Passed ANCC!!!

[himilayaneyes]

Hi everyone. I took my ANCC certification exam this morning and passed. Yay! Praise Jesus! So I figured I would post some hopefully helpful tips for those of you about to test. I can't list any specific questions, but I hope to give you some idea of what to do to prepare.

My main resources were Leik, Hollier, & Fitzgerald (the book that came with the live review course). I initially also used Dunphy for questions & used a notebook to write the rationales of questions I got incorrect...but this was too tedious so I dropped it halfway through my study plan. My school had us take a live review course which at the time I did not appreciate or think was helpful. However, the book was very helpful for reviewing.

I know they always say you remember the things you don't feel comfortable with....but I feel that probably about half of the exam was non-clinical. Other people I've spoken with feel the same. Make sure you know about research (terms, type, application), leadership (styles, application), HIPAA, ethical concepts with application, billing, levels of evaluation & management, etc. If you've done the Fitzgerald review, her online lectures are very helpful. Do a systematic review of body systems from head to toe & make sure you know which conditions to refer. I made myself a powerpoint with conditions, treatment, & pictures. This was extremely helpful on the exam since there are questions where they show you a few pictures & you have to determine the diagnosis, treatment, referral, etc. Regarding pictures, know your dermatology & your eye conditions.

I hope this is helpful for those of you still on your journey. Now time to find a job. :)

P.S. Please feel free to ask me any questions. Those who have passed the test, what did you do to prepare? (hope it will help those preparing).

[fairy123]

congrats

[ICURN7]

congrats!

[CarolinasRN]

Congrats. I am preparing to test as well would love to bounce a few things off of you if possible. I can send you my email.

[himilayaneyes]

@Carolina. Sure. PM me your email and I'll send you my resources.

[CarolinasRN]

My email is [email protected] I'm not sure why I can't figure out how to private message you.

[jeremiah10]

congrats

himilayaneyes. how was the fitzgerald review.

[himilayaneyes]

@ Jeremiah. Honestly, I didn't like the Fitzgerald review when I was sitting there for 3 days. I felt like they were just stating the information in the book. However, the review book that they give you for the live course was good. I used it to study for the ANCC and it was very helpful. It's a different book than the purple Fitzgerald book. Either way...it's probably worth it to invest in a live review course...it can only help.

[jeremiah10]

My school doesn't offer any lectures, however, they are paying for us to take the Fitzgerald review in the summer next year. Do you think it would be beneficial for me to go ahead and purchase the review just to help me get an understanding of the material for class/test purposes.

[himilayaneyes]

@ Jeremiah. If your school is purchasing the review for next year, then I would just wait until next year to take it. However, for academic purposes, the purple Fitzgerald book is very helpful. Hollier and Leik are great books as well.