Occasionally I am contacted by a nurse who has not passed a certification test. Such nurses request advice as to how they can be successful on their second attempt. My first response is “Tell me how you prepared for the exam.” I have been surprised at the number of times their answer is “Oh, I have X numbers of years of experience—that was my preparation.” When I ask if they looked at the test plan, did practice questions, or attended a review course, the answers are frequently no, no, and no. The American Association of Critical- Care Nurses (AACN) publishes resource materials to help nurses prepare, the most important of which is the test plan. Not looking at the test plan before sitting for an examination is like leaving to go somewhere you have never been with an address but no directions, no map, and no global positioning system (GPS)....

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