Top 5 FNP Exam Study Tips
Memorizing content will not work for the FNP certification exam. Questions emphasize application, problem solving, and critical reasoning—rather than knowing facts. It’s crucial to study content in such a way that you understand the physiology behind the common signs, symptoms, and interventions so that you can reason your way through a test question. Review our best study tips for the FNP exam to maximize your studying and minimize your test anxiety.
FNP EXAM QUICK TIPS
- Tip #1: Review areas of weakness.
- Tip #2: Take practice questions.
- Tip #3: Reflect on practice questions.
- Tip #4: Practice self-regulation.
- Tip #5: Be confident!
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FNP Exam Study Tip #1: Review areas of weakness.
Review areas of weakness first; these are areas that may not make sense, areas that do not click in your brain, and areas in which you struggle. It might be tempting to put these aside and review a familiar topic – or one that comes easily to you. Don’t do it. To be successful on the certification exam, you need an understanding of all the test areas. First, complete the rigorous task of reviewing the more troublesome areas, and then reward yourself by studying your areas of strength.
[ RELATED: AANP vs. ANCC: What’s Tested on the FNP Exams? ]
FNP Exam Study Tip #2: Take practice questions.
Don’t time yourself on the practice questions at first. It is more important to understand how the questions work—the structure, the content, and the thinking process.
Identify what the question is asking. What is the NP’s focus? What is the patient’s problem, issue, or “chief complaint?” If you struggle with finding the topic, read the last sentence first and then read the stem or scenario again. This “backwards approach” ensures you know what the question is asking before you read the whole question. When you read it again “normally,” you will recognize important clues that may make answering the question easier. Differentiate between the actual topic and the distracting information. Review each answer choice carefully and determine whether or not it answers the question asked.
The FNP certification exams are timed. The ANCC FNP exam is a total of 3.5 hours and the AANP FNP exam is a total of 3 hours. There are 175 questions on the ANCC FNP exam and 150 questions on the AANP FNP exam. You will have approximately 60 seconds to spend on each exam question. However, you should take your time answering practice questions. Slow down. Pay attention. This initial practice allows you to focus on question structure and the logic behind answering the question.
Taking a comprehensive set of FNP exam practice questions helps you in four ways:
- Reinforces the skills and strategies you’ve learned
- Helps you work on timing
- Gives you a sense of how you’re doing on the various topics and what you need to work harder on
- Helps you learn to cope with test fatigue
FNP Exam Study Tip #3: Reflect on practice questions.
Reflect on the FNP exam practice questions you take—consider content, topic, and thinking process. If you are not familiar with the content, the questions and answers may not make sense (i.e., you may not understand the intent of the words).
Review Feedback
When you complete these sets of practice questions, don’t just tally up how many you got correct and incorrect. Rather, review the feedback for every practice question.
Know Where You Went Wrong (or Right!)
Understand why the correct answer is correct and the incorrect answers are incorrect. If you answered the question incorrectly, consider where your thinking went astray. Then, use this information as you move forward in your studies.
Ask Yourself Questions
Active reflection is the key to success. Is this material relevant? Does it relate to what I know? How do I incorporate this information into what I know already? Do not skip over words, thinking you can review the information later—look them up and make sure you understand the word in context.
Understand Question Types
After reviewing the content, ask yourself if every question/answer now makes sense. Once you understand a certain question type, you will improve your chances of answering it correctly in the future.
Check for Topic Comprehension
After reviewing the rationale, ask if you now understand the specific topic of each question. If you have not identified the correct topic, it is difficult to eliminate incorrect answer choices and select the best answer.
Assess Thinking Process
After reviewing the rationale, ask if you used the correct thinking process when working through each question. Did you recognize patterns in the answer choices? Did you differentiate between gathering more data (assessment) and doing something based on that data (implementation)? Consider if the information provided in a question stem is incomplete or vague; if so, ask yourself if the assessment answers would provide the needed information.
A good assessment is one that confirms what is going on with the patient or one that determines your next step of action. Did you differentiate between a psychosocial and a physical answer choice? A physical problem (topic) likely requires a physical answer choice. Did you prioritize answer choices with the ABCs? Within the context of the topic of the question, you can prioritize respiratory answers over circulatory answers over everything else. Last, did you evaluate the answer choices and ask the outcome of each? Did the intended outcome match the topic of each question?
This purposeful review of your thinking process will assist you in developing habits that will help you be successful on Test Day and change those habits that won’t. The best learning takes place with self-reflection.
FNP Exam Study Tip #4: Practice self-regulation.
There are two parts to self-regulation: behavior and emotion. From the behavioral perspective, choose actions that support your goal, such as developing an individualized study plan and following it. From the emotional side, manage your emotions and anxiety when you are facing this exam. You want to manage your emotional response to the test so you can focus, concentrate, and use your critical thinking at its highest level. When you are too anxious, your ability to stay calm, on task, and focused is limited, and it is harder to achieve your goal.
Identify your “tells” when your anxiety is building. For some, this translates as tachycardia, heart palpitations, difficulty focusing, and nausea. Next, define what you can do to manage those symptoms. You may lean back in the chair and take a deep breath, use relaxed breathing techniques, or visualize success. It is important to practice these actions before you take the certification examination to find out which implementations work best for you.
FNP Exam Study Tip #5: Be confident!
Having the right mindset plays a large part in how well people do on a test. Those who are nervous about the exam and hesitant to make guesses often fare much worse than students with an aggressive, confident attitude. Students who start with question 1 and continue on from there don’t score as well as students who pick and choose the easy questions first before tackling the harder ones. People who take a test could have more problems than those who take the time to learn about the test beforehand. In the end, factors like these determine if people are good test takers or if they struggle even when they know the material.
Free FNP Study Schedule
Jumpstart your FNP prep with our free study schedule. This FNP exam study schedule was built to guide you through Kaplan’s new FNP Review Course, but you can also use it for your own studies to help you stay organized.
Now that you’ve reviewed our best FNP exam study tips, test your knowledge with our FNP practice quizzes! Then, review the answers in detail to see where you have room to improve.
