AANP Certification Exam

[nurse54321]

I, like many others have been addicted to reading posts from fellow students desperately seeking advice on how to study for the FNP AANP certification exam. I promised after taking and passing the exam I would share my study techniques...so here it is.

I began studying for the AANP exam around the middle of June 2014. My school required us to take the HESI exam prior to graduation, so this was a big motivator. Starting around the middle of June to the middle of July I read Maria Leik Family Nurse Practitioner Intensive Review: Fast Facts. I made flash cards for every single topic in that book (yes...Crazy, I have over 500 flash cards). Writing these flash cards took about 1-2 weeks but it helped greatly as while I wrote, I had to really think and focus. After completing that I purchased Dr. Hollier (APEA) CDs. As I listened to these CDs I updated my flashcards with further key points she talked about. She is AMAZING! I love how she is too the point, does not overwhelm you with stuff you do not need. She provides hints such as "HIV, you will see that again maybe 3-4 questions.." and she is dead on! I was still in school at this point so I really only dedicated 3-4 days a week 5-6 hours a day. Once my flash cards looked like a war zone, I just kept reading them,,, over and over and over. I purchased 2 practice exams from EXAM EDGE that were geared toward the HESI(HESI FNP EXAM) and got 775 and 712. This scared me a bit as a "passing score" was 750, but time was up I had to take the HESI prior to the end of July.

On July 28, 2014 I took the HESI exam at a pro metric test site and scored 838 points which indicated I was prepared for the boards. There were many ethical and professional type questions on the HESI as it is geared after the AANC exam. The print out from the HESI test is very specific and listed all the question topics I missed. I missed 34 out of 110 questions and when I saw I missed so many ethical/professional type question I instantly decided to take the AANP despite my schools recommendation. After all I thought my schooling focused on clinical topics so why not be tested on clinical topics. I then took a week break cuz I was exhausted! While resting I did however apply to take the AANP exam online (very very easy, took 10 minutes), within 1 day I received an email stating they had all the information they needed and my file will be reviewed.

So after my week break I began studying again on August 4, 2014. I just continued to read over my flashcards. I also began taking practice tests from the Adult and Family Nurse Practitioner Practice Questions Book from Hollier (APEA) and also the 600+ questions in the back of the Leik book I mentioned above. I had good days and bad days as far as amount of questions I missed. I purchased 10 bank of questions again from EXAM EDGE this time I picked the AANP FNP model tests. I took one a day scoring any where from 515-580. Honestly these questions are very specific and overall I feel they were harder than the true boards exam. Overall looking back I can say that the questions in the back of Leik seemed most like the AANP boards. As I did these practice exams when I missed a question I would update my flashcards with key facts as needed. Also listed to Hollier CDs a few more times (the ones that covered my weak content). This was my life 7 days a week as I was not working. I spent about 8 hours a day reading and studying. I did take breaks to clean, do errands, whatever when I needed breaks.

I received my letter to test from the AANP on August 10 telling me I would next get a letter from Proexam with an ID number indicating I could schedule my exam. I did not feel ready and started to panic so I purchased the Fitzgerald online review (FHEA) to just get one more perspective. Honestly, the women is brilliant and I know she prides herself in being the "most comprehensive review" available but I was very disappointed. There was just to much information... her in course manual indicated constantly to print more information from her site and it was just to much. For example she goes way in-depth about the CPY-450 inhibitor and her tables are very staggered and the manual that accompanies the course is even messy and overwhelming. She does not provide hints at all that you might see on the test, nor does she explain things at a level that makes it easy to remember (like how Hollier explains Hepatitis panels, anemia, and physical examination tests). I would not recommend this for exam prep at all, maybe for practice later but it just overwhelmed me so I had to forget it and go back to what I was doing... Hollier and Leik!

The letter from Proexam came August 13. I just wanted to move forward with my life so I scheduled my exam for August 16, 2014. My anxiety instantly increased!!!! I kept reviewing my flash cards and rereading the questions in the back of Leik I already had answered. I made little posters in pretty colors to catch my eye with pictures on how to do physical exams (psoas, valgus, drawer, drop arm, straight leg, spurling, etc), CNs, Anemia table and hung them on my bathroom mirror. This just reminded me and made me think while I brushed my teeth, did my hair, and cleaned. I also took a second Hollier (APEA) predictor exam and scored 85%. As I had taken one of these exams way back in the beginning of June and only scored 63% at that time, my confidence did increase. I also took the AANP 75 question test for $50, yes it is expensive but I figured as the AANP sponsors this test it would be the best indicator of what will be on the exam.

Sorry that was so long just wanted to be specific. Overall if I could do it again, I would not panic and spend so much money on material that I did not need (Fitzgerald review, Winland-Dunphy Adult-Gerontology & family Nurse Practitioner: Certification Exam).

All in all the test was very hard, but it is fair. Out of the 150 questions their were about 10 that had topics I had never seen before. When I sat down as the 8 minute orientation slide show played I wrote down hints for myself. This included the MR. Peyton Manning MVP ARMS for heart murmurs, CNs, anemia table, ABT for certain illnesses, Weber/Rhinne chart, and some key findings in childhood rashes. This was helpful as when I was nervous I could turn to my sheet to refresh my mind. The questions were very straight forward I do not feel they tried to trick me at all. When the question asked "all the below except" the word except was bolded and all caps which really helped. I marked about 25-30 questions and only changed 1 answer. When I hit the end button honesty I felt it could have went either way as many questions were so simple and some were very hard. Remember the test is general knowledge, but they want to know if you know when to refer, or what to order as far as diagnostics and when. As Hollier points out, know the cheapest tests to do and do what you can do in the exam room first if safe (physical exam tests, etc).

I wish everyone luck with their exams and thanks for posting as I have spent hours reading all your remarks over the past few months looking for guidance and encouragement. If you have any questions feel free to send me a message.

[nurse54321]

Liwanag30,

Sorry for slow response. Yes the APEA practice questions are similar to the AANP examination, more so than exam edge I thought. Some of the exam edge questions were out there, but they did help me think about what I was studying.

I wish you the best of luck with your exam. Keep us posted on your progress.

[Accelerated25]

Hi everybody who is getting ready for AANP certification exam!

Finally, I can tell everyone that I passed my certification exam on September 6, 2014. Overall impression: not bad at all.... Most the questions that I had were straightforward and there was nothing there (medications or health conditions) that I never heard before. I marked 12 questions, came back and spent a little more time with them, but other than that, I was done within 2 hours... When I saw passed on the screen, I was ready to cry.... I did not think, I would, but I almost did. So much work just for those 2 hours....

I would recommend everybody to get review books: Leik, Hollier, Fitzgerald, while you are still doing your program and start practicing with the questions. For example, let's say, you are learning about CVD at school. After you reviewed the content on that, select the questions that pertain to CVD from those review books and practice with them. It will help you tremendously on your tests at school and teach you how to answer the questions. For pediatrics, I would recommend Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Certification Study Questions JoAnne Silbert-Flagg. It has some good pediatric questions, in addition to Leik, Hollier, and Fitzgerald. Also, like other people, I ordered ExamEdge 20 tests bundle and practiced with them my last semester at school. Even though it has some questions (legal issues, statistics, educational questions) that you might never see on your AANP exam, but I thought, it was worth to have it and practice with it. A couple of weeks before the exam, I ordered one test from Barkley and Associates http://www.npcourses.com/, APEA (3 quizzes bundle), and one predictor exam. The last test that I ordered before the exam was a practice test (75 questions) from AANP website. I thought it was a good test; I scored 83% on that. As a matter of fact, I got 3 questions from that practice test on my real exam. Most questions that I had on the exam were clinical scenarios. I was surprised that I did not have any milestones or vaccinations for pediatric content. It seems like, I mostly had pediatric or older adults scenarios. There were some women’s health, STD’s, and one ethical question as well. Know Asthma, COPD guidelines, and medications….. Basically - all common things. I think, if you go through all those books and practice with the tests a lot, you will pass the exam without any difficulties. You would feel like, I have seen and heard about it before. I wish everybody good luck! I you have any additional questions, let me know.

[nurse54321]

Accelerated 25,

CONGRATS----- Doesn't it feel great?! I am happy for you and wish you best on the next big step.... first day as an NP--> YEAH!!!

[Dancon]

Congrats to those who have passed! I have been studying like crazy and have sever test anxiety. So afraid to try it, but know I have to! LOL.

[AGNP2015]

Hi everyone!

Congratulations to all of you who have passed the AANP exam! I passed on June 4, 2015, and I had spent some time on here prior to taking the exam trying to find out he best strategy. While I'm sure those that studied for 6 months to a year or spent many weeks full time without breaks were very prepared, this type of preparation is not necessary. I started studying for the exam the last week of April, and I took the exam June 4 (I stopped studying the evening of June 2). During that time, I worked 20 hours a week at the hospital, my parents came to visit for a week, and I took a trip to a national park with friends over memorial day weekend (although I did bring my books with me on the trip and while trying to spend time with my family). What I'm trying to stay is, I studied a little over a month during all my free time, but I didn't quit my job or quit my life and activities. I'm not a super test taker by any means, I just worked hard. Here's what I did, and I know you can do it too.

I took the AANP practice exam right at the beginning, prior to studying anything. I got a 61%.

Then I did Margaret Fitzgerald's online review course at the beginning. Although yes, she does go into too much detail, she did explain hematology in a way that finally made sense to me, and maybe she'll cover a topic for you that might make it finally click.

I then read through all of her practice book (not the one that came with the course). Her questions were over-the-top and difficult, so I found myself filling in the answers first, then going back through and reading through the questions with the answers, just to gain extra knowledge from these.

I took an APEA practice exam after going through Margaret Fitzgerald's materials, and got a 68% (scored as an "at risk" student on APEA).

Then I decided to buy all 3000 of Hollier's APEA practice questions (both assessment and management). These were extremely helpful, and I did most of them in tutorial mode, in order to read the rationale and learn more.

Over about a week (including taking a weekend trip), I read through all of Maria Leik's exam tips book. This was also extremely helpful. I did all of the questions in the back of her book without looking at the answers prior to answering, and scored probably average of upper 70s, low 80s. The rationales to the questions were also very helpful.

I had about a week left prior to my test, so I decided to buy Hollier's online review course. Pricey, but it tied everything together.

I took the test on a Thursday. On the Monday prior, I did another APEA practice exam and got a 75%. I also re-took the AANP practice exam and got an 80% (it was the exact same test I had taken before).

What I honestly thought was most helpful was doing many 150 question sets with APEAs practice questions (you can set it to "exam mode" and choose to do 150 questions). While it was helpful to learn the answers to the questions, I think that training your brain to answer all of those questions in one sitting is important. During the test, it was kind of a mental game, and I would tell myself "don't get distracted, you can do this." It wasn't so much remembering the information, but allowing my brain to function optimally during the exam. I scored a 662 on the exam, which is 82.75% (I had never gotten that high on any full practice exams).

I am not trying to discourage anyone with this post. I'm trying to say, you can set aside a few weeks after graduation, studying during most of your free time, but still keep your life and your job, etc., and do just fine. Good luck to everyone, and congratulations to all of you who have passed!!

[DNPBrookie]

Hi All! I passed the AANP FNP exam yesterday. I found it very useful to read all of the tips and experiences that others have shared regarding their exam prep so I wanted to contribute while it is somewhat fresh.

Firstly, I found it to be a difficult test. I share that because I feel that a lot of my classmates really downplayed the difficulty and I don't think that is helpful. If I were a person with test anxiety I might have lost it when I was on question 2 and already unsure! I had to critically think through several of the questions and use a process of elimination on the answers. I am someone who tests well and can typically retain information fairly well, but the breadth of knowledge required for this exam make it difficult to remember everything. I can honestly say that I was not 100% confident I would pass when I clicked end exam”. Again I just share this so that people can be mentally prepared to struggle with a good percentage of the questions and not freak out. Just know that you have enough knowledge to eliminate unlikely answers and then go with your gut. Make sure that you remember your test-taking skills and if you don't test well focus on that area in addition to straight knowledge. Half the battle is really understanding what the question is asking and knowing how to narrow down the options when you aren't 100% sure. The questions will often seem like an incomplete case history, but there is always enough info to answer the question so just read it again.

My preparation: I would say that I did a low to average amount of prep compared to what I have read in these threads. I dedicated about 4-5 hours per day for a month, with a couple of mental health study vacation days. First, I purchased the online video version of the Fitzgerald seminar and watched all of those videos once. This comes with a practice test on which I scored a 79. As others have said she gives more information than is necessary. I would still recommend the videos because I think that her giving the details and pathophysiology contributed to my understanding certain concepts rather than just trying to memorize everything. I also think these videos are wonderful for preparing for practice and will probably watch many of them again for that reason. I also read the Leik intensive review book. This is more focused without fluff, but there were a few questions I could not have answered based just on this text. I then purchased the APEA Qbank for one month. I chose to go through all of the questions by doing new questions” and then exam mode”. This way I was seeing new questions every time I did a practice test. I read the rationale for even the questions I got correct and created an ongoing list of study areas based on my weaknesses. My first score was a 62% and my last was a 77%. I also went back after I had worked through the Qbank and repeated the missed questions” in tutor mode just to make sure I had corrected knowledge deficits. When I was done with that bank of questions I purchased the Leik app for my phone and did basically the same process with those questions, scoring high 70s to high 80s. This is just personal preference for convenience, I think you could accomplish the same thing with the questions from the book but I liked the ease of the app. Finally I did the AANP practice test and got an 88. I think the actual test was more difficult though. Clearly mine is not the cheapest study plan but I'm lazy! Any time anything came up in the question banks that I wasn't sure about, I used the Leik book and also looked the diagnosis up in Medscape or a similar brief reference to get another perspective on patient presentation, diagnostic testing and treatment plan. Leik is very strong on patient presentation and recognizing the red flag/emergent situations, but I found a little light in some areas on diagnostics and treatment.

My test experience: I won't give specific examples from my test for integrity reasons but rather some general ideas and suggestions. My exam consisted of seemingly few straight knowledge or recognition type questions. They were almost entirely patient scenarios and heavy on diagnostic criteria (think what is the most important test/lab/history question) and treatment plan type questions. Some questions were on the less common variants or presentations. For instance understanding the secondary causes of things like anemia, rashes, amenorrhea, etc. I had multiple questions on rashes and they would typically only give one piece of critical information to differentiate. It's important to know how things would be described rather than the name for them, such as a herald patch or target lesion or koplik spots. In terms of pharm, I had multiple questions regarding interactions, contraindications, and side effects in addition to the typical best choice” questions. I also had several questions with pregnant patients so know this area, when tests are done, the size of the fundus, what medications can be given, typical complications, etc. I had one question that described an EKG for interpretation but no pictures for anything.

Recommendations (what I might do differently): Ideally, the Fitzgerald videos would be better to watch once during your last year of clinical experience as they would be very helpful for your practice, and then repeat them in areas of weakness for test prep. I liked Leik for pure test prep and I probably could have passed just knowing this information backwards and forwards. I relied heavily on practice questions but did not find any of them to be as challenging as the exam. In retrospect I don't think the AANP practice exam did anything other than reassure me that I was prepared. I'm not sure I would recommend it as it does not give rationales so is not the best bang for your buck. There were a few topics that it prompted me to refresh, but I don't think they were repeated on my actual exam. Others have said differently, so this is just my experience or particular luck. That being said, all of the practice questions are fantastic if you use them to identify areas of weakness and to get comfortable with the question styles. Read the rationales but then also ask yourself if you would know everything about that disease/disorder from recognition (exam/history findings) to diagnostic testing to treatment/follow up, med titration, etc. This doesn't actually require a ton of reading; I usually just referred to Medscape if I wasn't sure on any of these areas. I think I had one professional/ethical question and it was obvious so I don't think this area warrants a lot of study time.

Sorry for the essay but I hope this helps someone!

[MaryEDRN]

Thank you guys so very much for the feedback! I graduated yesterday July 18th. I've done the Barkley review as this was required by the university. I've been doing some APEA review questions and I have Leik coming. I showed improvement after my Barkley review but I plan to focus on my areas identified by Barkley. Exam has been scheduled and I'm freaking out a little because it is soon. Prayers are welcome and thanks again for the great information! Congratulations to those who have passed!

[memory14]

I am about to take AANP exam. I failed my ANCC exam. So disheartened. I have been practicing from EXAM EDGE and purchased the AANP practice question online for $ 50.00. I think I did fairly ok on those. I am studying from barkley and leik book too. Those who have taken this board already, could you please know how similar it is from the Exam edge and AANP practice exam and leik. I would really appreicate it. Do they have multiple multiple questions or is it usually 1 sentence question with 4 multiple choice questions to pick from. I would really appreciate your feeback. Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Thanks so much.

Memory.

[tbaughm]

Know the Barkley material, review the Leik question answering strategies and Leik exam tips for each chapter. Pharm questions are often about safety issues. Length of questions vary, but most are not too long. I didn't do exam edge so can't comment on that. For me, the aanp practice exam did translate to a similar score on the real exam. Focus on really learning the material, not just answering questions. Good luck.