Facing the Boards

Roxanna, don't give up, honey. I would most def go to a review course so you can get the most up to date information. Leave yourself about a month of that and then test... Don't put it off anymore. That's just going to make the situation worse. And getting a study partner is HUGE. Even if it's just someone on the phone and you guys quiz one another. I also had my hubby quiz me. I had a huge notebook with information and he'd go to random spots and ask me questions about information. It was quite amusing, really.. LOL... He'd end up spelling half of it b/c he couldn't pronounce it....

I graduated from NP school in Dec. 2011 and took the boards and did not passed and I had good grades in college.  Right now I am having a hard time in trying to review again to re-take exam because I am scared I will fail again.  If anyone knows what I can do differently let me know because it took a lot out of my self-confidence.

Graduated from the same school in 2011. I took the certification soon as I can and passed. Typhon plus those 10 page soaps-which are double spaced APA style. Get used to it as that's what you will do every single day...working as an NP. The typhon is a perfect example. You have to learn to love to do that as you will bill for your own services. Depending on where you work, you have to learn how you will "bill" for your services. The exam was not bad - a lot of the questions are easy of you have good preceptorship and a good clinical instructor very critical of your SOAPs. The exam has a lot of case scenarios and you would need to know your assessment and plan. I thought I was gonna quit my last semester because of all those requirements plus the cllinical hours while raising a family and having 2 Ft jobs. I was lucky to have wonderful instructors that were very strict with how I write my HP and soaps as it came very easy once I started my first job. Chin up, you'll do fine. I now precept students from my Alma Mater ;)

LOL Anne-Marie! I took my FNP board in September 2011. 45 minutes into the exam all the computers in the room crashed! I just sat there praying. Then they had us all step out of while they rebooted the server and tested the boxes. I kept thinking that if I ran out of time at the end or lost all my work so far, I would demand a retest. Ended up that I still finished early and somehow managed to pass. I can completely identify with the feeling of relief you describe at the end! Congrats and good luck at your first job. If you are like me it will be an even bigger "test" than the boards.

Sorry for my delay in responding to you guys!!! As you can imagine, I've sort of quit getting on my computer as frequently since finally being finished with school! LOL.. @Sharron Parrish I am actually in the process of writing a book and was planning on hitting that topic in my book! @ Melinda Turner, I'm so sorry that you've had such difficulty in passing boards. I couldn't imagine what you're going through right now and I'm praying for you success on your next attempt!@Renada I HATE SOAP notes. hehe. But unfortunately they NEVER go away... I got into the habit and copying and pasting the norms and then just adding and changing what needed to be changed with each patient. Hope this helps.

I did all that you did and have set for exams in pmhnp and fnp 5 and 3 times, failed all.  I did have some battles with both instructor under each program.  I beleive I have been coded against. I followed the boars suggestions, took their courses and bouight there books. I have lost 5+ years of my life dealing with this, nursing is so horrible compared to all the other disciplines.  I could have beern a doctor by now.  Treacherous, treacherous.

I just sat for and passed both the Adult and the Adult/Gero NP board exams in Texas.  If you are in Texas or planning on getting certified as an AGNP you are all too familiar with why I had to take two exams...for those of you who this does not apply....even though AGNP programs are replacing Geriatric and eventually Adult programs Texas BON does not yet recognize AGNP certification...only a handle full of states currently do....so to practice until this recognition occurs maybe by June 2013 (I graduated Dec 2012)....I opted to take both exams.

I prepared much like Anne-Marie...took a review course, listened to two reviews on CDs from separate presenters one from 2011 and one from 2012, even bought and studied the review book by Leik.  I was not taking any chances.  

I took the AGNP exam first and could feel my heart beating out of my chest all the way through....as Anne Marie stated there is what seems to be a tremendously long wait for your results to appear...what she did not mention that I found so funny is a screen actually comes up and asks you if you want to take a survey BEFORE we show you the results....guessing they do not get many takers :-)

I highly recommend the review cds, even ones that are a year or two old, and dont wait to start listening to them.  Remember the stuff your are being tested on has to already be presented in 2 or 3 different sources....the test format is not flexible enough to change quickly.  I wish I had started listening to them from the beginning of my program I think they would have been a fantastic tool and resource to have while doing clinicals.

Best of luck to all!

Congratulations,

I think it would be great to have a support group of NPs working in cardiology.  I would love to learn more about other people's practices .........cynthia

First of all, CONGRATULATIONS!  I took my test 30 years ago and still remember the anxiety it provoked.  Now our organization has decided everyone must re-test every 8 years.  Imagine my anxiety as I must now retest after all these years!!!

Congratulations Anne-Marie.  You were correct in saying that testing conditions were sub-minimal to say the least.  You certainly accomplished all the tasks prior to the exam to insure passing.  I was happy to read your post and to say, you deserved to pass.  Ever think about writing a check list for others to share to prepare for the exam.

Sharon Parrish, MSN, ARNP, EdD

Orlando, FL

Research Coordinator and past faculty member for 30 years

Yep, that's how I remember boards too! I took them in 1999 and the experience is as vivid in my mind as if it were yesterday. It was still on paper then and we had to get the results 6 weeks later in the mail...I remember staring at it lying in my mailbox, afraid to open the envelope! Congrats Ann-Marie! You've chosen a great road to travel!

Although I would not know until I actually sat down to take the certification exam, the FNP program that I attended prepared us quite well to pass that exam. The certification exam was not as difficult as the exams that we were given throughout our program. The questions were logical and easily "reasoned" out if you were well-prepared and, overall, addressed "horses," not zebras! The review course that I took focused a great deal on test-taking strategy, which was very helpful. It is important to remain calm so that you can think clearly. Don't worry about time...you are given 3.5 hours to take a 150 question test. You have more than enough time to finish the test.

Thank you for that frightening synapse. I am scared to death. I will graduate in April and am taking the review at the end of January. If I wasn't taking a review, I'd really be scared. I feel like I haven’t learned anything but we sure did a lot of SOAP notes and typhon notes. I doubt that's going to get me anywhere though.

It has been a long 3 years and i feel like we should be reviewing this semester since it is our last, but we're not, just a lot of SOAPS. Our school is needlessly obsessed with them. They are not even realistic...who ever heard of a 10 page SOAP note?

I'm hoping I feel more confident after the review.