Nursing, Nursing Advanced Practice, Exam Prep
AGNP Certification Requirements
Jan 25, 2019
(With excerpts from Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner Certification Intensive Review: Fast Facts and Practice Questions, Fourth Edition, by Maria T. Codina Leik MSN, ARNP, FNP-C, AGPCNP-BC)
Get moving toward the next chapter in your career by taking the following steps to getting your Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner (AGNP) certification.
Make Sure You Qualify for Your Exam!
- Are you a graduate of an approved master’s, postgraduate, or doctoral degree program specializing in family NP from an institution of higher learning?
- Is your program accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) or the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing?
- Do you have a minimum of 500 faculty-supervised clinical practice hours?
- Are you an active RN licensed in any state or territory of the United States?*
If you said yes to all four, you’re off to a great start!
Create an Account with Your Preferred Credentialing Organization
The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
The largest nurse credentialing organization in the United States, the ANCC serves as the independent credentialing body of the American Nurses Association (ANA). To apply for any exam, first head over to the ANCC website and create a quick account; you can also use the MYANCC mobile app to apply for or renew your certification and keep track of your continuing-education (CE) hours! It’s fast, it’s convenient, and it’s always with you.
AMERICAN NURSES CREDENTIALING CENTER
www.nursecredentialing.org
Credentials: FNP-BC, AGPCNP-BC
Toll-Free Phone: (800) 284-2378
Mobile App: “MYANCC” (Apple Store/Google Play)
Electronic Transcripts: aprnvalidation@ana.org
The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB)
An independent organization, the AANPCB is affiliated with the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) and the American Academy of Emergency Nurse Practitioners (AAENP). It currently offers three specialty exams: Family NP (FNP-C), Adult Gerontology Primary Care NP (AGNP-C), and the Emergency NP (ENP-C) specialty exam. The current FNP and AGNP exams were both released in October 2016.
To apply for any exam, first create an account on the AANPCB website. If you’re enrolled in an MSN or post-master’s certificate program, you can start this application process 6 months before you finish. Enrolled in a DNP program? You can start this process as early as 1 year before you finish, but you must have completed all the NP program didactic courses and supervised clinical practice hour requirements before you can sit for the exam. An official transcript showing the DNP degree awarded and conferral date is required to release your exam score; your certification start date will be the date your score is released, not the date your exam was taken.
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NURSE PRACTITIONERS CERTIFICATION BOARD
www.aanpcert.org
Credentials: FNP-C, AGNP-C
Toll-Free Phone: (855) 822-6727
Fax: (512) 637-0540
Certification Administration: (512) 637-0500
Email: certification@aanpcert.org
Electronic Transcripts: transcripts@aanpcert.org (via secure electronic transmission from registrar’s office)
Schedule Your Exam
ANCC
The ANCC administers its exams in Prometric Testing Centers, located in 160 countries. Go to www.prometric.com/ANCC to schedule, reschedule, cancel, or confirm your appointment and have your candidate eligibility number ready (this number is provided in the Authorization to Test Notice letter, sent to qualified candidates who meet eligibility requirements and have completed their application documentation). You can also call (800) 350-7076 for live assistance. Military nurses needing to take the exam outside the United States may utilize one of Prometric’s “global” testing centers.
ANCC Exams
Prometric Test Centers
www.prometric.com/ANCC
Toll-Free Phone: (800) 350-7076
Special Conditions Department (Special Accommodations): (800) 967-1139
AANPCB
The AANPCB exams are administered by PSI Services LLC, with more than 300 locations across the United States and Canada—locations can be found on the PSI scheduling portal. Approved qualified candidates who have completed their applications (final transcripts included) are emailed an “authorization to test” from the AANPCB; about 1 day after receiving that email, PSI Services will send you your PSI Eligibility ID number from support@psionline.com and a link to their online scheduling system to schedule/ reschedule/cancel/confirm. You can also call (800) 733-9267 to register by phone.
AANPCB Exams
PSI Computer Testing Centers
PSI Services LLC (PSI)
www.psiexams.com
Toll-Free Phone: (800) 733-9267
Fax: (702) 932-2666
Timelines and Actions
| Timeline | Recommended Activities Before Graduation |
|---|---|
| About 3 to 4 months before graduation | - Open an account on the ANCC and/or the AANPCB website and start the application process - Find out about the certification requirements - Download and read the General Testing Booklet, Test Content Outline, and the Reference List - Visit your SBON website and read the licensure requirements for NPs in your state - Download the licensure application |
| About 4 to 6 weeks before graduation | Order three to four copies of your official final transcript |
| About 2 to 3 weeks before graduation | ANCC ONLY: Have the NP director of your program sign the ANCC Education Validation Form |
Start Studying (if you haven’t already!)
Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to prepare to meet your AGNP Certification Requirements—most people take at least 2 or 3 months to prepare, given the amount of content you need to know. You can start preparing by taking our free practice quiz here. And you’ll probably need a few exam preparation products to help you study in more depth. You can check out what we have here.
Footnote
*The ANCC will accept the professional legally recognized equivalent of NP status from another country if applicants meet its certification criteria; there are additional requirements if applicants are educated and/or licensed outside the United States.
Resources
American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.aanpcert.org/
Find a Test Date. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://candidate.psiexams.com/testdate/testdate.jsp
Leik, M. C. (2018). Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner Certification Intensive Review: Fast Facts and Practice Questions, Third Edition. New York: Springer Publishing.
Nursing Credentialing. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nursingworld.org/ancc/
Test Sponsor: American Nurses Credentialing Center. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.prometric.com/en-us/clients/ancc/Pages/landing.aspx