Passed AANP - How I did it.

[MattNP]

I took the AANP today for adult gero primary care. I passed. The test took me about 50 minutes total, I have always been a fast test taker, but the questions weren't super long or involved (very similar to the PCI $50 test I took). I tend to look at the answers and look for patterns. I graduated 3 weeks ago. Every day I spent time preparing for the test.

I used Leik's book and Fitzgerald's CD's. I also have Fitzgerald's book. I didn't attend any review sessions. I opted for the AANP so I wouldn't have to do any of the non-clinical review stuff the ANCC has. I used Leik's FNP book and ignored anything children or maternal reproductive. Everything on the test was covered in Leik's book. She has a lot of mistakes in that book. It's very concerning when you are reading the book but the main points are there. I was averaging about 85-90% on the question she has in the app.

I have a study buddy, we would meet at Dunkin Donuts and do 1 chapter every other day for about 5 hours. I did stuff on my own. Like I drove around listening to Fitzgerald's CD"s I bought on eBay for $100. I watched YouTube videos at night of lectures on main points (those geared towards physicians). My weaknesses in school were women's health so I focused on that. My strength was diabetes so I ignored that section altogether.

Fitzgerald's book gets into the weeds, she is obviously very smart, but for the purposes of passing the class, go with Leik's book.

I also took the PSI test a few days ago and got a 92% and that boosted my confidence. During the test, if I was sure of an answer, I answered it and moved on. If I was unsure of an answer I could narrow it down to 1 of 2, I chose the one I thought it was most likely and MARKED it. By the time I got to the end of the test, I had marked 32 questions. So my assumption was I had gotten 118 correct and of the 32 I had at least 16 correct so I just hit submit without actually reviewing them. My guess is I got about 89-90% of the questions correct which would be inline w/ my PCI test of 92%.

3 weeks ago I was taking the practice test and scoring in the 40-50% range. I was very discouraged. I was very nervous leading up to this test I started getting migraines and actually ended up in urgent care for a shot of Toradol. I also applied for ANCC as a back up as I need to get a job and start earning money. So now I will be able to get a refund on that exam (minus $140).

My advice, use Leik's book (I rented and since it is a new book I got the scratch off code/free app), have a study buddy who will keep quizzing you, and listen to Fitzgerald's CD's (who knows you may be buying mine on eBay for $100 soon [i'll break even!]).

Sorry for the very long post, but I found other's story helpful. I would say you should be nervous and not chill about it, because a lot is riding on this exam so work your butt off and the hard work will pay off. I don't know what to do with myself now, it feels strange having downtime.

[lee8504]

I took the AANP exam today and decided a month ago that regardless if I passed or failed, I would report on my experiences so that it might help some. I came across Matt's post and thought it was very similar to mine. A little about me, I have always been an above average student in college, however I always felt like I always had to work hard to do well. The second I slacked is when I would get surprised with sub-par scores. Knowing that about me, I felt I over-prepared for the exam.

In total I completed approx. 4200 practice questions before I took the exam. My FNP program at Drexel University offered Fitzgerald built in the course work and required us to watch online lectures as well as complete her practice questions. I took the Fitzgerald final exam and ended with a 72% (70% is "passing". I also completed her question book averaging 68-75% on 2300 various questions (some were repeats from her online lectures).

Secondly, I had access to Hollier lectures and thought she was EXCELLENT. I purchased her management qbank (do not buy assessment, I thought it wasnt necessary) and averaged around 75-80% correct. Though they were well written and helped me learn, I didnt think it was the best representation of the AANP exam.

Third, I used Leik throughout my time at Drexel and used Leik to focus my reading on weaker areas. Her exam tips are the best! In terms of didactic review, everything you need on the exam is in Leik. Several of her questions were very similar to what I saw on the exam. One of her tips helped me successfully answer a question on Rocky mountain spotted fever. I averaged about 80% on her questions. Her questions are on the easier end,

Lastly, I purchased both PSI FNP practice tests. I believe that although it is expensive, it is formatted exactly like the FNP exam. These questions will help you greatly. I felt I saw several of these questions on the actual exam! I got an 85% and a 67% on the exams respectively.

There are many test taking tips offered by people and those are good, you can read about them on the forum. My best tip for you is to read the question twice, then through every choice and say "wrong", "possible answer", or "right". Most of the time you can find two choices you need to decide upon. If its a coin flip go with your "first instinct". In all on the AANP board exam I felt 20% of them I knew the answer right away, 50% I had to critically think, 20% were educated guesses or hunches, and 5% was a guess and a prayer.

The exam was very do-able and at the end I felt I did my absolute best and felt I probably passed. The proctor gave me a thumbs up as I turned my scratch sheet in. I hope this helps someone in need.