FNP Boards: When Do You Start Applying?

As you approach graduation, you are probably excited to start a career as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP). It is exciting looking at job boards and open positions available. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts 45% job growth between 2022-2032, which is around 118,600 new jobs. However, before you start diving into applications, you will need to apply for your FNP Boards.

What are FNP Boards? 

Nurse Practitioner boards are governing organizations that administer exams to nurse practitioners (NPs) to verify their knowledge and skills. Passing these exams demonstrates that the nurse understands and can effectively apply the educational and clinical experiences they learned in their chosen specialty. These exams are required for NPs to become licensed and start their careers. 

Graduates from the Herzing University FNP program are eligible to sit for one of two FNP certification exams:

• The American Nurse Credentialing Center (ANCC)
• The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP)

You may choose the exam you’d like to take. Both organizations are widely recognized certifying boards and provide a valid and reliable assessment of the entry-level clinical knowledge and skills of the FNP.

When Do You Start Applying for Boards?

While you may want to get certified as quickly as possible and start working, you need to graduate first. Both the ANCC and AANP applications require you to have an RN license and have graduated from an accredited NP program. That being said, to apply for the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) exam, you can create an account on the certifying agency's website and start the application process up to six months before finishing an MSN or post-master's certificate program. However, you won’t be able to sit for the exam until after you graduate.

For most nurse practitioner graduates, the best time to take the certification exam is within one or three months of graduation. This ensures you can apply for your NP license but keeps all your coursework fresh in your mind.

You need to have a realistic understanding of how long it will take to go from graduation to full licensure.

Your application for the NP boards will take a little while to process. For example, the AANP could take anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks to process. Once your application is reviewed and you're deemed qualified to take the exam, you'll receive an Authorization to Test (ATT) letter in the mail. You should keep the letter in a safe place and reference your Testing Identification Number. 

How Do I Apply?

It’s important that you research your boards in advance to see which certification exam you prefer, and which would work better for your schedule. Review certification pricing, eligibility requirements and FAQs. Once you decide which exam you want to take,  you can start the application process!

Go to the ANCC or AANP websites to find the application form. Make sure you select the correct application for FNPs. You should be able to submit everything online, but there may be options for you to submit everything via the postal service. The forms should have you submit the following information:

• Contact Information: You will be required to submit your legal contact information. Similar to other legal applications, you will have to provide the organization with your full legal name, social security information, mailing address and personal email address (do NOT use your school or work email address).
• Program Information: This is the nitty gritty portion of your application. You will share program information with the credentialing body. They may ask you to provide information about what classes you took, what didactic courses you participated in and how many hours you committed to each experience. Lastly, you will have to document where you completed your clinical practice.
• Licenses: You will need to submit proof of your current, professional nursing license. You can usually find this on your licensing board's website. In this section, you also have the option to select whether you want to notify your State Board of Nursing that you are eligible to sit for the examination or whether you passed your certification exam.

After you submit your application, the certifying agency will have to review your application to determine your eligibility to sit for the exam, which can take a few weeks. Once the review process is complete, they’ll contact you via the email or mailing address you provided to let you know if you’ve been approved and detailing how to arrange your testing appointment. Then you are well on your way to becoming certified!

What Should I Expect on These Exams? 

You can think of your FNP exam as a more complex nursing-specific ACT test. In the FNP examination, you'll encounter multiple-choice questions, all to be answered within a designated time frame.

The exam evaluates your understanding of crucial competencies required for Family Nurse Practitioners, including patient assessment, illness diagnosis, treatment planning and outcome evaluation. Getting to know the exam's structure and main content areas can help you focus your studies and increase your confidence on exam day.