I am taking the ANCC Generalist Board Certification Exam for Med/Surg RN's on October 3...has anybody out there done this already? Do you have any suggestions, tips, survival techniques??? I've worked on challenging med/surg floors since graduation (91), but haven't taken any 'real' tests since the boards! AAUGH!! Test anxiety is setting in again...maybe a good brownie recipe...Thanks!

Gina.. also looking for ANCC Med/Surg Review material.. preferably software with practice questions. Any ideas? I'll let you know what I find. Thanks...

Hey...I might have found something to help with the cert exam. Lippincott has a medical

surgical review series...and they also offer floppy disks with the information. While it isn't specifically designed for the exam, it does seem to cover the information in the exam outline. Another one that looks good is Lippincott's review of fluid balance (not the exact title). Good luck (P.S. I haven't purchased either yet...but I plan to)

Props to you! I wish I could say I've passed it, but I've just sent in my (heavy) check and am hoping to take it within a couple months. I've got the "Springhouse Review for Medical-Surgical Certification" - the Lippincott book, and it's pretty thorough but I feel like my old nsg text & nclex review books are much better. I just took a nice review course offered by my hospital and was truly impressed w/ the presentation - as it merely outlined & showed me my weaknesses (which appear to be plentiful). I've heard that this test has ~64% pass rate, compared to the CMSRN test which is in the 80's%, but I've not been able to substantiate these numbers. I would highly recommend a review class if you have that option in your area. I wish you the best of luck.

Hi, I am also thinking about taking it in December or early Jan of this year pick ancc because it is given several times a year. I will be coming from over seas and in the states on vacation. What are some online sites to prep for the test?

thanks in advance.

Hi, Well how did you do on the test, I know you passed, please tell me the level of difficulty and how did you study.

I am also going to take the ANCC MedSurg test around first of Nov. I am freaked out. I have worked on a med surg floor for the last 10 years but I have been "the experienced" one for so long, I have not been around people to learn from. Plus the floor I work on is a rural small hospital, so we transfer out most of the more complex stuff that I am reading about in the review books. Some of the questions is more appropriate for our ICU. So far I have read a review book and took the test in the back (bombed it) and so I just paid for the ANCC review test questions. I would appreciate any ideas, help or support to!!!!!

Boy those posts are old..floppy disks? LOL.

Good luck Luvcats! I'm currently putting myself through a certification course. Some say it isn't needed, but it at least is giving me an idea of what I need to study.

Keep taking tests. It will help you build up your knowledge.

Keep us posted!

hello everyone, i have a friend that wants to take the ancc med-surg certification exam but she is confused to what materials to use for study...she is not a computer skilled person, so i was thinking maybe she can purchase a book ? what would that be? any advise it is highly appreciated!

thank you!

I know the ANCC has a book off of their website they recommend. The downside is it's a million pages thick! Ok, a bit of a stretch, but it's pretty thick.

I use two books that the cert class I'm taking recommends. I could either take the AMSN or the ANCC.

I got mine off the AMSN website

Ii am planning on taking the exam in Feb. and am using the NCLEX 4000 only the MED/Surg questions. I feel like I don't know anything. I will continue to take exams with the software and hope for the best. If I pass the exam the hospital I work for will pay for it they also paid for me to take a seminar which was very helpful. Wish me luck. Which is the best AMSN or ANCC?

I don't think it matters does it? Isn't it just personal preference unless your facility doesn't accept one of them? I have heard rumors of this, but not sure if it is really true.

I'm taking the AMSN in 4 weeks..ACK!

Any new test takers out there? How did you do? I'm taking mine in less than 3 weeks and feel like everything I know isn't enough.