AANP and ANCC FNP Pass Rates and Passing Scores: What the Boards Publish
By Roupen Odabashian, MD, FRCPC · Published · 8 min read
How we write and check articles: Editorial Policy.
Disclosure: Alma publishes this article and makes one of the study tools it discusses.
Short answer: in 2025, 81% of family nurse practitioner candidates passed the AANPCB (NPCB) FNP exam on a first attempt, and 82% of first-time ANCC FNP test takers passed[1][6]. Those are each board's own numbers. AANPCB's FNP rate was 84% in 2021, 74% in 2022, 73% in 2023, 83% in 2024 and 81% in 2025[1][2][3][4][5]. In the files we read, neither board gives an average score. ANCC reports a scaled score out of 500 with 350 as the pass line, while AANPCB says its passing score comes from standard-setting and is not a percent correct[7][8]. All figures below were read from the boards' own statistics files in November 2026, and each is labelled with its year.
A quick naming note. "AANP" is the professional association. The certification exam is run by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB), which operates under the brand NPCB[9]. People search for "AANP pass rate" and mean the AANPCB exam, and that is what this page covers.
What is the AANPCB FNP pass rate by year?
AANPCB publishes a one-page statistics file for each year. The table gives the Family NP column of the initial examinations section. The 2021 to 2023 files label the row "Pass Rate" and the 2024 and 2025 files label it "1st Time Pass Rate", so treat the older years as the board's initial-exam rate rather than a rate AANPCB explicitly calls first-time[1][2][3][4][5].
| Year | FNP initial exams administered | FNP pass rate | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 17,924 | 84% | [5] |
| 2022 | 17,968 | 74% | [4] |
| 2023 | 17,362 | 73% | [3] |
| 2024 | 15,491 | 83% | [2] |
| 2025 | 15,395 | 81% | [1] |
AANPCB's files do not explain the swings between years, and we are not going to guess. What you can say from the table is that the FNP rate has been between 73% and 84% across these five years.
How does the pass rate differ by specialty in 2025?
| AANPCB exam (2025) | Initial exams administered | 1st-time pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| Family NP | 15,395 | 81% |
| Adult-Gerontology Primary Care NP | 1,463 | 85% |
| Psychiatric Mental Health NP | 1,333 | 82% |
| Emergency NP specialty | 270 | 85% |
The four exams total 18,461 initial examinations, which matches the total in AANPCB's file[1]. The same file notes that the Psychiatric Mental Health NP exam was launched in April 2024[1]. Treat the small exams cautiously: 270 candidates is a far smaller group than 15,395.
How does it differ by education route?
AANPCB also splits the Family NP result by how the candidate was educated.
| FNP candidates | 2024 administered | 2024 pass rate | 2025 administered | 2025 pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Master's | 13,180 | 83% | 13,101 | 80% |
| Post-graduate certificate | 943 | 79% | 1,024 | 77% |
| Doctorate (DNP) | 1,368 | 90% | 1,270 | 88% |
Sources: [1][2]. In both years the DNP group had the highest rate and the post-graduate group the lowest. The file does not say why, and these groups differ in more than their degree, so this is not evidence that one route is easier or harder. In 2025, master's graduates were about 85% of FNP test takers (13,101 of 15,395), which is why the master's rate sits close to the overall rate.
What was the ANCC FNP pass rate?
ANCC publishes its numbers as "2025 ANCC Certification Data". Its tested, passed and pass-rate columns are for first-time test takers[6].
| ANCC nurse practitioner exam (2025) | First-time tested | Passed | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family Nurse Practitioner | 7,719 | 6,358 | 82% |
| Adult-Gerontology Primary Care NP | 882 | 754 | 85% |
| Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NP | 2,580 | 2,056 | 80% |
| Psychiatric-Mental Health NP (across the lifespan) | 10,743 | 8,840 | 82% |
Source: [6]. Divide passed by tested and you get the printed rates, for example 6,358 of 7,719 for FNP. We did not find an earlier-year ANCC data file to build a trend, so there is a single ANCC year here.
Can you compare the AANPCB and ANCC rates?
Only loosely. AANPCB's file gives initial examinations administered with a first-time pass rate, and ANCC's file counts first-time test takers[1][6]. The candidate groups also differ in size and background: roughly 15,400 AANPCB FNP candidates against roughly 7,700 ANCC FNP candidates in 2025[1][6]. An 81% against 82% gap on those groups does not show that either exam is easier. Choose the exam on fit with your state, employer, program and blueprint; the ANCC vs AANPCB FNP comparison covers that decision.
What is the passing score?
| ANCC FNP | AANPCB (NPCB) FNP | |
|---|---|---|
| How results are reported | Scaled score with a maximum of 500[7] | A pass/fail result against a passing score set with standard-setting methods; scores are not reported as a percentage of correct answers[8] |
| Pass line | 350 or higher[7] | A numeric cut score is not published in the handbook we read[8] |
| Exam length | 175 questions, 150 scored, 3.5 hours[10] | 150 questions, 135 scored, 3 hours[8] |
| After a failed attempt | Score report shows scaled score and low, medium or high feedback by content area[7] | Candidates get a preliminary pass/fail result at the end of the exam; official results follow after NPCB review[8] |
Two things people get wrong. First, a scaled 350 is not 70% of the questions. ANCC's handbook explains that the raw score (the number of items answered correctly, for example 105 out of 150) is converted to a scaled score with a conversion formula, and the 105 is only an illustration[7]. Second, because neither board publishes a number of questions you need to get right, any "you only need X% correct" claim you see elsewhere did not come from the boards' pages we read.
What happens if you do not pass?
| ANCC | AANPCB (NPCB) FNP | |
|---|---|---|
| Retake rule | Retest after 60 calendar days from your last attempt; no more than three tests in any 12-month period[11] | Up to three attempts per calendar year for the FNP exam[8] |
| What you submit | A retest application | A re-examination application and payment; eligibility rules in effect at reapplication apply[8] |
NPCB's 2025 annual report describes the three-attempts rule as one of the changes launched in 2026[9]. Older write-ups may differ, so use the handbook version printed on NPCB's site.
Should you rely on a practice-exam score?
NPCB sells practice exams for the FNP exam, and says not to treat them as predictions. They are 50 questions in 60 minutes, listed at $50 each as of November 2026, and the page says a practice exam is not a predictor of whether you will pass or fail[12]. Use a practice score to find weak areas, not to decide you are ready or not.
Where Alma fits, if you use it. A pass rate describes a whole candidate group, not you. If you want your own picture, Alma's Insights page estimates which topics are solid and which need work from your flashcard reviews and Learning Hub quiz answers. It is an estimate, not a prediction of an exam score, and nothing on this page shows that any study tool changes the pass rates above. See Alma for nurse practitioners and the Study Schedule if you want a date-driven plan, or browse the NP blog hub.
Frequently asked questions
What is the AANP pass rate?
For the 2025 AANPCB FNP exam, 81% of initial examinees passed; across all four AANPCB exams the 2025 rates ranged from 81% to 85%[1]. These figures are for the certification board, not the AANP association.
What is the average score on the AANPCB FNP exam?
Neither the statistics files nor the candidate handbook we read give an average score or a passing number of questions. AANPCB reports pass/fail against a standard-set passing score, not a percent correct[1][8].
What is the passing score on the ANCC FNP exam?
A scaled score of 350 or higher on a scale with a maximum of 500[7].
What was the ANCC FNP first-time pass rate in 2025?
82%: 6,358 of 7,719 first-time test takers passed[6].
Which exam has the higher pass rate?
In 2025 the printed rates were 82% for ANCC FNP and 81% for AANPCB FNP, but the two boards label their counts differently and the groups differ in size, so the difference is not a reason to choose either exam[1][6].
Sources
Opened in November 2026. Statistics are updated yearly; check the boards' pages for newer years.
- AANPCB 2025 Certification Statistics: https://www.aanpcert.org/wp-content/uploads/AANPCB-2025-Certification-Statistics.pdf
- AANPCB 2024 Certification Statistics: https://www.aanpcert.org/wp-content/uploads/AANPCB-2024-Certification-Statistics.pdf
- AANPCB 2023 Certification Statistics: https://www.aanpcert.org/wp-content/uploads/2023-Certification-Statistics.pdf
- AANPCB 2022 Statistics: https://www.aanpcert.org/wp-content/uploads/AANPCB-2022-Statistics.pdf
- AANPCB 2021 Pass Rate Report: https://www.aanpcert.org/wp-content/uploads/AANPCB-2021-Pass-Rate-Report.pdf
- 2025 ANCC Certification Data: https://www.nursingworld.org/globalassets/docs/ancc/ancc-cert-data-website.pdf
- ANCC Certification Handbook (scoring section): https://www.nursingworld.org/globalassets/certification/ancc-certification-handbook.pdf
- NPCB Family Nurse Practitioner Candidate Handbook (06/2026): https://www.aanpcert.org/wp-content/uploads/FNP-Candidate-Handbook-06-04-2026.pdf
- NPCB 2025 Annual Report: https://www.aanpcert.org/wp-content/uploads/2025-Annual-Report.pdf
- ANCC Family Nurse Practitioner Certification page: https://www.nursingworld.org/our-certifications/family-nurse-practitioner/
- ANCC scores and retest policy: https://www.nursingworld.org/certification/certification-policies/scores-retest-application/
- NPCB practice exams: https://www.aanpcert.org/certify/practice-exam/