NURSE PRACTITIONER CERTIFICATION
EXAM PREP
7TH EDITION
• AUTHOR(S)MARGARET FITZGERALD
TEST BANK
Q1
Reference: Ch. 1 — Prepping for Nurse Practitioner Boards —
Test-taking strategies & cognitive frameworks
Stem: A 32-year-old FNP student reports anxiety during practice
exams and frequently changes answers on marked items. She
passes simple recall questions but struggles with multi-step
clinical scenarios. As her educator, which strategy most
effectively improves higher-order exam performance?
A. Increase the number of recall-style flashcards and timed
drills.
B. Teach a stepwise clinical reasoning template (data gathering
→ interpretation → differential → next step).
,C. Advise reducing study time and getting more sleep before the
exam.
D. Recommend avoiding practice tests to prevent anxiety.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct: Teaching a structured clinical reasoning
template directly targets analysis/evaluation skills by guiding
students through interpretation and decision-making. This
improves performance on multi-step board-style items and
OSCE reasoning. It aligns with NP-level expectations
emphasizing differential diagnosis and prioritized management.
Rationale — Incorrect A: Flashcards help recall but do not build
synthesis/evaluation needed for vignette-based questions.
Rationale — Incorrect C: Sleep hygiene is supportive but
insufficient alone to change reasoning.
Rationale — Incorrect D: Avoiding practice reduces exposure to
exam formats and harms performance.
Teaching point: Use a structured clinical reasoning template to
build analysis and synthesis skills.
Citation: Fitzgerald, M. (2025). Nurse Practitioner Certification
Exam Prep (7th ed.). Ch. 1.
Q2
Reference: Ch. 1 — Prepping for Nurse Practitioner Boards —
High-discrimination items & blueprinting
,Stem: You're designing a mock exam aligned to the NP board
blueprint. Which item most matches a high-discrimination,
application-level test question?
A. "List five causes of chest pain."
B. A vignette of a 58-year-old with atypical chest pain asking for
next diagnostic test choice.
C. "Define sensitivity and specificity."
D. "Which lipid is most atherogenic?"
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct: A clinical vignette requiring selection of a
diagnostic test assesses application and discrimination between
plausible choices—typical of NP board items. It probes
reasoning rather than recall. High-discrimination items use
realistic scenarios and plausible distractors.
Rationale — Incorrect A: A list-style recall item is low-level and
not high-discrimination.
Rationale — Incorrect C: Definition is recall-level.
Rationale — Incorrect D: Single-fact recall lacks complex
reasoning.
Teaching point: Use clinical vignettes with plausible distractors
to maximize discrimination.
Citation: Fitzgerald, M. (2025). Nurse Practitioner Certification
Exam Prep (7th ed.). Ch. 1.
, Q3
Reference: Ch. 1 — Prepping for Nurse Practitioner Boards —
Time management on exam day
Stem: During a full-length practice exam, a candidate spends 4
minutes on every question and finishes with 20 unanswered
items. Which time-management adjustment is most
appropriate?
A. Continue current pace but skip the remaining items.
B. Implement an initial pass (1.5–2 minutes) then mark and
return to flagged items.
C. Spend equal time on all remaining questions regardless of
difficulty.
D. Randomly guess remaining items without review.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct: An initial fast-pass strategy ensures all
items receive a first read and identifies easier items to answer
quickly; returning to difficult items conserves time and
improves overall correct responses. This aligns with
recommended NP exam strategies for efficiency and maximized
score.
Rationale — Incorrect A: Sticking to the slow pace leads to
incomplete exam and lower scores.
Rationale — Incorrect C: Equal time ignores item difficulty and
wastes time on tough items.
EXAM PREP
7TH EDITION
• AUTHOR(S)MARGARET FITZGERALD
TEST BANK
Q1
Reference: Ch. 1 — Prepping for Nurse Practitioner Boards —
Test-taking strategies & cognitive frameworks
Stem: A 32-year-old FNP student reports anxiety during practice
exams and frequently changes answers on marked items. She
passes simple recall questions but struggles with multi-step
clinical scenarios. As her educator, which strategy most
effectively improves higher-order exam performance?
A. Increase the number of recall-style flashcards and timed
drills.
B. Teach a stepwise clinical reasoning template (data gathering
→ interpretation → differential → next step).
,C. Advise reducing study time and getting more sleep before the
exam.
D. Recommend avoiding practice tests to prevent anxiety.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct: Teaching a structured clinical reasoning
template directly targets analysis/evaluation skills by guiding
students through interpretation and decision-making. This
improves performance on multi-step board-style items and
OSCE reasoning. It aligns with NP-level expectations
emphasizing differential diagnosis and prioritized management.
Rationale — Incorrect A: Flashcards help recall but do not build
synthesis/evaluation needed for vignette-based questions.
Rationale — Incorrect C: Sleep hygiene is supportive but
insufficient alone to change reasoning.
Rationale — Incorrect D: Avoiding practice reduces exposure to
exam formats and harms performance.
Teaching point: Use a structured clinical reasoning template to
build analysis and synthesis skills.
Citation: Fitzgerald, M. (2025). Nurse Practitioner Certification
Exam Prep (7th ed.). Ch. 1.
Q2
Reference: Ch. 1 — Prepping for Nurse Practitioner Boards —
High-discrimination items & blueprinting
,Stem: You're designing a mock exam aligned to the NP board
blueprint. Which item most matches a high-discrimination,
application-level test question?
A. "List five causes of chest pain."
B. A vignette of a 58-year-old with atypical chest pain asking for
next diagnostic test choice.
C. "Define sensitivity and specificity."
D. "Which lipid is most atherogenic?"
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct: A clinical vignette requiring selection of a
diagnostic test assesses application and discrimination between
plausible choices—typical of NP board items. It probes
reasoning rather than recall. High-discrimination items use
realistic scenarios and plausible distractors.
Rationale — Incorrect A: A list-style recall item is low-level and
not high-discrimination.
Rationale — Incorrect C: Definition is recall-level.
Rationale — Incorrect D: Single-fact recall lacks complex
reasoning.
Teaching point: Use clinical vignettes with plausible distractors
to maximize discrimination.
Citation: Fitzgerald, M. (2025). Nurse Practitioner Certification
Exam Prep (7th ed.). Ch. 1.
, Q3
Reference: Ch. 1 — Prepping for Nurse Practitioner Boards —
Time management on exam day
Stem: During a full-length practice exam, a candidate spends 4
minutes on every question and finishes with 20 unanswered
items. Which time-management adjustment is most
appropriate?
A. Continue current pace but skip the remaining items.
B. Implement an initial pass (1.5–2 minutes) then mark and
return to flagged items.
C. Spend equal time on all remaining questions regardless of
difficulty.
D. Randomly guess remaining items without review.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct: An initial fast-pass strategy ensures all
items receive a first read and identifies easier items to answer
quickly; returning to difficult items conserves time and
improves overall correct responses. This aligns with
recommended NP exam strategies for efficiency and maximized
score.
Rationale — Incorrect A: Sticking to the slow pace leads to
incomplete exam and lower scores.
Rationale — Incorrect C: Equal time ignores item difficulty and
wastes time on tough items.
