NURSE PRACTITIONER CERTIFICATION
EXAM PREP
7TH EDITION
• AUTHOR(S)MARGARET FITZGERALD
TEST BANK
Q1
Reference: Ch. 1 — Prepping for Nurse Practitioner Boards —
Individualized Study Planning
Stem: A 32-year-old FNP student finishing clinical rotations
reports scoring 60–65% on practice exams in cardiology and
endocrinology but 85–90% in respiratory and infectious disease.
She has eight weeks before her exam and can study 20
hours/week. As her NP educator, which study plan change most
likely improves her board readiness?
A. Continue broad review focusing equally on all systems to
avoid gaps.
B. Allocate 60% of study time to cardiology/endocrinology with
,practice-item mastery and spaced retrieval.
C. Reduce study hours to 10/week and use the remaining time
for full-length practice exams only.
D. Focus on review of high-yield respiratory and infectious
disease material to maximize score gains.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct: Prioritizing weak domains with
concentrated, spaced retrieval and active practice maximizes
score improvement in limited time; this aligns with targeted
remediation and deliberate practice strategies. Focused time
allocation (60%) on weakest areas plus mixed practice increases
discrimination and clinical reasoning.
Rationale — Incorrect:
A. Equal review wastes limited time on already-strong areas and
reduces remediation impact.
C. Dropping hours and doing only full-length exams neglects
deliberate practice and content remediation.
D. Focusing on already-strong areas yields marginal gains and
misses red-flag weaknesses.
Teaching point: Prioritize weakest domains with focused, active,
spaced practice.
Citation: Fitzgerald, M. (2025). Nurse Practitioner Certification
Exam Prep (7th ed.). Ch. 1.
Q2
,Reference: Ch. 1 — Prepping for Nurse Practitioner Boards —
Exam Blueprint & Test Specification Use
Stem: During a 6-week study plan, a student ignores the exam
blueprint and instead studies topics in random order based on
interest. Two mock exams show persistent underperformance
on geriatrics and women's health. What is the most defensible
next step?
A. Continue current method; interest-based study improves
motivation and will eventually cover deficits.
B. Rebuild the study plan to align with the exam blueprint and
weight topics proportionally, adding targeted practice items.
C. Abandon blueprint; focus solely on taking timed practice
tests to build stamina.
D. Hire a tutor who will teach only high-yield facts from popular
review sources.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct: Aligning study with the official blueprint
ensures coverage proportional to tested content; pairing with
targeted practice addresses deficits and optimizes exam-day
preparedness. This is evidence-based remediation and reduces
content omission risk.
Rationale — Incorrect:
A. Interest-based study risks leaving high-weight content
insufficiently covered.
C. Timed practice helps stamina but without blueprint
alignment may not correct content gaps.
D. A tutor might help, but focusing only on “popular” high-yield
, facts without blueprint alignment may still miss tested content.
Teaching point: Use the exam blueprint to allocate study time
proportionally.
Citation: Fitzgerald, M. (2025). Nurse Practitioner Certification
Exam Prep (7th ed.). Ch. 1.
Q3
Reference: Ch. 1 — Prepping for Nurse Practitioner Boards —
Active Learning Techniques
Stem: A student repeatedly reads review texts but fails to
transfer knowledge to clinical vignettes. Which active learning
strategy most likely improves clinical reasoning for board-style
items?
A. Read the same chapters more slowly and highlight key
sentences.
B. Use case-based practice questions with self-explanation and
error analysis after each question.
C. Listen to audio summaries of chapters during commutes
without practice questions.
D. Memorize algorithms and checklists verbatim for quick recall.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct: Case-based practice with self-explanation
promotes transfer to clinical scenarios, deepens reasoning, and
improves ability to analyze distractors — essential for board-
style items. Error analysis identifies patterns in misconceptions.
Rationale — Incorrect:
EXAM PREP
7TH EDITION
• AUTHOR(S)MARGARET FITZGERALD
TEST BANK
Q1
Reference: Ch. 1 — Prepping for Nurse Practitioner Boards —
Individualized Study Planning
Stem: A 32-year-old FNP student finishing clinical rotations
reports scoring 60–65% on practice exams in cardiology and
endocrinology but 85–90% in respiratory and infectious disease.
She has eight weeks before her exam and can study 20
hours/week. As her NP educator, which study plan change most
likely improves her board readiness?
A. Continue broad review focusing equally on all systems to
avoid gaps.
B. Allocate 60% of study time to cardiology/endocrinology with
,practice-item mastery and spaced retrieval.
C. Reduce study hours to 10/week and use the remaining time
for full-length practice exams only.
D. Focus on review of high-yield respiratory and infectious
disease material to maximize score gains.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct: Prioritizing weak domains with
concentrated, spaced retrieval and active practice maximizes
score improvement in limited time; this aligns with targeted
remediation and deliberate practice strategies. Focused time
allocation (60%) on weakest areas plus mixed practice increases
discrimination and clinical reasoning.
Rationale — Incorrect:
A. Equal review wastes limited time on already-strong areas and
reduces remediation impact.
C. Dropping hours and doing only full-length exams neglects
deliberate practice and content remediation.
D. Focusing on already-strong areas yields marginal gains and
misses red-flag weaknesses.
Teaching point: Prioritize weakest domains with focused, active,
spaced practice.
Citation: Fitzgerald, M. (2025). Nurse Practitioner Certification
Exam Prep (7th ed.). Ch. 1.
Q2
,Reference: Ch. 1 — Prepping for Nurse Practitioner Boards —
Exam Blueprint & Test Specification Use
Stem: During a 6-week study plan, a student ignores the exam
blueprint and instead studies topics in random order based on
interest. Two mock exams show persistent underperformance
on geriatrics and women's health. What is the most defensible
next step?
A. Continue current method; interest-based study improves
motivation and will eventually cover deficits.
B. Rebuild the study plan to align with the exam blueprint and
weight topics proportionally, adding targeted practice items.
C. Abandon blueprint; focus solely on taking timed practice
tests to build stamina.
D. Hire a tutor who will teach only high-yield facts from popular
review sources.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct: Aligning study with the official blueprint
ensures coverage proportional to tested content; pairing with
targeted practice addresses deficits and optimizes exam-day
preparedness. This is evidence-based remediation and reduces
content omission risk.
Rationale — Incorrect:
A. Interest-based study risks leaving high-weight content
insufficiently covered.
C. Timed practice helps stamina but without blueprint
alignment may not correct content gaps.
D. A tutor might help, but focusing only on “popular” high-yield
, facts without blueprint alignment may still miss tested content.
Teaching point: Use the exam blueprint to allocate study time
proportionally.
Citation: Fitzgerald, M. (2025). Nurse Practitioner Certification
Exam Prep (7th ed.). Ch. 1.
Q3
Reference: Ch. 1 — Prepping for Nurse Practitioner Boards —
Active Learning Techniques
Stem: A student repeatedly reads review texts but fails to
transfer knowledge to clinical vignettes. Which active learning
strategy most likely improves clinical reasoning for board-style
items?
A. Read the same chapters more slowly and highlight key
sentences.
B. Use case-based practice questions with self-explanation and
error analysis after each question.
C. Listen to audio summaries of chapters during commutes
without practice questions.
D. Memorize algorithms and checklists verbatim for quick recall.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct: Case-based practice with self-explanation
promotes transfer to clinical scenarios, deepens reasoning, and
improves ability to analyze distractors — essential for board-
style items. Error analysis identifies patterns in misconceptions.
Rationale — Incorrect:
