NP exam prep and review courses

Any nurse practitioner certification exam review can be a daunting task and something you don’t want to think about. Well, you should if you want to increase your chances of being successful on the exam. You learned things at the beginning of your program that you will be tested on so you will want to brush up on that information. Many exam review courses also give you tips and tricks for dissecting the questions and determining the best answer, not just the right answer.

I talked about this briefly in my post about the Cost of Getting an NP License, but here are some review course options:

• Advanced Practice Education Associates (APEA) in person $600, online $400. These courses come with a few printed study materials.

• Fitzgerald Health Education Associates (FHEA) $600 to $1100 depending on if you want a live stream or in person. Most packages come with printed materials as well. There are more study materials such as cue cards, review books, and practice question books that range from $35 to $100.

• American Nurses Association (ANA) offers an online review course for $300-400 with extra review materials anywhere from $50-$150.

I did the online Fitzgerald Health Education Associates course which was generously donated to all the students in my graduating class, however, I did pay for extra review books and materials so that was a few hundred dollars out of my pocket, and it was worth it. I thought the content was fantastic and the approach to answering the questions was great. The instructor walked through the reasons why each answer was the best answer and it helped me remember some information that I struggled with during school.

Ultimately it is up to you what you can and want to afford and how you want to study, but you should study! Take some time off (I took a week) after graduation and don’t do anything. Forget about school, don’t think about the exam, just enjoy a week with no pressure and no studying for anything. Then pick up your materials and set a good 4-6 weeks with a schedule of exam prep time at least 6 days per week and stick to it. Setting a schedule is SOOO important because you can completely engage your brain in studying and reviewing without distraction. You will remember more and be more efficient if you schedule out time to study.

Again, it is your choice on how much you want to prepare but taking a review course will help you be successful on the exam (and often on the first try). Leave a comment and let me know what course you did or what you found helpful in your own studying!