NURSE PRACTITIONER CERTIFICATION
EXAM PREP
7TH EDITION
• AUTHOR(S)MARGARET FITZGERALD
TEST BANK
1
Reference: Ch. 1 — Prepping for Nurse Practitioner Boards —
Study Plan Prioritization
Stem: You are 8 weeks from an NP board exam. A diagnostic
practice test shows 70% overall with 55% in pharmacology and
85% in respiratory. Your clinical preceptor recommends focusing
on weak topics, but your study group wants to review mixed
practice questions. Which strategy most aligns with efficient,
evidence-based remediation in the allotted time?
A. Continue mixed practice with the group to maintain general
exposure.
B. Allocate 60% of remaining study time to targeted
,pharmacology review and practice questions, 40% to mixed
practice.
C. Postpone focused pharmacology and instead repeat full-
length practice tests weekly.
D. Switch entirely to content review of respiratory topics to
further increase high-yield strengths.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale — Correct: Prioritizing remediation where
performance is lowest (pharmacology) while retaining mixed
practice aligns with deliberate practice and testing effects;
allocating most time to the 55% domain is efficient. Fitzgerald
emphasizes targeted remediation based on diagnostic
assessment.
Rationale — Incorrect A: Mixed practice alone neglects
concentrated remediation required to raise the weakest
domain.
Rationale — Incorrect C: Repeating full-length tests without
targeted review will likely reproduce the same deficits; tests
should guide focused study.
Rationale — Incorrect D: Focusing on an already strong area is
inefficient and unlikely to improve overall pass probability.
Teaching Point: Use diagnostic testing to allocate most study
time to weakest domains.
Citation: Fitzgerald, M. (2025). Nurse Practitioner Certification
Exam Prep (7th ed.). Ch. 1.
,2
Reference: Ch. 1 — Prepping for Nurse Practitioner Boards —
Practice Test Interpretation
Stem: A learner takes three full-length practice exams over six
weeks scoring 64%, 70%, and 68% respectively. Their content
accuracy improves but scores fluctuate. They ask whether they
are "ready." Which interpretation best guides readiness
decision-making?
A. Because scores are below 75%, they are not ready and
should delay the exam.
B. Stability around high 60s with upward trend suggests focused
remediation; use standard error and domain breakdown to
decide.
C. One should ignore practice scores and base readiness solely
on confidence and memory.
D. The upward trend is sufficient; schedule the exam
immediately.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale — Correct: Readiness requires examining trends,
domain breakdowns, and measurement error; an upward but
variable pattern suggests targeted remediation rather than
automatic postponement. Fitzgerald recommends using
multiple data points and domain analysis.
Rationale — Incorrect A: Absolute cutoffs are not universally
valid; context matters.
, Rationale — Incorrect C: Confidence without objective metrics
is unreliable.
Rationale — Incorrect D: Scheduling immediately ignores
remaining deficits revealed by domain analysis.
Teaching Point: Evaluate trends, domain scores, and
measurement error when judging readiness.
Citation: Fitzgerald, M. (2025). Nurse Practitioner Certification
Exam Prep (7th ed.). Ch. 1.
3
Reference: Ch. 1 — Prepping for Nurse Practitioner Boards —
Study Methods (Active Learning)
Stem: A busy clinician-student has 30 minutes daily. They ask
which approach most efficiently converts study time to long-
term retrieval for board-style vignettes. What is the best plan?
A. Read two short textbook chapters end-to-end each day.
B. Use 30 minutes for spaced retrieval practice with clinical
cases and immediate feedback.
C. Watch two brief lecture videos passively while commuting.
D. Create detailed handwritten notes for future review.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale — Correct: Spaced retrieval with feedback leverages
testing effect and is superior for durable clinical reasoning;
Fitzgerald advocates active, case-based retrieval.
EXAM PREP
7TH EDITION
• AUTHOR(S)MARGARET FITZGERALD
TEST BANK
1
Reference: Ch. 1 — Prepping for Nurse Practitioner Boards —
Study Plan Prioritization
Stem: You are 8 weeks from an NP board exam. A diagnostic
practice test shows 70% overall with 55% in pharmacology and
85% in respiratory. Your clinical preceptor recommends focusing
on weak topics, but your study group wants to review mixed
practice questions. Which strategy most aligns with efficient,
evidence-based remediation in the allotted time?
A. Continue mixed practice with the group to maintain general
exposure.
B. Allocate 60% of remaining study time to targeted
,pharmacology review and practice questions, 40% to mixed
practice.
C. Postpone focused pharmacology and instead repeat full-
length practice tests weekly.
D. Switch entirely to content review of respiratory topics to
further increase high-yield strengths.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale — Correct: Prioritizing remediation where
performance is lowest (pharmacology) while retaining mixed
practice aligns with deliberate practice and testing effects;
allocating most time to the 55% domain is efficient. Fitzgerald
emphasizes targeted remediation based on diagnostic
assessment.
Rationale — Incorrect A: Mixed practice alone neglects
concentrated remediation required to raise the weakest
domain.
Rationale — Incorrect C: Repeating full-length tests without
targeted review will likely reproduce the same deficits; tests
should guide focused study.
Rationale — Incorrect D: Focusing on an already strong area is
inefficient and unlikely to improve overall pass probability.
Teaching Point: Use diagnostic testing to allocate most study
time to weakest domains.
Citation: Fitzgerald, M. (2025). Nurse Practitioner Certification
Exam Prep (7th ed.). Ch. 1.
,2
Reference: Ch. 1 — Prepping for Nurse Practitioner Boards —
Practice Test Interpretation
Stem: A learner takes three full-length practice exams over six
weeks scoring 64%, 70%, and 68% respectively. Their content
accuracy improves but scores fluctuate. They ask whether they
are "ready." Which interpretation best guides readiness
decision-making?
A. Because scores are below 75%, they are not ready and
should delay the exam.
B. Stability around high 60s with upward trend suggests focused
remediation; use standard error and domain breakdown to
decide.
C. One should ignore practice scores and base readiness solely
on confidence and memory.
D. The upward trend is sufficient; schedule the exam
immediately.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale — Correct: Readiness requires examining trends,
domain breakdowns, and measurement error; an upward but
variable pattern suggests targeted remediation rather than
automatic postponement. Fitzgerald recommends using
multiple data points and domain analysis.
Rationale — Incorrect A: Absolute cutoffs are not universally
valid; context matters.
, Rationale — Incorrect C: Confidence without objective metrics
is unreliable.
Rationale — Incorrect D: Scheduling immediately ignores
remaining deficits revealed by domain analysis.
Teaching Point: Evaluate trends, domain scores, and
measurement error when judging readiness.
Citation: Fitzgerald, M. (2025). Nurse Practitioner Certification
Exam Prep (7th ed.). Ch. 1.
3
Reference: Ch. 1 — Prepping for Nurse Practitioner Boards —
Study Methods (Active Learning)
Stem: A busy clinician-student has 30 minutes daily. They ask
which approach most efficiently converts study time to long-
term retrieval for board-style vignettes. What is the best plan?
A. Read two short textbook chapters end-to-end each day.
B. Use 30 minutes for spaced retrieval practice with clinical
cases and immediate feedback.
C. Watch two brief lecture videos passively while commuting.
D. Create detailed handwritten notes for future review.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale — Correct: Spaced retrieval with feedback leverages
testing effect and is superior for durable clinical reasoning;
Fitzgerald advocates active, case-based retrieval.
