Nurse Practitioner (NP) Exam

If you are a licensed registered nurse who is about to complete an accredited masters, post-masters, or doctoral level program in a specific area of nursing, you may want to consider taking the Nurse Practitioner (NP) Exam. The NP Exam, developed by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program and the Professional Examination Service, tests the skill and knowledge of entry-level nurses in various practitioner programs. The certification gained through the Nurse Practitioner Exams entitles registered nurses who have obtained a high level of education and clinical experience to perform responsibilities that were once solely held by physicians. NP certification will allow for potential salary increases and will give you an advantage in your career.

To take the exam, you must have an active RN license that has been registered in any state or territory of the United States. If you have earned your RN license in a country other than the United States, it must be a legal, certified, recognizable equivalent to a U.S. license. You must also hold at least a master’s degree from an accredited nurse practitioner program. All applicants must also have completed a minimum of 500 clinical hours that have been supervised by an authorized faculty member.

NP certification exams are offered by several non-government agencies, but the most commonly used organizations include: the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). The number of questions on the NP exams varies slightly, depending on which agency you use. The ANCC exams consist of 175 questions, 25 of which are sample items that are only included for possible use on future tests, but do not count towards your overall score. The AANP exams consist of 150 questions, with 15 being sample questions. Both sites offer only computer-based exams, but exams taken through ANCC offer an optional 20-minute practical tutorial for test-takers who are not computer literate.

The various Nurse Practitioner exams are available to RNs year-round at testing sites across the United States. The cost of each exam varies according to the organization that offers the test. NP exams taken through AANP cost $240 for members and $315 for non-members. If taken through ANCC, NP exams cost $270 for members of the American Nurse Association, $350 for members of American College of Nurse Practitioners, and $395 for non-members.