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NP Board Prep

AANP (NPCB) vs ANCC, role by role

Updated Nov 7, 2026

Two boards certify nurse practitioners in three of the same roles: family, adult-gerontology primary care and psychiatric-mental health. The one still called "AANP" is NPCB, the brand of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board; the other is the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Both credentials lead to the same license, so what separates them is the exam and the renewal rules after it.

Practice questions

60 questions written to the FNP-C outline; each choice is explained once you pick.

Start the FNP-C practice testExam rules and dates

Questions

FNP-C150

FNP-BC175

Time

FNP-C3 h

FNP-BC3.5 h

Exam fee

FNP-C$315

FNP-BC$395

Pass rate

FNP-C81% (2025)

FNP-BC82% (2025)

FNP-CNPCB

Questions
150
Time
3 h
Exam fee
$315
Pass rate
81% (2025)
  1. Assess32%
  2. Diagnose26.5%
  3. Plan26.5%
  4. Evaluate15%

FNP-BCANCC · practice test coming

Questions
175
Time
3.5 h
Exam fee
$395
Pass rate
82% (2025)
  1. Assessment17%
  2. Diagnosis17%
  3. Planning19%
  4. Implementation33%
  5. Evaluation13%

What FNP-C and FNP-BC mean

FNP-C is the family credential NPCB awards; the "-C" comes from NP-C, the board's registered certification mark (2025 Annual Report, p. 3). FNP-BC stands for Family Nurse Practitioner–Board Certified and comes from ANCC. Both cover the same population, families and individuals across the lifespan, and both are accredited by ABSNC and NCCA. Neither is the "higher" credential: what differs is how each board builds its exam.

Family NP: FNP-C and FNP-BC

sources [1], [15]
Table 1. FNP-C and FNP-BC, fact by fact[1]–[15]
FactFNP-CNPCB · Family Nurse Practitioner certification examPracticeFNP-BCANCC · Family Nurse Practitioner certification examtest coming
Questions on the exam150 multiple-choice questions175 questions
Questions that countThe gap is pretest questions: they sit unmarked among the rest, and the board tries them out for later editions without counting them.135 scored questions150 scored questions
Seat time3 hours3.5 hours
Professional and legal contentNone: NPCB calls its exams 100% clinicalPart of Implementation (33%), which includes legal and ethical implications, regulation and scope of practice
Pass standardBoards set cut scores by standard setting and publish them differently: ANCC (350 of 500) and PNCB (400 of 800) as scaled scores, ONCC on a 25–75 scale, AACN as a raw count; NPCB and NCC publish no number.A cut score set by standard setting; NPCB does not report scores as a percentage350 on ANCC’s scaled score, which tops out at 500
Exam feeBars use the price without any membership discount; the cell names the membership a lower price needs.$315, or $240 for AANP members$395 without a discount; $295 with ANA membership, $340 with AANP or GAPNA
RetestingReapply after the official score; up to 3 attempts per calendar year, each at the full feeWait 60 calendar days; no more than 3 tries in any 12-month span, each with a retest application and fee
Pass rateTaken from each board’s own report with its year and group: NPCB, ANCC, PNCB and AACN count first-time candidates, ONCC initial candidates, NCC everyone tested.In 2025 the first-time pass rate was 81%; 15,395 initial exams were givenIn 2025, 6,358 of 7,719 first-time takers passed (82%)
Currently certified202,048 FNP certifications (2025)107,692 certified (December 31, 2025)
Keeping it currentEvery 5 years: 1,000 NP practice hours plus 100 continuing education hours (25 in pharmacology), or pass the exam againEvery 5 years: 75 CE contact hours, including 25 in pharmacology, and one or more of 8 professional development categories

The NPCB exam is shorter (150 questions in 3 h) and, by the board's own description, entirely clinical. The ANCC exam adds professional content: in the outline that took effect October 30, 2026, Implementation carries 33% and takes in legal and ethical questions, regulation and scope of practice (FNP-BC Test Content Outline, p. 1). NPCB certified roughly two first-time FNP candidates for every one at ANCC in 2025. Every detail of the NPCB exam, from eligibility to the blueprint, is on the FNP-C section.

Adult-gerontology primary care: AGNP-C and AGPCNP-BC

sources [4], [6], [9], [12], [14], [19]
Table 2. AGNP-C and AGPCNP-BC, fact by fact[4]–[6][9]–[12][14]–[19]
FactAGNP-CNPCB · Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner certification examtest comingAGPCNP-BCANCC · Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner certification examtest coming
Questions on the exam150 multiple-choice questions175 questions
Questions that countThe gap is pretest questions: they sit unmarked among the rest, and the board tries them out for later editions without counting them.135 scored questions150 scored questions
Seat time3 hours3.5 hours
Professional and legal contentNone: NPCB calls its exams 100% clinical16%: Professional Practice
Pass standardBoards set cut scores by standard setting and publish them differently: ANCC (350 of 500) and PNCB (400 of 800) as scaled scores, ONCC on a 25–75 scale, AACN as a raw count; NPCB and NCC publish no number.A cut score set by standard setting; NPCB does not report scores as a percentage350 on ANCC’s scaled score, which tops out at 500
Exam feeBars use the price without any membership discount; the cell names the membership a lower price needs.$315, or $240 for AANP members$395 without a discount; $295 with ANA membership, $340 with AANP or GAPNA
RetestingReapply after the official score; up to 2 attempts per calendar yearWait 60 calendar days; no more than 3 tries in any 12-month span, each with a retest application and fee
Pass rateTaken from each board’s own report with its year and group: NPCB, ANCC, PNCB and AACN count first-time candidates, ONCC initial candidates, NCC everyone tested.In 2025, 85% of 1,463 first-time takers passedIn 2025, 85% of 882 first-time takers passed
Currently certified22,590 certifications (2025)12,133 certified (December 31, 2025)
Keeping it currentEvery 5 years: 1,000 practice hours in the role plus 100 continuing education hours (25 in pharmacology), or pass the exam againEvery 5 years: 75 CE contact hours, including 25 in pharmacology, and one or more of 8 professional development categories

The same split holds: NPCB tests 135 scored questions with no professional domain, ANCC 150 with 16% for professional practice. For 2025 both reported the same first-time pass rate, 85%. Neither exam has practice pages here yet.

Psychiatric-mental health: PMHNP-C and PMHNP-BC

sources [4], [6], [9], [10], [12], [14], [20], [25]
Table 3. PMHNP-C and PMHNP-BC, fact by fact[4]–[6][9][10][12][14][20]–[25]
FactPMHNP-CNPCB · Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner certification examtest comingPMHNP-BCANCC · Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (Across the Lifespan) certification examPractice
Questions on the exam150 multiple-choice questions175 questions
Questions that countThe gap is pretest questions: they sit unmarked among the rest, and the board tries them out for later editions without counting them.135 scored questions150 scored questions
Seat time3 hours3.5 hours
Professional and legal contentNone: NPCB calls its exams 100% clinical17%, the Ethics, Legal Principles, and Cultural Care domain
Pass standardBoards set cut scores by standard setting and publish them differently: ANCC (350 of 500) and PNCB (400 of 800) as scaled scores, ONCC on a 25–75 scale, AACN as a raw count; NPCB and NCC publish no number.A cut score set by standard setting; NPCB does not report scores as a percentage350 on ANCC’s scaled score, which tops out at 500
Exam feeBars use the price without any membership discount; the cell names the membership a lower price needs.$315, or $240 for AANP members$395 without a discount; $295 with ANA membership, $220 with APNA
RetestingReapply after the official score; up to 2 attempts per calendar yearWait 60 calendar days; no more than 3 tries in any 12-month span, each with a retest application and fee
Pass rateTaken from each board’s own report with its year and group: NPCB, ANCC, PNCB and AACN count first-time candidates, ONCC initial candidates, NCC everyone tested.In 2025, 82% of 1,333 first-time takers passedIn 2025, 8,840 of 10,743 first-time takers passed (82%)
Currently certified1,717 certifications (2025)58,578 certified (December 31, 2025)
Keeping it currentEvery 5 years: 1,000 practice hours in the role plus 100 continuing education hours (25 in pharmacology), or pass the exam againEvery 5 years: 75 CE contact hours, including 25 in pharmacology, and one or more of 8 professional development categories

Here the market runs the other way. NPCB's psychiatric exam is new (first given in April 2024), and in 2025 ANCC tested about eight first-time PMHNP candidates for each one at NPCB (pass-rate row above). The ANCC exam gives 17% of its outline to ethics, law and culture and another 11% to psychotherapy theory; the PMHNP-BC section covers it domain by domain.

Renewal: where the two boards differ most

  • NPCB asks every 5 years for practice hours in the role plus CE with a pharmacology share, or a new pass on the exam. See AANP recertification.
  • ANCC, for applications sent before February 1, 2027, asks for CE with a pharmacology share plus one of ANCC's eight renewal categories; practice hours are one option, not a requirement. From that date the categories become three pathways, and retesting no longer counts as renewal. See ANCC renewal for NPs.

Acute care has no NPCB exam

For adult-gerontology acute care the pair is ANCC and AACN, not NPCB. ANCC's AGACNP-BC had 80% (2025); AACN's ACNPC-AG had 74.2% (2025), the lowest 2025 rate published among the exams tracked here. Both are listed on NP specialties.

Which board fits you

FNP-C

Choose NPCB (FNP-C, AGNP-C, PMHNP-C)

  • You want an all-clinical exam: 150 questions in 3 h
  • You will keep practicing as an NP, so the 1,000-hour renewal rule is easy to meet
  • You are an AANP member: $240 instead of $315
  • FNP only: retests allowed, 3 per calendar year

FNP-C practice testFNP-C overview

FNP-BC

Choose ANCC (FNP-BC, AGPCNP-BC, PMHNP-BC)

  • You are comfortable with policy, ethics and scope questions on the exam
  • You may spend part of the 5 years outside clinical practice
  • You are an ANA member ($295), or a PMHNP in APNA
  • Psychiatric NP: most first-time candidates certify here

AANP or ANCC: common questions

Is FNP-C or FNP-BC more respected?

Neither board publishes a ranking, and both programs are accredited by ABSNC and NCCA. State boards and employers ask for national certification in the family population; either credential meets that.

Which is easier to pass, AANP or ANCC?

The 2025 first-time rates are close: 81% (2025) for FNP-C and 82% (2025) for FNP-BC. The difference is content: NPCB is all clinical, while ANCC includes professional and regulatory questions.

Can I hold both FNP-C and FNP-BC?

Yes. The two boards certify independently, so holding both means two exam fees and two renewal cycles.

Sources

all read Nov 7, 2026
  1. [1]NPCB: FNP Candidate Handbook, June 4, 2026 (PDF), pp. 1, 3, 6–10, 14–17 aanpcert.org read Nov 7, 2026
  2. [2]FNP-BC exam outline from ANCC, used from October 30, 2026 (PDF), p. 1 nursingworld.org read Nov 7, 2026
  3. [3]NPCB: FNP certification page, 2024 FNP Examination Blueprint aanpcert.org read Nov 7, 2026
  4. [4]NPCB: home page aanpcert.org read Nov 7, 2026
  5. [5]ANCC certification handbook (Foundations), version 5 dated October 12, 2026, PDF nursingworld.org read Nov 7, 2026
  6. [6]NPCB: Certify, application fees aanpcert.org read Nov 7, 2026
  7. [7]FNP-BC exam page at ANCC nursingworld.org read Nov 7, 2026
  8. [8]NPCB: Certification FAQ aanpcert.org read Nov 7, 2026
  9. [9]AANPCB: 2025 Certification Statistics (PDF), p. 1 aanpcert.org read Nov 7, 2026
  10. [10]AANPCB: 2024 Certification Statistics (PDF), p. 1 aanpcert.org read Nov 7, 2026
  11. [11]AANPCB: 2023 Certification Statistics (PDF), p. 1 aanpcert.org read Nov 7, 2026
  12. [12]ANCC certification statistics for 2025, PDF page 1 nursingworld.org read Nov 7, 2026
  13. [13]NPCB: FNP Renewal Handbook, June 4, 2026 (PDF), pp. 6–9 aanpcert.org read Nov 7, 2026
  14. [14]ANCC renewal handbook in force since September 10, 2025 (v2), PDF nursingworld.org read Nov 7, 2026
  15. [15]ANCC renewal handbook for renewals filed from February 1, 2027, PDF nursingworld.org read Nov 7, 2026
  16. [16]NPCB: AGNP Candidate Handbook, Oct 16, 2026 (PDF) aanpcert.org read Nov 7, 2026
  17. [17]AGPCNP-BC exam outline from ANCC, used since September 13, 2023 (PDF), pp. 1–2 nursingworld.org read Nov 7, 2026
  18. [18]AGPCNP-BC exam page at ANCC nursingworld.org read Nov 7, 2026
  19. [19]NPCB: AGNP Renewal Handbook, June 4, 2026 (PDF) aanpcert.org read Nov 7, 2026
  20. [20]NPCB: PMHNP Candidate Handbook, June 4, 2026 (PDF), pp. 10–11, 13, 17–18 aanpcert.org read Nov 7, 2026
  21. [21]PMHNP-BC exam outline from ANCC, used since April 28, 2023, 2026 rebrand (PDF), pp. 1–4 nursingworld.org read Nov 7, 2026
  22. [22]PMHNP-BC (across the lifespan) exam page at ANCC nursingworld.org read Nov 7, 2026
  23. [23]ANCC certification statistics for 2024, PDF copy kept by the Wayback Machine (April 24, 2025) web.archive.org read Nov 7, 2026
  24. [24]ANCC certification statistics for 2023, PDF copy kept by the Wayback Machine (November 7, 2024) web.archive.org read Nov 7, 2026
  25. [25]NPCB: PMHNP Renewal Handbook, June 4, 2026 (PDF) aanpcert.org read Nov 7, 2026