ANCC AGPCNP-BC study plan
ANCC AGPCNP-BC · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Assessment
Map the Assessment domain blueprint into a one-page checklist covering history, physical exam, and functional/geriatric assessment elements
Perform 60 practice questions limited to health history and physical examination, writing a rationale for every missed item
Build a system-by-system list of the 15 highest-yield physical exam findings in older adults and state the condition each points to
Record a personal baseline: number of questions attempted, percent correct, and top three error patterns
Your checkpoint
Completed Assessment blueprint checklist plus a baseline error log documenting 60 attempted questions and three named weakness patterns
Assessment & Diagnosis
Translate abnormal history and exam findings into a ranked problem list for 10 written case vignettes
Interpret common labs, ECGs, and imaging descriptions by writing a one-line clinical meaning for each of 25 study items
Distinguish normal aging changes from pathologic findings across at least six body systems
Complete a timed 40-question mixed block on history, exam, and data interpretation
Your checkpoint
A 10-case problem-list worksheet and a scored 40-question timed block with every wrong answer rewritten as a corrected statement
Diagnosis
Construct differential diagnosis grids (5 or more entries each) for 15 high-frequency adult-geriatric presentations
Rank each differential by likelihood and by must-not-miss severity, and justify the top two entries
Select and sequence the confirmatory test for each differential in the grids and note the expected result if the diagnosis is correct
Drill 60 diagnostic-reasoning questions, tagging each error as knowledge, misread, or reasoning failure
Your checkpoint
Fifteen completed, ranked differential diagnosis grids with confirmatory testing plans and a tagged error tally from 60 questions
Planning
Match at least 25 common adult-geriatric conditions to current guideline-based first-line management
Analyze five polypharmacy cases using a structured medication review and propose deprescribing actions
Draft patient-centered plans that integrate screening schedules, immunization status, and advance care planning
Review all prior error logs and re-attempt 30 previously missed questions
Your checkpoint
Five written management plans with deprescribing recommendations and a re-test score on 30 previously missed questions
Planning & Implementation
Write implementation scripts for counseling on lifestyle, self-management, and medication adherence for five conditions
Specify appropriate referral thresholds and care-coordination steps for four chronic-disease scenarios
Apply prescribing safety principles (renal dosing, interactions, Beers-type concerns) to 20 medication scenarios
Complete a 40-question timed block spanning planning and implementation
Your checkpoint
A counseling and referral toolkit for five conditions plus a scored 40-question planning/implementation block
Implementation & Evaluation
Define measurable follow-up intervals and outcome parameters for 20 common management plans
Identify when and how to revise a failing plan in eight written scenarios, naming the trigger for change
Interpret monitoring data (labs, home readings, functional scores) and state whether the goal is met
Complete a 50-question timed mixed block under exam conditions
Your checkpoint
A monitoring and outcomes table for 20 conditions with explicit revision triggers, plus a scored and reviewed 50-question mixed block
Evaluation & Assessment & Diagnosis & Planning & Implementation
Sit one full-length timed practice examination simulating actual testing conditions
Categorize every incorrect answer by domain and by error type in a structured review log
Re-teach the three weakest content areas by writing a concise summary sheet from memory, then verifying against a reference
Re-attempt 40 questions from the weakest domain and compare accuracy with baseline
Your checkpoint
Full-length practice exam score with a completed domain-by-error-type analysis and a weakest-area summary sheet
Evaluation & Assessment & Diagnosis & Planning & Implementation
Sit a second full-length timed practice examination and compare domain scores with week 7
Close out every remaining flagged error by writing the corrected rule for each
Rehearse a one-page rapid-review sheet covering high-yield assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation facts
Finalize test-day logistics and confirm readiness against all milestone benchmarks
Your checkpoint
Second full-length exam score with a week-over-week comparison table, a finished one-page rapid-review sheet, and a closed error log
Milestones
Week 2: At least 40 timed questions completed across Domains 1 and 2 with an error log showing a named reason for every miss
Week 4: Fifteen differential grids complete, five deprescribing plans written, and cumulative accuracy of 70% or higher on Domains 1 and 2 practice questions
Week 6: First 50-question timed mixed block scored at 70% or higher with a monitoring/revision table completed for 20 conditions
Week 8: Two full-length practice exams completed with the second score at or above 70% overall and no domain below 65%