Hello everybody! I read a lot of these posts myself in the months leading up to taking the exam, and figured I'd pay it forward by contributing one as well. Yesterday afternoon I took the AANP FNP exam and passed on my first try. It was a tough test, but it can be done! I used all of the main 3 (Fitzgerald, Barkley, APEA) for study purposes and here is my limited assessment of their merit.
I went to a live Fitzgerald review back in October. While somewhat helpful, it was too far in advance, and I didn't maintain a good study regimen in the interim. I found the lecture to be somewhat dry and not particularly engaging. The review questions during the program were helpful, but nothing that can't be found elsewhere in much greater quantity. My instructor for this course was Tombasco. For the hefty price tag associated with it, I wouldn't recommend attending. I don't feel it contributed much.
I purchased a 2015 review book and CDs from Barkley as well. Much like fitzgerald I found the lectures difficult to listen to. I would follow along in the book and notice that essentially all the speaker was doing was reading aloud to the audience. I did not care for this tool at all, and it is currently for sale on eBay.
The golden nugget of study materials however, came from APEA. My school had purchased an online review course done by Amelie Hollier. There were video lecture/modules for every body system in preparation for the boards. This woman is gifted! The lectures were incredibly engaging and informative. She makes the material easy to learn and remember. She didn't dryly present the material, she made it enjoyable. The pneumonic for remembering systolic vs. diastolic murmurs saved me several times on the test. In addition to this, I purchased a 1 month access to MyQBank, also owned by APEA.
4 weeks prior to my test I began watching one full set of modules a day during the week, and immediately after would do 30-50 review questions on that system, followed by another 30-50 random questions. The rationales provided by MyQbank in tutor mode are invaluable. Too, these questions are considerably more difficult than any you are likely to have on the exam, but they give you an unparalleled understanding of the process behind the question.
The week of the exam I purchased a predictor test from APEA and scored in the mid 70s, which was passing. The next day I purchased the practice test directly from the AANP and scored in the 80s. I highly recommend buying this ($50), as several questions from it turned up on the actual exam.
Regardless of your study method, just put the time and effort into it that it deserves and you'll do fine. Hope this helps some of you, and best of luck!
