HOW TO PASS THE AANP EXAM (HONEST OPINION!)

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Hi all!

So-I feel like I have to write this post because I read hundreds of these reviews/discussions on here and now that I am finally where I want to be-I want to share what I did to succeed!

As of today-I am officially a certified FNP! It feels crazy to even type that or say it!

If you recently graduated or about to graduate and are thinking about boards-this post is for you. I can only speak for the AANP exam because that's the one I chose to take. I personally am not all that familiar with theory so that is why I went with AANP.

My study material: Hollier review and the Leik book! THAT IS ALL YOU NEED!

THEN-about a week before your exam, listen to Walden's crash course (she has about 5 videos) and try to listen to each at least twice. You can listen at home or in the car. She gives out BUZZWORDS that were definitely in the exam-like more than one. Worth every penny.

You don't need a million reviews or books.

As far as practices exams-I did APEA, PSI and Exam Edge. If I went back I would not waste my money on these. This is just my opinion. I read posts of comments saying if you scored below a certain range you should study more etc etc. Not true. These tests are WAY more difficult than the ACTUAL exam. I scored poorly on all of these. Like 65-70%. I felt horrible every single time I would take these exams. Thinking this is what the actually exam would be like. If you absolutely feel like you want to take one just for the heck of it-do not be discouraged if you don't score well.

The exam: AANP exam is straight forward. It does not try to "trick" you. It's either you know or you don't type thing.

The best tip overall: Read the Leik book and make that your focus-even more than Hollier. Read all the exam tips. This is literally all you need.

I am just an average student and I'm coming from an honest place with my post.

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE! YOU CAN DO IT! :)

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Moderators, this should be in the student NP forums. Are you all still moderating posts?!

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Moved to Student NP forum and yes we are all still here ?

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Specializes in Cardiology Nurse Practitioner.

Congrats! What was your studying like? Was there a certain amount of material or time you study per day or week? When did you start studying? I graduate in November 2020.

Thanks!

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Thank you!

So I studied for a total of 6 weeks. I graduated May of this year. I did not start studying right away. It was my husband and I's one year anniversary so we went to Mexico for one week. I was refreshed and ready to study when I got back. I needed that break-that was just me! I still worked full time when I returned-so I studied on my off days-4 days a week. I would study from about 10am until 5-6pm sometimes until 7-8pm depending on what I was going over. About one week before the exam I took a week off from work and studied the entire week. During this week I started doing all the Leik practice questions. I took some practice exams as I mentioned before but I don't recommend it. I don't recommend studying for too long because it's a lot of information and you will just start to forget what you studied during your first couple of weeks. I would say about a month or two is perfect.

Hope this helps!

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I know this is unrelated but which school did you attend? Trying to decide on a school. The only affordable one I found was United States Uni. Any input is appreciated. Thank you

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George Washington University!

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