Finally passed AANP

Hello everyone, 

Today I finally can say that I have passed the AANP, and I can celebrate with joy, and happiness. I decided to write my own testimonial which will include tips / advice in order to help others that are still studying or struggling to pass the exam.. please be patient, this might be long: 

Here is my story

I graduated in May 2022, I went on vacation for a month, as soon as I came back, I started studying, and the first thing I started with is the leik book, ( I'm slow with studying), I literally took a whole month with just reading every single page and taking notes ( 60 pages of notes), then, I did all the questions in the book, in addition I did all the practice tests online. , Then I downloaded the FNP mastery app and I did about 1,000 questions..

Some people told me that all I needed was leik book and questions , but I didn't feel ready with leik, so I did the. FNP mastery,

December 11ish 2022, I go for my first attempt, unfortunately I finished the exam and I see the word fail.. 😞 😭 , I was angry, upset, devastated, down, depressed... Because I studied for about 4 months. ( Keep in mind, I do suffer from a brain fog, memory issues, which makes it harder for me to comprehend as a normal person) . 

I picked myself up after about 5 days, and I started a personalized study program, here is what I did this time: 

1. I did five exam edge and I went over them, I thought they were somewhat helpful but not very helpful. 

2. I purchased the Sarah Michelle question Bank, and I really liked her questions, they are a bit challenging than the actual exam but nothing is weird, and I felt they really helped me out. 

3. I felt that I needed to maximize my studying, so I purchased the apea, then when I started doing the questions, I did not like them, I did not want to kill my confidence, I quickly canceled and I got a refund, then, I went over the Sarah Michelle question bank again, then I felt that I needed a new question Bank in order to be exposed to new types of questions, I also did not mind the repetition, at the end that is what's going to help. 

4. I purchased the board vitals question Bank, I did about 1300 questions, I went over the rationals, and then I started to feel ready, but not completely, towards the end, I averaged about 72 on board vitals, they tend to be a little more challenging than Sarah Michelle and leik, 

5.   2 weeks before the exam, I went over the Sarah Michelle question bank and all the leik questions. Once I was done, I felt that the stuff are starting to get boring and I felt that I was repeating myself. Boom, I felt super ready.. 

My advice/recommendation:

In my opinion, everyone learns differently, to me, I can read contents, and I can listen to review courses and videos all day long all night, however what really was the turning point for me is doing more practice questions. Because you really need to be exposed to all kinds of scenarios where you are thinking and challenging yourself, eventually things will start to repeat itself and this was.  part of my plan..

 I heard about Sarah Michelle comprehensive review course, I did not purchase it, because after my second attempt, I did watch few videos, I did cohen review, and I did not feel that I needed to study more contents.

If you were and you graduate and going to test soon, I would definitely recommend board vitals, sorry Michelle q banks, and leik.

I do have about 60 pages of notes that I took when I was reading Leik, I will be more than happy to send them to anyone who wants them, I also have some other stuff that can help. Please inbox me if you need help and if you need any advice or recommendations, I will be more than happy to help

Thank you for taking the time to read

[uniqueguy34, BSN, MSN]

uniqueguy34 said:

Hello everyone, 

Today I finally can say that I have passed the AANP, and I can celebrate with joy, and happiness. I decided to write my own testimonial which will include tips / advice in order to help others that are still studying or struggling to pass the exam.. please be patient, this might be long: 

Here is my story : 

I graduated in May 2022, I went on vacation for a month, as soon as I came back, I started studying, and the first thing I started with is the leik book, ( I'm slow with studying), I literally took a whole month with just reading every single page and taking notes ( 60 pages of notes), then, I did all the questions in the book, in addition I did all the practice tests online. , Then I downloaded the FNP mastery app and I did about 1,000 questions..

Some people told me that all I needed was leik book and questions , but I didn't feel ready with leik, so I did the. FNP mastery,  .. 

December 11ish 2022, I go for my first attempt, unfortunately I finished the exam and I see the word fail.. 😞 😭 , I was angry, upset, devastated, down, depressed... Because I studied for about 4 months. ( Keep in mind, I do suffer from a brain fog, memory issues, which makes it harder for me to comprehend as a normal person) . 

I picked myself up after about 5 days, and I started a personalized study program, here is what I did this time: 

1. I did five exam edge and I went over them, I thought they were somewhat helpful but not very helpful. 

2. I purchased the Sarah Michelle question Bank, and I really liked her questions, they are a bit challenging than the actual exam but nothing is weird, and I felt they really helped me out. 

3. I felt that I needed to maximize my studying, so I purchased the apea, then when I started doing the questions, I did not like them, I did not want to kill my confidence, I quickly canceled and I got a refund, then, I went over the Sarah Michelle question bank again, then I felt that I needed a new question Bank in order to be exposed to new types of questions, I also did not mind the repetition, at the end that is what's going to help. 

4. I purchased the board vitals question Bank, I did about 1300 questions, I went over the rationals, and then I started to feel ready, but not completely, towards the end, I averaged about 72 on board vitals, they tend to be a little more challenging than Sarah Michelle and leik, 

5.   2 weeks before the exam, I went over the Sarah Michelle question bank and all the leik questions. Once I was done, I felt that the stuff are starting to get boring and I felt that I was repeating myself. Boom, I felt super ready.. 

My advice/recommendation: 

In my opinion, everyone learns differently, to me, I can read contents, and I can listen to review courses and videos all day long all night, however what really was the turning point for me is doing more practice questions. Because you really need to be exposed to all kinds of scenarios where you are thinking and challenging yourself, eventually things will start to repeat itself and this was.  part of my plan..

 I heard about Sarah Michelle comprehensive review course, I did not purchase it, because after my second attempt, I did watch few videos, I did cohen review, and I did not feel that I needed to study more contents. 

If you were and you graduate and going to test soon, I would definitely recommend board vitals, sorry Michelle q banks, and leik. 

I do have about 60 pages of notes that I took when I was reading Leik, I will be more than happy to send them to anyone who wants them, I also have some other stuff that can help. Please inbox me if you need help and if you need any advice or recommendations, I will be more than happy to help

Thank you for taking the time to read.

Few things to note 

1. The exam questions are easier than any question banks I used , ( this is not NCLEX, the answer is there if you know the materials)

2. They don't trick you . So, read the question very carefully, pay attention to keywords ( patient's age, etc..). 

3. No need for critical thinking ( you just need to know enough practice questions and know the stuff) 

4. DO NOT read too much into the question , just read it , and answer , move on to the next , DO NOT change answers(  unless you felt that you were rushing and need to go back to specific questions you flagged )

5. This test is straight forward if you are prepared .

Thank you for taking the time to read

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Congrats on passing AANP and wishing you a successful advanced practice career.  Your studying tips will be helpful for those who didn't pass on first try.

[uniqueguy34, BSN, MSN]

NRSKarenRN said:

Congrats on passing AANP and wishing you a successful advanced practice career.  Your studying tips will be helpful for those who didn't pass on first try.

Thank you so much . I love to help others who are in need, it's not as difficult but it is indeed intimidating exam ..

[Mergirlc, RN]

Congratulations!!  Your hard work paid off!  I'll be in your shoes next year with my first attempt.

[Mimou]

How did u feel about the cohen review? And do u still recommend Sarah Michelle s Qbank questions? And what's a good email to reach out to u? 
thank you 

[Kat1018]

Hi guys. I am scheduled to take the exam this Saturday. I'm freaking out. Haven't been able to sleep well for awhile and now that I have only a handful of days left, I'm having a terrible case of insomnia. 
given the amt of time I have to study, my study habits, my brain's capability of retaining info, focusing and then trying not to be distracted my kids... I used the Leik book. Review as much of the content as I could. Used their online practice exams and did the cohen review. I'm not sure how to feel. Sometimes I feel OK and sometimes I don't feel too good. I really do not want to RS my exam. 
many words of advice? 
congrats to all who have passed and good luck to all who is planning on taking it soon. 

[uniqueguy34, BSN, MSN]

Mergirlc said:

Congratulations!!  Your hard work paid off!  I'll be in your shoes next year with my first attempt.

Yes indeed. 8 months of daily studying . You will pass as well . It's an easy exam once you do enough practice questions 

[uniqueguy34, BSN, MSN]

Mimou said:

How did u feel about the cohen review? And do u still recommend Sarah Michelle s Qbank questions? And what's a good email to reach out to u? 
thank you 

I did the cohen review right after I failed my first attempt, it is a good review, easy to follow and straight to the point, and she goes over all the topics that you need to know.. I also did something called archer review , and I felt that I know the stuff,. I honestly would do the Sarah Michelle crash course if you feel that you have done lots of practice questions and contents and if someone is starting to study from scratch, I would do the Sarah Michelle comprehensive course. I did neither nor, because I felt that I would be repeating myself and things will be very redundant... 

Again, I still encourage people to do the following q banks 

Sarah michelle, leik , and board vitals 

I you do all those q banks and read the rational carefully and also take your own notes.  When you get to the test and start doing it . You will laugh how easy it is .. LOL this exam is 50x easier than NCLEX 

Inbox me on this site . Because I think they don't allow me to share personal email or contact info otherwise you may email me @ huss 391 at gmail dot com

Talk soon

[uniqueguy34, BSN, MSN]

Quote

quote Kat1018

Hi guys. I am scheduled to take the exam this Saturday. I'm freaking out. Haven't been able to sleep well for awhile and now that I have only a handful of days left, I'm having a terrible case of insomnia. 
given the amt of time I have to study, my study habits, my brain's capability of retaining info, focusing and then trying not to be distracted my kids... I used the Leik book. Review as much of the content as I could. Used their online practice exams and did the cohen review. I'm not sure how to feel. Sometimes I feel OK and sometimes I don't feel too good. I really do not want to RS my exam. 
many words of advice? 
congrats to all who have passed and good luck to all who is planning on taking it soon. 

 

Leik book is a great resource if you read it entirely and take notes, in addition to doing the questions in the back. However I do not believe that this is enough. The call and review is good I did that.

How many total questions have you done, ?

Everyone is different, I suffer from brain fog and memory issues, so I did 3000 questions and I went over the rationale's, it felt amazing afterwards, because I felt that I started to repeat myself and this is the point that you want to get to... 

Remember, you will never feel ready but you will feel confident at one point that you can figure out more than 80% of the questions.

Again, the best word of advice I can give anyone who is preparing for this exam, do more and more and more practice questions,.. again 3000.

[Kat1018]

Hi Uniqueguy34

I did NOT pass my boards. Took it a few hours ago and I am devastated. Here I am sitting in from of my computer trying to figure out what I did wrong, figuring out CEUs, and unfortunately, trying to figure out what other resources I can use. I used the Leik which I had gone through, took notes and used the Cohen review lectures that I subscribed to. Both of these resources mirrored each other very well. I did the question bank from the online bank provided by Leik, the questions in the back of the book, the questions from Cohen review after each lecture. I think I probably did about 1000 or more. By any means, I felt the content I got on the exam was nothing like the review. I had a handful of questions that were direct, either you know it or not. But alot of them was obscure and I find it somewhat similar to NCLEX (which was a nightmare btw). I spent alot of time reviewing dz processes, medications, and dx would find in primary care as most would advise me. But I don't remember alot of it emphasized on my review. Ex: hip pain with limited internal rotation in peds. I had nothing re: statistics, ethics, tanner stages just nonclinical questions. Except for what puts a woman at highest risk for cervical ca ...

By any means, do you have any suggestions that could help at this point? I see that you recommended the board vitals. 

Thank you for your time - im just feeling abit lost and confused.

Kat

[uniqueguy34, BSN, MSN]

@Kat1018 unfortunately , from what I have read, it seems that you were not ready to sit for the exam. In my humble opinion and after studying for a few months, I recommend for anyone that wants to pass this exam with lots of ease and confidence, they should do a total of 3,000 questions with rationales carefully reviewed. 

Cohen review is good, however what will really get you to be very confident is basically doing enough practice questions. And it seems that you did not do enough.

I definitely recommend Sarah Michelle question bank, board vitals, and the leik questions .. then you should be super ready 

 

You can inbox me