How Many Questions Are on the AANP® Certification Test? (2024)

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.

Are you preparing to further your nursing career as an FNP? Let us help you pass your licensure exam! Our industry-leading online learning tool incorporates challenging questions, detailed explanations, vivid illustrations, and customizable flashcards to reinforce clinical thinking. It’s no surprise that over 700,000 nursing students have used UWorld for their high-stakes exam preparation since we launched our nursing product in 2015. Start your FNP FREE trial today to see how we can prepare you for the test and for new levels of career success.

How Many Questions Are on the AANP® Certification Test? (2024)

FAQs

How Many Questions Are on the AANP® Certification Test? ›

AANP Exam Blueprint

How many questions do you need to pass AANP? ›

Of those 150 questions, 15 are pretest questions not counted toward your final score. You'll have three hours to complete the exam covering four domain areas including assessment, diagnosis, planning, and evaluation. The AANP-FNP exam is scored on a range of 200 to 800 and a passing score is 500.

How many questions are on the AANP exam vs ANCC? ›

What's the difference between the AANP and ANCC Exams?
ANCC ExamAANP Exam
Time3.5 hours3 hours
Number of Questions175 (150 + 25 pretest)150 (135 +15 pretest)
Question FormatSingle answer multiple choice Multiple response multiple choice Drag and drop Hot spotSingle answer multiple choice
CredentialsFNP-BC™FNP-C
2 more rows
Mar 1, 2024

How many questions do I need to get right on ANCC FNP exam? ›

To pass the ANCC examination, an examinee must achieve a scale score of 350 or higher. Prior to conversion of an examinee's score to this scale, the examinee's raw score on the examination is determined, which is simply the number of test items that the examinee answered correctly (e.g., 105 out of 150).

How long is the AANP exam? ›

How long is the test and how many questions does it contain? ANCC: There are between 175 or 200 questions. It will take around 4 hours to finish the test depending on the number of questions. AANP: There are 150 questions and the exam lasts 3 hours in length.

Is the AANP exam difficult? ›

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.

What is a scaled score of 500? ›

What does this mean? Where does the 500 come from? Scaled scores are calculated by using statistical procedures to translate raw scores onto the 200-800 scale with 500 as the passing score. You cannot calculate the number of questions you got right or wrong from the scaled scores.

Can I take ANCC if I fail AANP? ›

They're totally independent from one another, so if you fail one and pass another, it's no big deal. You're still a real deal nurse practitioner. If you go ahead and apply for ANCC, then you don't have to do any of AANP's additional requirements to retest, because that's going to take extra time.

What percentage of people pass the NP exam? ›

What is the pass rate? ANCC: In 2023, the average pass rate for the FNP exam was 85%. AANP: In 2022, the average pass rate for the FNP exam was 74%.

How hard is it to pass the NP exam? ›

The AANP expects between 80 and 90 percent of test takers each year to pass the exam, but this number varies a lot depending on specialty.

How many times a year can you take AANP exam? ›

The AANP certification exam may not be taken more than two times in any calendar year. Which nurse practitioner certification exam will you take? You Might Also Like: How Do Pass Rates for the ANCC and AANP Certification Exams Compare?

What do you do after you pass your AANP exam? ›

After passing the exam, apply for initial NP licensure in your state. NPs must periodically renew their certification and state licenses by meeting certain requirements, including continuing education. Consult the certification board and state regulatory body for specific requirements.

Is the AANP exam multiple choice? ›

The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) FNP certification exam contains 150 questions. * 15 of the questions are pretest questions which are not scored. 135 of the questions are scored questions. Questions are in multiple choice format with only one answer being correct.

How soon can you take the AANP if you fail? ›

For AANP, there's no wait to retest again, but you have to do 15 contact hours to be able to apply to retest. If you fail ANCC, it's a 60-day waiting period, but there's no contact hour requirement.

What is the pass rate for AANP and ANCC? ›

ANCC: In 2023, the average pass rate for the FNP exam was 85%. AANP: In 2022, the average pass rate for the FNP exam was 74%. Key Takeaway: Many examinees make the mistake of not adequately preparing for the difficulty found in these exams as demonstrated by the pass rates.

What is a good score on BoardVitals AANP? ›

The exam will automatically select more or less difficult questions based on your performance. At the end of the exam, you will see your results. Our research shows that BoardVitals users are prepared to sit for their board exams when scoring in the 65-75% range.

Can you flag questions on AANP exam? ›

Passing the Test!!

I'm not sure if it was Leik that said this (she does give some great exam tips) but just an FYI for all you nervous folks: you can mark/flag as many questions as you like.

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