ANCC Exam

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I can't seem to find the thread that most people were posting on in regard to this topic, but I wanted to share my experience in taking the ANCC exam yesterday. I passed. Yay! The resources I used to prepare for it were the Fitzgerald review book, Exam Edge tests, Lieks review book and 2 lectures from Margaret Fitzgerald on professional issues which includes ethics, research, DEA info, Medicare/Medicaid and a couple other helpful topics. I DID NOT take a review course. I was told by a professor whom I really respected that it wasn't necessary. Also out of the Lieks book I only reviewed the chapter on pharmacology, the rest I had already gone over in the Fitzgerald book, I mostly did review questions out of this book. What I feel prepared me the most was going through hundreds of review questions. On the days leading up to the exam I did 100-250 per day. This not only exposes you to a broad array of information but also trains your mind to focus for this EXTREMELY long period of time.

Memorize your basic lab values, they are not provided on the test. And write them down on your scratch paper as soon as you enter the room. One strategy that I believe helped my mind to get through the exam was that I did the first 100 questions and then took a bathroom break, then I came back and did 70 more questions and took another break. I finished the exam an hour early but it seems most people took the entire 4 hour block. Don't panic if you don't know an answer, just read through all the responses, usually you can eliminate 2 right off the back. Just read everything carefully. Private message me if you have any questions, and GOOD LUCK!!

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Congrats!!!

I was so nervous leading up to my boards that I could not sleep a wink the night before. My testing center was two hours away from my home so I got a hotel room and did last minute cramming/review. I did the review course thru FHEA but in the end do not think it did me any good. Everything she went over my program covered in depth.

When I sat - they took me earlier than my appt. I went thru and answered everything I was 100% sure I knew then marked the ones that I wanted to spend more time on. I got to the end and there were some 55 questions I had marked and I went thru one by one and reasoned the answers out. There were a total of three questions on topics I was clueless about but I made a best guess of available options. The I started going back thru every question and answer. I got about to 50 and stopped. I felt confident enough to walk away.

I hit the enter and answered ann the surveys and I don't know why but I thought the pass or fail would flash right then but nothing came back but to see the proctor. I went back and signed a few forms and the proctor said nothing. He then handed me two pieces of paper from the printer and I folded them up and walked out of the room (there were people sitting in the waiting room and I wanted some privacy when I looked at the sheets). I walked around the corner to a bathroom and unfolded the sheets. I had passed. I just started shaking...I was so wound up over these dang boards that I was just shaking and almost in tears...I am not sure it was relief or just overwhelmed that this process was finally over. It took a few hours for the sheer happy relief to set in...So much different than the NCLEX

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Congrats!

Moved to student NP

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