NURSE PRACTITIONER CERTIFICATION
EXAM PREP
7TH EDITION
• AUTHOR(S)MARGARET FITZGERALD
TEST BANK
Q1
Reference: Ch. 1 — Prepping for Nurse Practitioner Boards —
Interpreting Practice-Exam Results
Stem: You complete a 200-question timed practice exam and
score 74% with 30% of errors clustered in endocrine and
women’s health topics. Your exam-timing shows you spent
equal time per question but marked 25 items to review. Which
is the best next-step to improve performance over the next 4
weeks?
A. Continue the same timed practice schedule but add one
extra 200-question test each week.
B. Create a targeted study plan addressing endocrine and
women’s health high-yield topics, review missed-item
,rationales, and redo sets of practice items in those areas.
C. Focus on reducing time per question by practicing pacing
drills and ignore content review since timing was equal.
D. Stop full-length tests and only do topic-based flashcards for
the next 4 weeks.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct: B is best because clustered errors indicate
knowledge/strategy gaps; targeted review of high-yield
concepts plus revisiting missed-item rationales addresses both
content and diagnostic reasoning; redoing practice items
increases retention and helps transfer to board-style vignettes.
This aligns with Fitzgerald’s emphasis on focused remediation
guided by item analysis.
Rationale — A: Adding more full tests without focused
remediation risks repeating the same errors; quantity without
targeted review is inefficient.
Rationale — C: Timing was not the primary issue; improving
pace alone will not fix content-based mistakes.
Rationale — D: Flashcards alone lack context and clinical
reasoning practice needed for higher-order exam items.
Teaching point: Use item-cluster analysis to target weak
domains, not only volume of practice.
Citation: Fitzgerald, M. (2025). Nurse Practitioner Certification
Exam Prep (7th ed.). Ch. 1.
,Q2
Reference: Ch. 1 — Prepping for Nurse Practitioner Boards —
Test-Taking Psychology & Anxiety Management
Stem: A candidate reports severe test anxiety that causes
blanking during practice finals despite solid content mastery.
She wants a quick change to pass in 6 weeks. Which
intervention most directly addresses performance anxiety on
test day?
A. Increase study hours to bolster confidence.
B. Practice simulated full-length exams under test-like
conditions with breathing and rapid recovery techniques.
C. Switch to only untimed practice questions to avoid pressure.
D. Avoid practice exams to prevent negative feelings associated
with anxiety.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct: B targets state-dependent performance by
simulating test conditions and rehearsing coping strategies;
practicing recovery from distress teaches the candidate to
regain composure after an anxiety spike—techniques Fitzgerald
recommends for anxiety mitigation.
Rationale — A: More study may increase perceived competence
but does not train the physiological and cognitive responses to
high-stakes testing.
Rationale — C: Untimed practice reduces exposure to pressure
and fails to reproduce test stressors, limiting transfer.
, Rationale — D: Avoidance prevents habituation and skills
training; it increases vulnerability to test-day anxiety.
Teaching point: Simulate test conditions and rehearse recovery
strategies to reduce test anxiety.
Citation: Fitzgerald, M. (2025). Nurse Practitioner Certification
Exam Prep (7th ed.). Ch. 1.
Q3
Reference: Ch. 1 — Prepping for Nurse Practitioner Boards —
Item Analysis & Psychometrics
Stem: Your program provides item-level statistics: a practice
item has a p-value of 0.90 and a point-biserial correlation of
0.05. As an examinee interpreting your results, how should you
prioritize review of this item type?
A. High priority—focus on the item because many candidates
answer it correctly.
B. Low priority—item is too easy and has poor discrimination; it
contributes little to identifying knowledge gaps.
C. Moderate priority—relearn the content because p-value
indicates frequent errors.
D. Discard the item from practice because it is likely flawed.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct: B is correct; a high p-value means most
examinees answered correctly while a low point-biserial
indicates poor discrimination—so this item is not useful for
EXAM PREP
7TH EDITION
• AUTHOR(S)MARGARET FITZGERALD
TEST BANK
Q1
Reference: Ch. 1 — Prepping for Nurse Practitioner Boards —
Interpreting Practice-Exam Results
Stem: You complete a 200-question timed practice exam and
score 74% with 30% of errors clustered in endocrine and
women’s health topics. Your exam-timing shows you spent
equal time per question but marked 25 items to review. Which
is the best next-step to improve performance over the next 4
weeks?
A. Continue the same timed practice schedule but add one
extra 200-question test each week.
B. Create a targeted study plan addressing endocrine and
women’s health high-yield topics, review missed-item
,rationales, and redo sets of practice items in those areas.
C. Focus on reducing time per question by practicing pacing
drills and ignore content review since timing was equal.
D. Stop full-length tests and only do topic-based flashcards for
the next 4 weeks.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct: B is best because clustered errors indicate
knowledge/strategy gaps; targeted review of high-yield
concepts plus revisiting missed-item rationales addresses both
content and diagnostic reasoning; redoing practice items
increases retention and helps transfer to board-style vignettes.
This aligns with Fitzgerald’s emphasis on focused remediation
guided by item analysis.
Rationale — A: Adding more full tests without focused
remediation risks repeating the same errors; quantity without
targeted review is inefficient.
Rationale — C: Timing was not the primary issue; improving
pace alone will not fix content-based mistakes.
Rationale — D: Flashcards alone lack context and clinical
reasoning practice needed for higher-order exam items.
Teaching point: Use item-cluster analysis to target weak
domains, not only volume of practice.
Citation: Fitzgerald, M. (2025). Nurse Practitioner Certification
Exam Prep (7th ed.). Ch. 1.
,Q2
Reference: Ch. 1 — Prepping for Nurse Practitioner Boards —
Test-Taking Psychology & Anxiety Management
Stem: A candidate reports severe test anxiety that causes
blanking during practice finals despite solid content mastery.
She wants a quick change to pass in 6 weeks. Which
intervention most directly addresses performance anxiety on
test day?
A. Increase study hours to bolster confidence.
B. Practice simulated full-length exams under test-like
conditions with breathing and rapid recovery techniques.
C. Switch to only untimed practice questions to avoid pressure.
D. Avoid practice exams to prevent negative feelings associated
with anxiety.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct: B targets state-dependent performance by
simulating test conditions and rehearsing coping strategies;
practicing recovery from distress teaches the candidate to
regain composure after an anxiety spike—techniques Fitzgerald
recommends for anxiety mitigation.
Rationale — A: More study may increase perceived competence
but does not train the physiological and cognitive responses to
high-stakes testing.
Rationale — C: Untimed practice reduces exposure to pressure
and fails to reproduce test stressors, limiting transfer.
, Rationale — D: Avoidance prevents habituation and skills
training; it increases vulnerability to test-day anxiety.
Teaching point: Simulate test conditions and rehearse recovery
strategies to reduce test anxiety.
Citation: Fitzgerald, M. (2025). Nurse Practitioner Certification
Exam Prep (7th ed.). Ch. 1.
Q3
Reference: Ch. 1 — Prepping for Nurse Practitioner Boards —
Item Analysis & Psychometrics
Stem: Your program provides item-level statistics: a practice
item has a p-value of 0.90 and a point-biserial correlation of
0.05. As an examinee interpreting your results, how should you
prioritize review of this item type?
A. High priority—focus on the item because many candidates
answer it correctly.
B. Low priority—item is too easy and has poor discrimination; it
contributes little to identifying knowledge gaps.
C. Moderate priority—relearn the content because p-value
indicates frequent errors.
D. Discard the item from practice because it is likely flawed.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct: B is correct; a high p-value means most
examinees answered correctly while a low point-biserial
indicates poor discrimination—so this item is not useful for
