgerald Health Education Associates

Fitzgerald Health Education Associates is a reputable source of nurse practitioner continuing education and certification preparation. The company, founded by an NP, includes nationally renowned NP experts in its faculty. They offer certification preparation materials for family, adult-gerontology primary care, adult, adult-gerontology acute care, psychiatric mental health, women’s health, and pediatric primary care.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Nurse Practitioner Board Certification Exam

How much time should I dedicate to studying for the NP certification exam?

It’s recommended to commit 6-12 weeks for exam preparation. Break your review into 3-4 hour sessions, 5-6 days a week, to avoid burnout. This pacing helps you understand and apply the material effectively.
What’s the difference between the ANCC or AANPCB-FNP board certification exam?

The exams differ in question types. AANPCB’s exam has only multiple-choice questions, while ANCC’s includes multiple-choice, multiple-response, drop-and-drag, and hotspot questions.

The focus of questions varies too. ANCC’s focuses on clinical information and decision-making, while AANPCB’s includes questions on common minor procedures.

How challenging are the NP board certification exams?

Exam difficulty varies based on the certification and your testing style. The recent pass rates can give you an idea of exam difficulty.

Here are the 2020 NP board certification pass rates for each exam along with the total number of test-takers:

ANCC – FNP Exam: 89% (6,031)
ANCC – PMHNP Exam: 81% (4,114)
PNCB – CPNP-PC Exam: 82% (1,459)
NCC – NNP Exam: 93% (348)
AACN – ACNPC-AG Exam: 83% (992)
AANPCB – FNP Exam: 85% (18,515)

How many times can you take the AANP certification board exam?

AANP allows two attempts per year

for the certification exam, from January 1st to December 31st. Even if you complete the test before the end of the year, this timeframe applies.

If you fail the exam, you must complete a minimum of 15 continuing education hours in your weak areas, identified by AANP. You can’t retake the test after a failure until these hours are finished.