ANCC Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NP Certification (AGACNP-BC) Practice Test

Eligibility requires an active RN license, a master's, post-graduate certificate, or doctoral degree from an accredited Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NP program. Your educational program must include separate, dedicated graduate-level courses in advanced physiology/pathophysiology, advanced health assessment, and advanced pharmacology, along with a minimum of 500 faculty-supervised clinical hours specifically in adult-gerontology acute care practice.

The AGACNP-BC is educated and certified to manage patients with complex, acute, critical, and chronic illnesses across the adult-gerontology spectrum, focusing on episodic, often hospital-based care, stabilization, and management of life-threatening conditions. This includes performing procedures, interpreting advanced monitoring, and managing ventilator support. In contrast, the AGPCNP-BC focuses on comprehensive, continuous, primary care health promotion and disease management in outpatient and community settings.

The computer-based exam consists of 175 scored questions, plus 25 pretest questions that are unscored. You will have 3.5 hours to complete the test. The questions are multiple-choice and may include multiple-select, drag-and-drop, or hot spot (graphic) formats, all designed to assess application and analysis of clinical knowledge.

The exam is structured around four major domains: Clinical Practice (55% of exam), encompassing assessment, diagnosis, and plan of care; Professional Role (20%); Healthcare Systems (15%); and Leadership (10%). These domains integrate core knowledge of advanced physiology, complex multisystem conditions, pharmacology, and procedures specific to the acute care environment.

The AGACNP-BC certification is valid for five years. Renewal is achieved through the ANCC's Renewal by Continuing Education and Practice Hours model, which requires a minimum of 1,000 clinical practice hours as an AGACNP, 75 continuing education contact hours (with specific requirements in pharmacology), and completion of one or more professional development categories.