The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners certification examination (also known as the AANP® FNP exam) is an entry-level examination for candidates who have met the experience and educational requirements to become a nurse practitioner and wish to gain NP licensure.
What Does the AANP Test?
The AANP FNP exam is competency-based and examines clinical knowledge across a patient’s life span. According to the AANP blueprint, assessment, diagnosis, plan, and evaluation skills are tested in the following patient age ranges: prenatal, pediatric (includes newborn and infant), adolescent (early and late), adult, geriatric, and elderly.
How Many Questions Are on the AANP?
There are 150 multiple-choice questions on the AANP FNP exam; however, only 135 of these questions are actually scored. 15 of the questions on the exam are known as “pretest” questions and are used to gather statistical information in a vetting process to determine if they should be used as scored questions on a future exam. Pretest questions do not affect scoring.
How Long Is the AANP?
Candidates are given 180 minutes (3 hours) to complete the AANP FNP exam. Before beginning the exam, sample questions and a brief tutorial are provided so that candidates are comfortable and informed regarding the exam format. Time spent on the tutorial and sample questions is not deducted from the 180 minutes allowed to complete the exam.
What Is a Passing Score on the AANP?
A candidate’s total number of correct answers on the exam is known as the raw score. That raw score is converted into a scaled score. That scaled score ranges from 200 to 800 points. In order to pass the AANP FNP certification exam, a candidate must reach a minimum score of 500.
Candidates receive an immediate “pass” or “no pass” analysis upon completion of their exams. Though this informs the candidate whether they passed or not, this is not official documentation.
Upon receipt of all required fees and paperwork, the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB) releases a candidate’s scores (this typically takes up to 48 hours). If the candidate passed, a printable wallet card can be found on his or her online profile for download.
Official score reports, and certificates for candidates who passed, are sent out to all test-takers within 2–3 weeks of the AANP FNP exam date.
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