NURSE PRACTITIONER CERTIFICATION
EXAM PREP
7TH EDITION
• AUTHOR(S)MARGARET FITZGERALD
TEST BANK
Q1
Reference: Ch. 1 — Prepping for Nurse Practitioner Boards —
Test Blueprint & Exam Focus
Stem: A 29-year-old FNP student has 8 weeks until the
certification exam. She has completed content review but
scores 60% on practice exams, missing items across
pharmacology and cardiology. Which study strategy best
addresses her performance gap?
A. Continue broad content review across all systems with timed
75-question practice sets weekly.
B. Use focused, spaced retrieval practice on weak topics while
doing mixed mini-blocks simulating exam conditions.
,C. Decrease studying and repeat full-length untimed practice
exams daily for confidence.
D. Memorize high-yield facts from flashcards for pharmacology
and cardiology only.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct: Focused, spaced retrieval on identified
weak areas with intermittent mixed mini-blocks aligns with
evidence-based study techniques and Fitzgerald’s approach to
targeted remediation and test simulation; this improves
retention and transfer to mixed-content exams. It balances
depth with exam realism.
Rationale — Incorrect:
A. Broad review ignores targeted weakness and is inefficient
given the time left.
C. Untimed daily full exams risk burnout and do not prioritize
weak-topic mastery.
D. Pure memorization misses clinical application and differential
reasoning required on boards.
Teaching point: Target weak domains with spaced retrieval +
mixed-format simulation.
Citation: Fitzgerald, M. (2025). Nurse Practitioner Certification
Exam Prep (7th ed.). Ch. 1.
Q2
Reference: Ch. 1 — Prepping for Nurse Practitioner Boards —
Question Analysis
,Stem: During a practice session, a candidate marks many items
as “I think A or C.” According to sound item-analysis strategy,
what is the best next-step when encountering ambiguous stems
on exam day?
A. Choose the option that appears most frequently in previous
answers.
B. Re-read the stem, identify the exact task verb, and eliminate
options inconsistent with that verb.
C. Select C when unsure because it is often correct on practice
tests.
D. Skip the question and return only if time permits.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct: Fitzgerald emphasizes decoding the
question’s task verb (e.g., “next best step,” “most likely
diagnosis”) and using elimination to narrow plausible
distractors — a high-yield analytic approach for ambiguity.
Rationale — Incorrect:
A/C. Relying on answer frequencies is a superstition and
unreliable.
D. Skipping without applying analytic elimination wastes
opportunities and can lose easy points.
Teaching point: Identify the task verb first; eliminate
inconsistent choices.
Citation: Fitzgerald, M. (2025). Nurse Practitioner Certification
Exam Prep (7th ed.). Ch. 1.
, Q3
Reference: Ch. 1 — Prepping for Nurse Practitioner Boards —
Cognitive Levels & Bloom’s Taxonomy
Stem: An instructor wants practice items that assess synthesis-
level reasoning. Which practice item best fits synthesis-level
cognitive demand for NP boards?
A. Identify the most likely organism causing otitis media.
B. Choose the next best step for a 65-year-old with chest pain
and equivocal ECG.
C. List two risk factors for colorectal cancer.
D. Recall the normal range for serum sodium.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct: A “next best step” in an ambiguous
clinical context requires integrating data, weighing
risks/benefits, and synthesizing a management plan—matching
synthesis/evaluation levels emphasized in Ch. 1.
Rationale — Incorrect:
A/C/D. These are recall or lower-order application items; they
do not require integrative reasoning.
Teaching point: Use “next step” and management scenarios to
test synthesis and evaluation.
Citation: Fitzgerald, M. (2025). Nurse Practitioner Certification
Exam Prep (7th ed.). Ch. 1.
Q4
EXAM PREP
7TH EDITION
• AUTHOR(S)MARGARET FITZGERALD
TEST BANK
Q1
Reference: Ch. 1 — Prepping for Nurse Practitioner Boards —
Test Blueprint & Exam Focus
Stem: A 29-year-old FNP student has 8 weeks until the
certification exam. She has completed content review but
scores 60% on practice exams, missing items across
pharmacology and cardiology. Which study strategy best
addresses her performance gap?
A. Continue broad content review across all systems with timed
75-question practice sets weekly.
B. Use focused, spaced retrieval practice on weak topics while
doing mixed mini-blocks simulating exam conditions.
,C. Decrease studying and repeat full-length untimed practice
exams daily for confidence.
D. Memorize high-yield facts from flashcards for pharmacology
and cardiology only.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct: Focused, spaced retrieval on identified
weak areas with intermittent mixed mini-blocks aligns with
evidence-based study techniques and Fitzgerald’s approach to
targeted remediation and test simulation; this improves
retention and transfer to mixed-content exams. It balances
depth with exam realism.
Rationale — Incorrect:
A. Broad review ignores targeted weakness and is inefficient
given the time left.
C. Untimed daily full exams risk burnout and do not prioritize
weak-topic mastery.
D. Pure memorization misses clinical application and differential
reasoning required on boards.
Teaching point: Target weak domains with spaced retrieval +
mixed-format simulation.
Citation: Fitzgerald, M. (2025). Nurse Practitioner Certification
Exam Prep (7th ed.). Ch. 1.
Q2
Reference: Ch. 1 — Prepping for Nurse Practitioner Boards —
Question Analysis
,Stem: During a practice session, a candidate marks many items
as “I think A or C.” According to sound item-analysis strategy,
what is the best next-step when encountering ambiguous stems
on exam day?
A. Choose the option that appears most frequently in previous
answers.
B. Re-read the stem, identify the exact task verb, and eliminate
options inconsistent with that verb.
C. Select C when unsure because it is often correct on practice
tests.
D. Skip the question and return only if time permits.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct: Fitzgerald emphasizes decoding the
question’s task verb (e.g., “next best step,” “most likely
diagnosis”) and using elimination to narrow plausible
distractors — a high-yield analytic approach for ambiguity.
Rationale — Incorrect:
A/C. Relying on answer frequencies is a superstition and
unreliable.
D. Skipping without applying analytic elimination wastes
opportunities and can lose easy points.
Teaching point: Identify the task verb first; eliminate
inconsistent choices.
Citation: Fitzgerald, M. (2025). Nurse Practitioner Certification
Exam Prep (7th ed.). Ch. 1.
, Q3
Reference: Ch. 1 — Prepping for Nurse Practitioner Boards —
Cognitive Levels & Bloom’s Taxonomy
Stem: An instructor wants practice items that assess synthesis-
level reasoning. Which practice item best fits synthesis-level
cognitive demand for NP boards?
A. Identify the most likely organism causing otitis media.
B. Choose the next best step for a 65-year-old with chest pain
and equivocal ECG.
C. List two risk factors for colorectal cancer.
D. Recall the normal range for serum sodium.
Correct answer: B
Rationale — Correct: A “next best step” in an ambiguous
clinical context requires integrating data, weighing
risks/benefits, and synthesizing a management plan—matching
synthesis/evaluation levels emphasized in Ch. 1.
Rationale — Incorrect:
A/C/D. These are recall or lower-order application items; they
do not require integrative reasoning.
Teaching point: Use “next step” and management scenarios to
test synthesis and evaluation.
Citation: Fitzgerald, M. (2025). Nurse Practitioner Certification
Exam Prep (7th ed.). Ch. 1.
Q4
