PASSED AANP -18 day review

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Hi everyone!

Before taking the AANP I read through so many of these posts and said I would post how I passed (if I did?), so here goes my long post! I basically started studying 18 days before my exam (if you can study for a longer period of time and be more relaxed I would recommend it). I read through posts about others passing AANP after studying for months and I was scared!

I studied from 8/9am-10/11pm for 18 days straight. Some of the things I did to review was 1. Listen to the Fitzgerald CD review 2. Leik review book 3. Board vitals questions 4. APEA predictor test and 5. 2 PSI practice exams.

The Fitzgerald review was definitely a good starter, after listening to the CDs I went back and re-read/made additional notes on the book. After that, I began taking practice questions on Board Vitals and couldn't recognize some of the answers (Morton's neuroma, specific TB Tx/Dx details etc.).

So I realized Fitzgerald had some gaps and used the Leik book to kind of fill them. I downloaded the app (that comes with it) and began practice questions/felt questions were more NP guided so stopped using Board Vitals.

After 12 days I took the first PSI practice test and scored in the high 70s. Reviewed some more on Leik/Fitz 3 days later took the APEA scored 68%. Based on that I reviewed weak areas (areas I scored less than 75% on). Then 1 day before the exam took the second PSI and scored 68% (*was freaking out*). Definitely did not feel good about the exam with all of those "bad scores"! I kept reviewing the night before the exam and for about an hour before the exam, then finally took some deep breaths, had breakfast, listened to my favorite music and lit some nag champa ? I told myself that I had prepared as much as I could and would focus/try my best. (positive thinking will do you better than feeling bad before a big test!)

Sooo after all that, what I think was actually HELPFUL: Fitz review, Leik book (with practice questions), 1 APEA predictor AFTER Fitz and Leik (to figure out what areas you need to work on) and 1 PSI practice exam (to get familiar with question/PSI format). I don't think it was worth it to buy board vitals or the second PSI exam.

Tips:

*Fitz and Leik (including all the practice questions) are really all you need to get the content, IMO. (and 1 PSI practice exam if you're more anxious like I was about how the questions and format would be).

*Don't get hung up on low practice scores!

*During practice questions/tests review rationales and talk through why you thought it was the different answer and how it was wrong. This will help you rationalize during the actual exam. Note if you missed questions because you were going too fast, missed the except part, misread, so you don't make the same mistakes on the actual exam.

*All you need to pass this test is solid foundation of content and process of elimination (because you can't know it/remember it all and that's ok!).

*Deep breaths, don't second guess yourself, and don't let yourself go into distracting thoughts wondering if you are passing so far or not.

On the actual exam I recognized some similar questions from Leik book, and was GLAD I picked that book up to fill the Fitz gaps. I took 2 hours to complete the exam, marked 60 questions of 150, then went back and narrowed it down to 30 questions I was unsure of.

Pheeeew, that's all!

Good luck!

-M

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