All Nursing Exams

How many times can you retake an NP board exam?

The AANP board allows 3 FNP attempts or 2 AGNP attempts per calendar year. ANCC allows 3 attempts in any 12 months, 60 days apart.

Checked November 10, 2026

Short answer: At the AANP board, family nurse practitioner (FNP) candidates may test up to 3 times per calendar year, and adult-gerontology primary care (AGNP) candidates up to 2 times. ANCC lets you retest after 60 calendar days, and no more than 3 times in any 12-month period.

The AANP board is the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB), which now operates under the name NPCB. ANCC is the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Both boards test at Prometric centers.

Retake rules at each board

Rule AANP board ANCC
Attempts FNP: up to 3 per calendar year. AGNP: up to 2 per calendar year No more than 3 in any 12-month period, for both exams
Wait before a retake No fixed number of days 60 calendar days from the date you last tested
What you file A re-examination application and payment A retest application online
Fee US$315, or US$240 for AANP members A retest fee is required. ANCC does not publish the amount
Eligibility The requirements in effect when you reapply The requirements in effect when you submit the retest application

The AANP board counts by calendar year

The AANP board defines the calendar year as January 1 to December 31. The limit of 3 attempts for FNP candidates began in January 2026. The board does not set a waiting period in days. You may reapply after you receive your official score notification by email. The board emails the score letter within 3 to 5 business days after testing.

The retake fee is the same as the first exam fee. The AANP is the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, and its members pay the lower price.

Continuing education before an AANP board retake

This point is not clear in the board's own documents. The board's frequently asked questions page answers the retest question in two ways. One answer asks for a minimum of 15 continuing education hours. The other answer does not mention continuing education. The FNP and AGNP candidate handbooks do not mention it either.

Confirm with the board before you reapply. The board's email address is certification@aanpcert.org.

ANCC counts any 12 months

ANCC counts 3 attempts in any 12-month period, not in a calendar year. These are the steps after a fail at ANCC:

  1. Wait 5 days after the exam, then submit the retest application online.
  2. Pay the retest fee. Check the amount in your ANCC account, because ANCC does not publish it.
  3. Send any supporting documents that ANCC asks for.
  4. Test again when 60 calendar days have passed since your last test date.

You retake the entire exam. ANCC's retest policy does not state a continuing education requirement for nurse practitioner retests.

One more ANCC limit applies. A retest application must be submitted within 5 years of the date your degree was conferred.

Use your result before you retest

A failing ANCC score report shows high, medium or low performance for each major content area. Use it to decide what to study first.

At the AANP board, you can ask for a rescore by email. A rescore checks only that the score was calculated correctly. It does not review the questions or the passing standard. A review fee applies, and the board does not publish the amount.

What to do next

  1. Wait for the official result before you reapply. See When do NP exam results come out?.
  2. Count your attempts the way your board counts them: by calendar year at the AANP board, or by any 12 months at ANCC.
  3. Budget for the retake fee before you reapply.

Common questions

Is a missed appointment the same as a retake?

No. If you miss the exam or your 120-day testing window ends, each board has a separate process and fee for a new window. The fees are in How much do the AANP and ANCC exams cost?.

Does the AANP board tell my state board that I failed?

No. The AANP board does not report exam failures to state boards of nursing. It shares only certification status.

Do I retake only the sections I failed?

No. ANCC requires you to retake the entire examination.

How is the passing score set?

See What is the passing score on the NP board exams?.

Prep from our team

NPractitioner has 2,500+ practice questions for the FNP and adult-gerontology primary care board exams, written to American guidelines, with study sheets by topic. All Nursing Exams, NCLEXPace and NPractitioner are run by the same team. See https://www.npractitioner.com.

Sources