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Exam Overview
Both certifying exams are computer-based tests given at Prometric test centers. You apply to the certifying body first, and once your application is approved you receive authorization to schedule a seat within a 120-day testing window.
Key Facts About the Two Certification Exams
| Feature | ANCC | AANPCB |
|---|---|---|
| Credential | AGPCNP-BC | A-GNP |
| Total questions | 175 | 150 |
| Scored questions | 150 (plus 25 unscored pretest) | 135 (plus 15 unscored pretest) |
| Testing time | 3.5 hours | 3 hours |
| Question format | Mostly four-option multiple choice; may include multiple-response, drag-and-drop and hot-spot items | Four-option multiple choice |
| Passing score | Scaled score of 350 (scale maximum 500) | Scaled score of 500 (scale 200 to 800) |
| Test fee | $395 non-member; $295 ANA member; $340 AANP or GAPNA member | $315 non-member; $240 AANP member |
| Retake rule | 60 days after your last attempt; no more than 3 attempts in 12 months | Up to 2 attempts per calendar year; 15 contact hours of CE in weak areas before retesting |
| Certification period | 5 years | 5 years |
Fees and policies change from time to time, so confirm them on the certifying body's website before you apply.
Eligibility
Both boards require a current, active registered nurse license; graduation from an accredited adult-gerontology primary care NP master's, doctoral or post-graduate certificate program; three graduate-level APRN core courses in advanced pathophysiology, advanced health assessment and advanced pharmacology; and at least 500 faculty-supervised direct patient care clinical hours. Both allow you to apply shortly before program completion, but you may test only after all coursework and clinical hours are finished.
What the ANCC Exam Covers
ANCC Content Outline
| Domain | Scored Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| I Patient Assessment Process | 36 | 24% |
| II Plan of Care | 90 | 60% |
| III Professional Practice | 24 | 16% |
Patient Assessment Process covers the health history, physical examination, functional, psychosocial, cognitive and mental health assessment. Plan of Care, by far the largest domain, covers diagnosis, pharmacology (including aging, the Beers Criteria, pharmacogenetics, interactions, polypharmacy and deprescribing) and implementation and evaluation (behavior change, chronic disease management, advance care planning, palliative and hospice care, patient education and modifying the plan). Professional Practice covers scope of practice, regulation, legal and ethical issues, social determinants of health, health promotion, population health and epidemiology. Questions are also classified by body system, drug class and age group, from adolescent to frail elderly.
What the AANPCB Exam Covers
AANPCB Content Outline
| Domain | Scored Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Assess | 37 | 28% |
| Diagnose | 34 | 25% |
| Plan | 34 | 25% |
| Evaluate | 30 | 22% |
The AANPCB outline follows the steps of a patient encounter. Assess covers the comprehensive or focused history and examination and ordering and interpreting screening, diagnostic and therapeutic tests. Diagnose covers differential diagnosis, recognizing urgent and emergent conditions and establishing the primary diagnosis. Plan covers the care plan, referrals, pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic therapy, education and health promotion. Evaluate covers monitoring the plan, finding barriers and modifying ongoing care. Questions draw on four knowledge areas: health assessment, pathophysiology (including multi-system disease), therapeutics and evidence-informed practice (clinical decision-making, crisis management, transitions of care, legal and ethical issues, population health and health policy). Items address adolescents, young adults, middle adults and older adults, and older adults make up the largest share.
The AANPCB weights in the table are from its newest blueprint. AANPCB updates its blueprint periodically, so check the AGNP Candidate Handbook for the version in effect on your test date.
How the Exams Are Scored
Both exams are criterion-referenced: you are measured against a fixed passing standard set by expert panels, not against other candidates. Pretest questions do not count, and you cannot tell which questions they are, so treat every question as scored. There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so answer every question. ANCC reports a scaled score with 350 needed to pass. AANPCB gives a preliminary pass or fail result at the test center, and the official result follows in your online account.
What Kinds of Questions to Expect
- Primary care cases that ask for the most likely diagnosis, the best initial test or the first-line treatment
- Older adults with several chronic conditions and long medication lists, testing the Beers Criteria, interactions, renal dosing and deprescribing
- Lab panels, vital signs, spirometry, ECG findings and other data to interpret
- Screening and immunization decisions for patients of different ages and risk levels
- Findings that require urgent referral or emergency care
- Professional practice questions on scope, consent, confidentiality, ethics, reporting duties and basic statistics
- On the ANCC exam, occasional multiple-response, drag-and-drop or hot-spot items that test the same knowledge in a different format
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