newgrad13

Bemidji State University in Minnesota has an online statistics course. The college I attended required statistics for the RN to BSN program, and I took my course online.

Cameron46, a great big congratulations to you!

With the ANCC exam there are 175 questions, 150 of which are scored (you do not know which items are scored). The questions are weighted differently. There are 500 points possible and 350 is the passing score. When you are done taking the test, you go up to the exam proctor and they will hand you a printout which will give you your "score" and a "pass/fail". I passed the test the first time, but felt theory was definitely my "weak" area (they do not break down areas of weakness if you pass). Best wishes.

I purchased the 2010 CD's (with review workbook) from the Fitzgerald website (because the content of the ANCC exam changed considerably in 2010). The new cd's are released every year around late March/April (I believe). Thus, you might not want to wait to try to get 2011 cd's. Some people in my class bought 1 set of CD's and "shared" them. (This isn't illegal as long as you don't copy the cd's). I resold my cd's (I kept the workbook) on ebay and got back 75% of my purchase price! Because you will be taking the exam early, there should be plenty of people looking for used materials to study from (the prices always seem to be higher when the most people have just graduated and are taking the exams). I would strongly suggest partnering with a friend in your class and sharing materials (one does the CD's while another studies a review book and then switching and then reselling the materials when you are done). The ANCC exam requires a "conferred" degree on the transcript, so if you are taking that exam, the earliest you would likely be able to take it if you are graduating in May is in June (and that is if you send in a placeholder transcript in March/April).

Whoaa........I usually got back 1/2-2/3 of the original book price once commissions were paid (I usually bought my books new ahead of the semester from Amazon or one of their resellers). There were books I actually made money on. My books were all in meticulous shape.

FNPGrad, A great big congratulations to you!!! What did you think of the exam?

Cameron46, great tips! FNPGrad, I'll be praying/rooting for you - let us know how it goes. You definitely sound ready - in my opinion, I would not want to "wait" longer because to me that equates to "more stress". Good sleep the night before is hard to come by so do whatever you can to relax -- it is easier said than done. I tried breathing techniques! I took the ANCC exam, went through all of the questions once and had an hour and one-half to spare. I debated going back over the questions, but decided against it .... first answer is sometimes the best answer. Wow, I'm glad the exam is over, and I suspect you'll feel the same way!!! Best wishes!

I bought most of my books in "like new" condition from Amazon sellers (at a good discount), and then kept them pristine. Each semester, I sold almost "all" of the previous semester's books. I went the "long" route in nursing getting a generic Associate's Degree, then an Associate's in Nursing, then a Bachelor's in Nursing and then a MSN to be an advanced practice (family practice) specialty. Thus, I have "lots" of experience "selling" textbooks. I've saved thousands of dollars and never missed all the books I've sold. I highly recommend recycling the books. I saved an Anatomy book as well as a few others. I continue to buy "new" books as my occupation warrants new items that I feel I could use in practice. I usually noted in the comments field when selling my books that they were "gently used by a nursing student". I think many buyers would like to help another student get through school. I chose Amazon as my "marketplace". I did sell my Fitzgerald Review CD set on Ebay (I purchased it for $420 from Fitzgerald & sold it on ebay without the workbook for $325). If you sell on Amazon, you do need to be sure someone can ship the book out (usually by media mail so shipping is reasonable) quickly (their guidelines state how many days you have to ship your orders out). Also, when shipping media mail, anything weighing over 11 oz. cannot be left in your mailbox, etc. - so it may mean a trip to the post office). Many of my friends that mother's, sister's or brother's that helped them with this. Overall, it is a super easy process and all my books for the whole semester always sold within a day or two of listing. Best wishes.

If you have time to study your final semester, you might want to file an early application (March/April) with a placeholder transcript. This option (you send your final transcript in with the conferred degree asap after graduation) would likely give you an authorization to test for the first week in June or so (and your window to test lasts for 90 days). With this option, when you are looking for a job in a tight job market it may show "confidence" to a prospective employer that you are already certified and tested immediately (just a thought).

Gosh, I think with all of the papers and research (and that will be dependent on where you would complete your FNP), I think the MSN/FNP to be significantly "more work". I don't think you'll find it "hard" given your achievements already, but the school I went to was very intense in assignments (lots of papers requiring intensive research and citations) as well as a major graduate project. I went to school full time for 2 years (including 2 summers) plus worked about .5 as an RN until the final semester (I just worked casual the final semester to complete all my clinical hours).

Kangoshi, A great big congratulations to you too! So great to have it "over" with. I didn't receive any kind of a breakdown, just my official certificate. You can go to the ANCC website and order a verification (you get one free) if you need it for an employer or to send to your state board. Apparently, you only get a breakdown of the score when you don't pass the ANCC. It would be interesting to know which MSN and DNP programs have the best pass rates for the certification exams.

A great big congratulations, MistieRN!!! I'm so happy for you. Did you think the test was tough?

MistieRN, I'm rooting for you to have a great test day tomorrow, keep us posted. I bet you will be so glad to be done studying. I know you are well prepared.

I graduated in May, but submitted an "early application with a placeholder transcript" by the first week in March. I submitted my final transcript (with conferred degree) at the end of May, and I had my authorization to test by the first week in June. I scheduled my test for the second week of June and passed. I do think it is a tough exam. At peak workload, I think it takes up to 8 weeks to get your authorization to test letter. Bidwilltv, that is interesting that the person you know paid an expedited processing fee and got their authorization to test the same day as you did. It was supposed to cut the time frame down to about 2 weeks (plus mail time) or so. Best wishes on the test.

MistieRN, I've been thinking about you - I think today was your "original" test date (I don't know if you went through with the exam or if you changed the date). Did you test today, and if so, how did it go? :)