Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) AANP Exam Practice Questions

Family Nurse Practitioner Review Course Editor

Rachael Pillar, BSN, MS, FNP-C

Editor Rachael Pillar, BSN, MS, FNP-C is a practicing FNP who is FNP certified by the AANP and has most recently been involved in the editing and review of the AANP FNP question bank.

What is covered on the AANP FNP Exam?

According to the AANPCB FNP and AGNP Certification Candidate Handbook, the exam covers the follow topics:

Assessment 32%

• Obtain subjective patient information including but not limited to relevant medical history (including biopsychosocial, economic, environmental, family, military, travel, occupational, preventive components), chief complaint, history of present illness, and review of systems to determine health needs and problems
• Obtain objective information based on patient age/developmental level, health history, and comorbidities to further define and evaluate health needs and problems

Diagnosis 27%

• Formulate differential diagnoses
• Establish definitive diagnoses

Plan 27%

• Establish a safe plan of patient-centered treatment and care that is individualized, cost effective, consistent with best evidence, age appropriate, and culturally-sensitive in order to address the diagnoses

Evaluation 15%

• Determine the effectiveness of the plan of treatment and care based on outcomes
• Modify the plan of treatment and care as appropriate based on outcomes

AANP FNP Board Review Tips

The AANP exam is a relatively tough exam with a FNP pass rate of 84%. After several years of study, to have approximately 19% of test takers fail is a fairly high hurdle. Taking AANP specific practice questions is the single best method of preparing for the exam. Not only do practice questions prepare you for the format of the 150 MCQ questions encountered on the exam - Nurse Practitioners who complete more questions do have a higher pass rate.

The feedback on the FNP AANP exam is to prepare well for female disorders, thyroid, and various skin conditions and disorders. While the ANCC is more focused on ethics questions and general knowledge, the AANP exam does focus more on medical topics. The BoardVitals AANP FNP question bank is very reflective of this content distribution and focuses on the AANP outline.

While the exam is difficult, using the Fitzgerald textbook in tandem with the BoardVitals question banks is an excellent way to prepare. Given the cost and time involved in having to re-take the exam, it is worth the time and effort to study upfront. While the AANP exam generally sticks to mainstream topics, there are a few esoteric concepts that you likely haven’t reviewed over the past couple of years.