NP certification exams after Lewis: boards by track and the pass rates Lewis reports
Lewis says graduates of each advanced practice specialty can sit for that specialty's certification exam. It names ANCC and AANPCB for Family Nurse Practitioner graduates and AACN for Adult-Gerontology Acute Care, and names no board for its AGPCNP or PMHNP tracks. Lewis reports a 2023 pass rate of 92% for FNP graduates on the ANCC exam and 100% for AGACNP graduates on the AACN exam.
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Tell us your Lewis program and where you live. A placement advisor replies with preceptor and site options in your community that fit your Lewis course.
The boards Lewis names, track by track
Lewis's 2023 graduate viewbook states that graduates of each advanced practice specialty can sit for the certification exam in their area. Across its pages, Lewis then names specific boards for only two of the four NP tracks, as the table shows. Board names are given the way Lewis prints them.
| Lewis track | Board Lewis names | Where Lewis names it | Most recent pass rate Lewis reports |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSN FNP (48 credits, 630 hours) | ANCC; AANPCB | MSN program page (ANCC); 2023 graduate viewbook (AANPCB) | 2023: 92%, 36 of 39 (ANCC) |
| MSN AGACNP (46 credits, 540 hours) | AACN | MSN program page | 2023: 100%, 3 of 3 (AACN) |
| MSN AGPCNP (46 credits, 540 hours) | None named | Not applicable | None published |
| MSN PMHNP (49 credits, 540 hours) | None named | Not applicable | None published |
For the AGPCNP and PMHNP tracks, go straight to the certifying boards' own eligibility pages, and put the question of which exam recent Lewis graduates sat to your track coordinator. The four Certificates of Advanced Study, and the NP tracks inside the BSN to DNP, use the same practicum courses as the matching MSN tracks, so the same population focus carries over.
Reading Lewis's pass rates carefully
Both current figures come from Lewis's MSN page. They are Lewis's own claims, and they describe groups of very different size: 39 FNP test-takers against 3 AGACNP test-takers. In a group of three, one different result would have moved the rate by about 33 points (our arithmetic, not Lewis's), so the AGACNP 100% carries less weight than its size suggests.
The 2023 viewbook also prints older figures marked 2021: 94% on AANPCB (16 of 17), 96.7% on ANCC (43 of 44) and 100% on ANCC (14 of 14). They sit under labels for MSN/FNP and MSN/AGACNP, but the layout does not show which number belongs to which track, so none of them can be tied to a track with confidence.
Lewis has published no NP pass rates after 2023 and none at all for the PMHNP or AGPCNP tracks. The PMHNP track itself only began in fall 2019, according to the catalog's history.
From certification to an Illinois APRN license
Certification is the step that turns a Lewis degree into a license. IDFPR licenses advanced practice registered nurses, and its requirements call for national certification as a nurse practitioner plus graduate preparation, by degree or post-master's certificate, in a clinical advanced practice specialty. The application also asks for proof that you successfully completed that program. Our Illinois APRN license guide walks through it.
Certification also starts a clock. An Illinois nurse practitioner can practice without a written collaborative agreement after attesting to 250 hours of continuing education or training plus 4,000 hours of clinical experience, all logged after first earning national certification. Until then a collaborative agreement applies; our page on Illinois practice authority has the details.
Outside Illinois, Lewis's state authorization disclosures show where each program meets licensure requirements. The same NP tables warn that clinical rotations in some states may be restricted even where licensure is possible.
How your practicums feed the exam
Lewis's NP tracks are named for patient populations, and each practicum title names who you will see. Planning the patient mix in each placement matters as much as planning the location.
- FNP: adults in primary care (
NURS 61100), adult/gerontology and adolescents (NURS 61800), women (NURS 64100), and infants and children (NURS 64300). - AGACNP: adult/gerontology and adolescents (
NURS 61800), then two acute care practicums (NURS 62500,NURS 62700), the second reaching into subspecialty care and acute care technology and devices. - AGPCNP: adult primary care (
NURS 61100), adult/gerontology and adolescents (NURS 61800), and special populations (NURS 61500). - PMHNP: assessment and diagnosis, psychotherapy, and pharmacotherapy (
NURS 63300,NURS 63500,NURS 63700), each across the lifespan.
A preceptor whose panel matches the course title gives you the cases the course was built around. Track-level plans are on the FNP, AGACNP, AGPCNP and PMHNP pages.
Timing: keep your final practicum on schedule
Because IDFPR asks for proof that your degree is complete, your conferral date shapes when the license process can move. That date depends on your last practicum finishing inside its semester.
- Finish the final practicum on timeLewis has no In Progress grade. An unfinished practicum becomes an Incomplete, and an Incomplete in the term you planned to graduate can force a later graduation date.
- Apply to graduate by the deadlineLewis's deadlines are October 1, 2026 for fall, February 1, 2027 for spring and July 1 for summer 2027.
- Know your conferral dateFall 2026 degrees are conferred on December 18, spring 2027 degrees on May 21 and summer 2027 degrees on August 27. August graduates are invited to the December commencement ceremony.
- Read your board's rules earlyEligibility, application steps and testing windows come from the certifying board, not from Lewis, so review them before your final semester begins.
- Apply to IDFPRWith certification and the completed degree in hand, apply for the Illinois APRN license, or to the board of nursing in the state where you will practice.
Our page on grades, Incompletes and time limits explains the Incomplete deadlines that can push a graduation date.
How we help you reach exam day on time
A practicum that starts late for lack of an approved preceptor can push back every course that follows it, and with them your conferral date. We plan against that from the start. Each preceptor is lined up ahead of its semester and matched to the patient population the Lewis course names, and your contract request goes in with every detail complete.
We follow CastleBranch and agency onboarding through to your first clinical day, and if a preceptor drops, we find a replacement. Lewis's clinical coordinators and track faculty approve every placement; our part is keeping your practicum sequence moving so your graduation term holds. Tell us your track and next practicum in the form below.
Questions Lewis students ask
Should a Lewis FNP take the ANCC or the AANPCB exam?
Lewis names both boards for FNP graduates, ANCC on its MSN page and AANPCB in its 2023 viewbook, and it does not publicly recommend one over the other. The figure Lewis currently reports, 92% in 2023, is for ANCC. Compare the two boards' own exam content and eligibility pages, and ask your track coordinator which exam recent Lewis FNP graduates chose.
Does Lewis publish PMHNP or AGPCNP pass rates?
Neither appears anywhere Lewis publishes. The 2023 figures on the MSN page cover family and acute care graduates only, and Lewis attaches no board name to the psychiatric or adult-gerontology primary care tracks. The PMHNP track dates from fall 2019, so its graduating classes are recent. If pass rates weigh on your choice of track, ask graduate admissions whether newer figures exist.
Can Lewis post-master's certificate graduates sit for NP certification?
Lewis's Certificates of Advanced Study list the same NP courses and practicums as the matching MSN tracks, and Illinois's APRN rule treats a post-master's certificate in a clinical advanced practice specialty as qualifying education. Lewis's viewbook statement about sitting for certification covers graduates of each advanced practice specialty. Confirm your eligibility with the board itself, since each board sets its own rules.
Does the Lewis DNP have its own certification exam?
No exam is tied to the doctorate itself. Lewis's out-of-state table for the DNP notes that it carries no state license of its own and that its graduates might qualify for certification through a relevant professional body. BSN to DNP students complete one of the four NP tracks, with the same practicums, before the DNP residency, so their NP certification follows that track.
What other exam results does Lewis report?
Lewis reports School Nurse results by year without naming the exam, most recently 10 of 10 in 2024, and BSN NCLEX-RN results of 98% in both 2023 and 2024. School Nurse candidates also face ISBE test 236, which has to be behind them before the NURS 56700 internship starts. All of these are Lewis's own figures, published on its program pages.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-25
We check these pages against Lewis's own catalog, program pages and FAQ, its contract portal and Illinois law. Your course, your track coordinator and the Clinical Placement Office have the final word.
Lewis asks you to identify your preceptor. We do the searching.
Tell us your Lewis program, where you live and when your next practicum starts. We find preceptors near you who fit the course and prepare every detail the contract portal asks for, so your request goes in complete.
- Preceptors matched to the practicum: primary care for
NURS 61100andNURS 61800, acute care forNURS 62500, psychiatric care forNURS 63300 - Preceptor, license and site details ready for your preceptor contract request
- In your own community, anywhere Lewis enrolls you and your RN license is valid
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