How I Passed the AANP FNP Exam

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Today I’m going to share how I passed the AANP FNP exam including my study plan and the resources I used. Make sure to read this article as well for a step by step guide to signing up for the AANP FNP exam.

So you’re nearing graduation and are now thinking about the beast that is studying for your board exam. Where do you start? When should you start? What resources should you use? In this guide we will cover: 

  • How I studied and passed my exam
  • The study resources I used 
  • What resources and study techniques I found helpful
  • What resources and study techniques were not helpful 
  • Here’s what I would do if I had to do it all over again 

In 2019, 86% of people passed the AANP FNP board exam on their first try. And you can too!

Passing your board exam allows you to be a certified Nurse Practitioner. After you’re certified, you can then go on to be licensed and go through the credentialing process. See this post for more information on the difference between certification, licensing, and credentialing.

 *Most of the information will also be relevant to those taking the ANCC exam for FNP or another population focus.*

When I looked for resources to guide my study plan, I found it helpful to see how others organized their time and what study tools they used. I hope that by sharing my study plan and tools with you today, you will have success in creating your own plan as well.

You can also download my AANP FNP certification exam study schedule and plan here. It includes information about which resources I recommend, how to study and a day by day study plan.

How I studied and passed the exam

I started studying the last week of school and originally planned to give myself 5 weeks to study. I did not want to take any time off after graduation as I was in the process of job interviewing and wanted to take my certification exam as soon as possible. Let’s be real – I also had a vacation planned and wanted to be finished and fully able to relax. Well of course, COVID-19 happened and all my plans were thrown out the window so there was that too. My original exam date got cancelled, but I was able to reschedule about 2 weeks after my original testing date. 

adult hiding behind textbooks with head on the table

In total I studied for about 7 weeks. Here’s the general breakdown of how many days per week and hours per day I dedicated to studying: 

Week 1-3: 4-5 days per week and 2-3 hours per day 

Week 4-6: 5-6 days per week; at least 2-3 hours per day, some days 4-6 hours

Week 7 (Exam Week): 5-6 hours per day

By my test date, I felt well prepared and confident that I would pass my exam. I was definitely nervous but knew that I had studied hard and put in the time to be successful. Once the nerves hit me, I continued reminding myself that I was prepared, and I also visualized myself passing the exam. I believe positive self-talk in these situations can be so helpful for your mindset and staying calm. If you made it this far in your education, you can and will pass this exam! 

Now let’s jump into the details!

The resources I used to study

Fitzgerald Online Review Course for FNPs ($375) https://fhea.com/index.aspx

  • This course contains about 36 hours of videos, practice questions at the end of each section, a 150 question practice test, online supplemental resources, and a spiral bound book (this gets mailed to you and is included in the course cost) that you’ll use to follow along while watching the videos. 
  • For the price you pay, you get access to the course for 6 months and move through at your own pace. You can view each video/module and take the practice questions at the end of each video four times. The 150 question practice test can be taken twice.
  • One important thing to know about this resource is that you cannot skip a module (like the professional issues section which we are not tested on for AANP). You have to move through and pass the practice questions in each section before moving onto the next. 
  • There are often coupons to get a discount on this course. I recommend signing up for her emails at fhea.com or periodically checking the website. I found a coupon for 20% off.
  • This was the first step in my studying. I took about 2.5 weeks to go through this course. Overall, I liked this course, but it had a few flaws. It took a deep dive on some topics, skimmed the surface of others and totally skipped others so definitely don’t use this as your only study resource. 

FNP Certification Intensive Review, 4th edition by Maria Leik ($63) 

  • This book is worth every penny and was my main study tool. Each chapter covers a different body system and also covers different age groups for pediatrics and has 2 sections about older adults. It is very straightforward to read.
  • I found that this book covered most topics very well. There were maybe 1-2 questions on my certification exam that were not covered in this book. 
  • Within each chapter, there are exam tips that basically highlight important pieces of information that are often seen on the exam.
  • At the end of the book, there are over 700 practice questions with rationales. 

APEA Predictor Exams ($33.95 for one exam, $59 for two exams) https://www.apea.com/bundles/predictor-pack-plus-bonus

  • These exams include 150 questions that are supposed to mirror the exam blueprint and are supposed to predict your likelihood of passing your certification exam. 
  • After completing the exam, you get 1 chance to look at the correct answers and rationales only for the questions you got wrong. 
  • The idea is that these exams will help you identify areas of strength and weakness. Based on your results, it will tell you whether you are likely to pass the exam, at risk, or unlikely to pass. 

PSI Test Questions/Practice Exams ($50 each on the PSI Learning Academy Website or FREE on Quizlet) 

  • Two 75 question practice exams utilizing questions that are developed by AANP, so the questions are very similar to the style of questions you could expect on the actual exam. There are no rationales provided. 
  • I found both sets of test questions on Quizlet for free so I decided not to pay. The drawback with this approach is you are relying on the person who created the Quizlet to have correctly identified the correct answer. I was happy to save $100 so for me this was worth the trade off. 

Youtube Videos 

  • I used YouTube videos to supplement any topic I was unsure of. For example, heart murmurs is one topic where I always need additional review so I found videos that reviewed this topic. 

Course Materials 

  • Occasionally, I referenced powerpoint slides or notes from my pediatric and adult management courses. For example, in the resources I used above, there was very little content about pediatric MSK issues so I went back and reviewed the lecture slides from my pediatric management course. 

What study techniques were helpful

  • Completing the online review course first – this supplemented the other study resources well. It was an excellent way to start my studying as it forced me to sit down and do a comprehensive review and also reminded me of areas I hadn’t touched in my more recent clinical rotations. I cannot speak to other review courses, but overall I liked the Fitzgerald course and would recommend it.
  • I 100% recommend using the Leik textbook. The content is great – easy to read and comprehensive. The practice questions and rationale in the back of the book were excellent and really supplemented my learning. 
    • I read one chapter at a time while taking notes on information I didn’t know very well.
    • I wrote the exam tips on a separate sheet of paper with the intention of reviewing these for every chapter the day before my exam and found this to be helpful in keeping me focused. 
    • Reading through every chapter took me about 2 weeks. Afterwards, I went back, skimmed, and highlighted sections that I had earlier identified as weaker areas.
    • I completed 25-50 practice questions daily once I was about half way through my first read through (starting in week 3-4 of my studying). By the end of studying, I completed all 700+ practice questions and found these to be very helpful and similar to the style of the real test questions.
  • I highly recommend taking the PSI test questions (either on Quizlet or paying for them). This will ensure that you are familiar with the style of question on the real exam. 
  • Definitely use YouTube videos or course materials from school to supplement your learning as needed. Both are free of charge after all! 
  • Creating flashcards for topics that I needed more review which for me included pharmacology and developmental milestones. 

What I wouldn’t do again 

  • APEA predictor exam: I am really torn about this. I scored well on the predictor exam and was placed in the high likelihood of passing category based on my results so that definitely boosted my confidence. On the other hand, I had friends who completed these predictor exams and scored in the at risk category which shook their confidence (though they all passed the boards without any issues). 
    • I liked that I could see the correct answers and rationale for questions I got wrong.
    • I did not find the feedback on my areas of strength and weakness to be reflective of what I had already self-identified earlier in my studies so I didn’t pay much attention to this piece.
    • My recommendation: if you want to take this predictor exam, do it at least 2 weeks out from your scheduled test date so it does not shake your confidence. If you score well, great, go forth feeling confident and continue to study. 

My study plan if I had to do it all over again

  1. Complete an online review course at the beginning of your studies. 
  2. Share the Fitzgerald online review course with a friend – this was definitely expensive and since the modules can be completed four times, it would be easy and more financially feasible to share this with a friend. 
  3. Plan to study over 6 weeks. This was the sweet spot for me personally where I felt prepared but not burnt out. 
  4. Read and take notes using the Leik book. Don’t rush through this step – take your time to read and understand the material. Write out the exam tips for each chapter on a separate piece of paper and review these the day before your exam. 
  5. Complete both PSI predictor exams to get familiar with the question style.
  6. Use other resources from YouTube, course materials or textbooks as needed to supplement your studies. 

You can and will pass this exam! See this post for the top 5 things I wish I knew in Nurse Practitioner school. It is definitely intimidating, but with the proper preparation you will come out on the other side feeling so fantastic and ready to practice. 

Click below to go to the resource page for links to the above mentioned study tools. 

Resources

Let me know below if you have any questions. If you’ve taken and passed your board exam, what strategies were most helpful for you? If you are currently studying, what strategies have you found to be helpful?

Check out some of the most recent posts for more helpful information for being successful in NP school:

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