From Full-Time ER Nurse to Certified FNP: An SMNP Reviews Success Story

Preparing for NP boards can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re balancing NP school, a full-time nursing job, and everything that comes after graduation.

Hear from Jacquelyn, a new real-deal Family Nurse Practitioner, as she shares how SMNP Reviews helped her build the confidence and knowledge she needed to pass the AANP exam on her first attempt. After working full-time as an emergency department nurse while completing NP school part-time, Jacquelyn turned to SMNP Reviews for focused board prep—and passed her exam after just three weeks of studying!

Below is her story, in her own words:

Preparing for the AANP Exam While Working Full Time

I was in school from September 2023 until March 2026 part-time, while working full-time as a nurse in the emergency department. When I graduated in March, I told myself I would take a month off, which turned into two months off. I officially started studying in early May and took (and passed!) the AANP exam for my Family Nurse Practitioner certification on May 30th.

Why I Chose SMNP Reviews for AANP Exam Prep

I chose SMNP Reviews because it was highly recommended through friends, coworkers, and fellow NP students. I saw so many highly rated recommendations on Reddit, TikTok, and Facebook groups, [that] I decided to check it out for myself before paying for it. [I] found their videos on social media incredibly helpful! I personally love to learn through video lectures and question banks, so I felt this was a perfect fit for me.

Switching to SMNP Reviews After Self-Studying

This was my first attempt taking the exam, but I will say I did start studying lightly after graduation with a question bank app (only ~10 questions a day or so) and felt I was not retaining any information. That point was when I switched to SMNP Reviews.

How SMNP Reviews Helped Me Prepare for the AANP Exam

The [instructors] on SMNP Reviews explain everything in great detail, but just enough information to make it stick to memory. The video lectures provided were perfect so I could take notes, and then replay the videos again closer to my test date to make sure I remember them. I also loved that they had practice questions after each lecture, which really helped me not only remember everything, but also to apply my critical thinking in a patient scenario and answer the question appropriately.

My Favorite Part of SMNP Reviews: The Lectures

I loved the lectures. All of the [instructors] come up with little silly ways to remember concepts which really does make it stick to memory. I loved that it was a video recording so I could replay it as many times as I wanted to. I really felt like the lecturers explained everything so well. There were actually quite a few concepts I didn’t really fully grasp in NP school that I understood in less than 10 minutes thanks to SMNP Reviews.

Using Question Banks to Practice Applying What I Learned

I found that the question banks were most useful to my exam prep. The [SMNP Reviews] question banks were quite similar to the AANP exam questions, if not slightly harder. The question banks come with rationales as well which is helpful to read over whether you got the question correct or incorrect. These questions allowed me to practice not only understanding the concepts I learned during lectures and in school, but how to apply it to each question.

From Pre-Exam Anxiety to Confidence on Test Day

Exams don’t generally make me too anxious; however, I felt pretty anxious the day before my exam, as well as the morning of my exam. I felt very anxious waiting outside of my exam center. That quickly changed once I started the exam. I felt so incredibly confident going through all the questions, I instantly knew I was passing. I couldn’t believe the change in emotions once I started seeing the questions.

The Mnemonics That Stuck With Me on Exam Day

I loved how the instructors broke every concept down easily and came up with mnemonics to memorize everything. I sat down for my exam and wrote down every single mnemonic I learned during lectures. They also made me feel so calm and everything was straight to the point. I felt like I heard their voices during my exam telling me exactly what I needed to know for each concept.

Would I Recommend SMNP Reviews to Other NP Students?

I would highly recommend SMNP Reviews to anyone. It was genuinely worth every single cent. I would recommend it to anyone no matter if they went to a great NP school, a bad NP school, new graduate nurse or a nurse with a lot of experience. It felt like a good refresher on concepts I already knew and simultaneously felt like I learned new things on concepts I thought I already knew of.

What’s Next After Passing the AANP Exam?

I am now looking for jobs as a Family Nurse Practitioner which just feels so surreal! SMNP Reviews helped me feel confident in myself when it was easy to feel nervous. Additionally, SMNP Reviews gives some great advice on their podcast as well for new grad NPs for the interviewing process and finding jobs, which is nice. It isn’t all just exam content! I really feel like SMNP Reviews have helped lead me in every direction and prepared me as a real deal nurse practitioner!

Jacquelyn’s journey is a great reminder that preparing for NP boards doesn’t have to mean studying endlessly or figuring everything out on your own. After balancing NP school with a full-time job as an emergency department nurse, she found the structure, resources, and confidence she needed to prepare for the AANP—and pass on her first attempt. Congratulations on becoming a real-deal FNP, Jacquelyn! 🥳

Dealing with test anxiety before NP boards? Exam prep doesn’t have to be an uphill battle! Join the fun and learn from our team of NP experts in our AANP & ANCC prep courses—with a passing guarantee!