BoardVitals Launches Full-Length Practice Board Exams

Full-length practice board exams are now available with BoardVitals subscriptions on select question banks for a simulated test day experience. With practice exams, users will experience a full-length test in advance of their boards to allow users to ease test anxiety prior to test day. For more details on how to add this feature to your current subscription, please contact us.

Each practice exam is formatted to mimic not only the precise exam blueprint and length of the board exam, but also the actual interface* users will see on test day. Practice exam questions are a separate, additional set of questions from the ones within the question bank. Users can also find out their strengths and weaknesses with a personalized score report after the test. 

*Available on select specialties only 

Formatted to the Exact Exam Interface 

BoardVitals practice exams are specifically designed to replicate what your students will see on test day, right down to the interface. This allows them to become familiar with the layout and tools they will use when they sit for their exam. 

In addition, users can even create a custom quiz with the exam interface in case they want to get used to the interface outside of the full-length practice exam. 

boardvitals start a practice test

The following specialties include the exam interface with the purchase of a subscription: 

  • AANP Adult-Gerontology Primary Care NP 
  • AACN Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NP 
  • AACN Pediatric Nurse Practitioner 
  • AANP Family Nurse Practitioner 
  • Psychiatric Mental-Health NP
  • USMLE Step 1* 
  • USMLE Step 2* 
  • USMLE Step 3 Day 1* 

*Exam interface coming soon 

As BoardVitals continues to develop interfaces, more question banks will have access to these interfaces.

Practice Exam Timing 

Each board exam has a different number of questions, number of blocks and breaks, and a different amount of time available for test takers. BoardVitals has researched each of them to ensure each practice board exam is close to what your students will see on test day. Depending on the question bank, tests will feature pooled or individual time.  

board exam practice start

Pooled Time 

Some board exams use pooled time for blocks and/or breaks. With pooled time, test takers have one large pool of time to split however they would like. For example, you may have 8 hours to get through 8 blocks of questions. If you use 30 minutes on block 1, you have 7 hours and 30 minutes for the next 7 blocks. 

Individual Time 

Other board exams have individual time for blocks and/or breaks. With individual time, test takers receive allotted time for a block or break. If you do not use the allotted time, you will not gain any additional time for the remaining sections of the exam. 

Breaks are built into the practice exams in case a user needs to rest, but it is optional to take. Keep in mind that once a question block is complete, the user cannot go back to that block again. 

board exam break

Like all BoardVitals question banks, each practice test includes Answer Response Time to help users get a better idea of their pacing. 

answer response time

While it is best that users complete their practice exam in one sitting, if required they can pause and save their place before coming back another time to finish. 

boardvitals practice exam

Personalized Score Report 

Like all BoardVitals quizzes, BoardVitals practice exams give a clear picture of where a user stands before they sit for their boards. The Practice Exam Performance tab shows how a user scored on each exam block, and details specific subject performance.  

By understanding which areas need more help, users are able to create a customized study plan for their next exam. Once a user completes a practice exam, they will be able to highlight any problem areas before they sit for their boards. 

boardvitals score report

Are you a current subscriber to these test banks? For more details on how to add this feature to your current subscription, please contact us.


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