Will Normal Ranges Be Provided?
One of the most common questions I hear from candidates is whether normal lab value ranges will be provided during the exam. The answer is yes—the AANP and ANCC exams typically provide normal reference ranges when presenting lab results in a question. This means you won’t need to memorize every possible lab value, but it’s still important to be familiar with the most common and critical ones. Remember, lab values differ between institutions, and AANP or ANCC does not provide a cheat sheet for values. Instead, learn general textbook ranges to recognize when a result is abnormal.
Here’s a list of the lab values you should definitely know. Try to understand what abnormalities in these values could indicate: Complete Blood Count (CBC), Basic Metabolic Panel (BMP), Liver Function Tests (LFTs), Thyroid Function Test, Lipid Panel (be aware of guidelines for managing hyperlipidemia), urinalysis, HBA1C, and ABGs. If you check out www.practitionerexam.com, you will be given practice questions with clinical scenarios to better understand how a nurse practitioner should manage abnormal lab results.
For instance, you might be given a set of lab results and asked to identify the most likely diagnosis or the next best step in management. This requires knowing what the lab values mean and how they fit into the bigger picture of patient care.
You might see a question with a patient presenting with symptoms of cold intolerance and weight gain alongside a TSH level of 10 mIU/L (normal range: 0.4–4.0 mIU/L) and a free T4 level of 0.5 ng/dL (normal range: 0.8–1.8 ng/dL). These results point toward hypothyroidism, and the exam might then ask you what the next step in management should be.
Tips for Studying Lab Values
So don’t just memorize values—practice interpreting them in the context of clinical vignettes. This will help you understand how different values interact and what they mean for patient care. Use practice exams to get comfortable with the format and types of questions you’ll encounter. I loved using www.practitionerexam.com because it has excellent practice questions using commonly tested lab values and clinical scenarios. Pay special attention to any lab values, and review any questions you get wrong to help you understand. Good luck!