After three challenging years of nurse anesthesia school, graduation was an exciting accomplishment. However, I knew there was still one major step standing between me and becoming a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist: passing the National Certification Examination (NCE). The thought of taking boards can be overwhelming because the NCE covers an extensive amount of information learned throughout nurse anesthesia school. After spending years learning pharmacology, physiology, pathophysiology, anesthesia equipment, anesthesia techniques, and countless other concepts, determining what to review and how to organize that review can be one of the most difficult parts of preparing for the exam.

How Many Hours a Day Should You Study for the NCE?

For me, the key to preparing for the NCE was creating a structured study plan and staying consistent with it. It took a ton of dedication, discipline, and Alani energy drinks. Getting 8 hours of sleep every night is very important to ensure you have the learning capacity to get through the next day. I would spend roughly 8 hours a day studying. I would set a 60-minute timer, then take a 10-minute break. I would go take a walk around campus with a classmate one to two times a day, especially when we started to feel sleepy.

Choosing an NCE Study Resource: APEX, Valley, and Prodigy

I chose APEX Anesthesia as my primary study resource because it provided a comprehensive review of the material while allowing me to work through each topic in an organized manner. Rather than trying to study everything at once, I divided my preparation into manageable sections and established a routine that I could follow each week. If there were topics that I didn't understand, I would go into a different study platform, such as Valley Anesthesia, to help me better understand the topic. APEX has good visuals, but Valley can break down certain topics, explaining them in a different way. Those are the two platforms that I preferred, but I know others who used Prodigy as well.

Studying for Boards Before Graduation

From the beginning of didactic work, we would fill out the APEX workbooks pertaining to each section as we were learning that topic in school. Physically writing things down really helps to put that information in my brain. I kept those workbooks handy. I lightly studied throughout the last few months before graduation when I would arrive home from clinical. But let's be real, we are all so exhausted after a clinical day that you aren't really retaining much information. Flashcards are a good thing to graze over when lying in bed after a clinical shift. Our school hosted an APEX bootcamp event where the company came in and taught a board review session stretched over a few days, hitting high-yield topics. It was extremely helpful.

My Weekly NCE Study Schedule: Four Units, Then a Test Day

Finally, I really dove into the nitty gritty of the material the month before graduation and created my study plan from that point going forward. Thankfully, our program has a dedicated “July Study Month,” in which we are no longer in clinicals but are required to be on campus to dedicate an allotted amount of study hours daily. Since APEX has 12 units of content material, I would do a single unit every day Monday through Thursday of those first three weeks of my study month. I focused on one section at a time, taking the time to read, review, and understand the material rather than simply trying to memorize the content.

Friday was my review and testing day. I used that day to revisit material from the week through flashcards and complete practice tests on those units to assess my understanding. The practice questions were especially important because they helped me identify areas where I was strong and, more importantly, areas where I needed additional review. I would then go review the topics I was the weakest on out of those 4 units of the week.

The Final Week: NCE Practice Exams Under Real Testing Conditions

The last week of the month, I was taking mock exams of different question lengths to make sure I was performing within the time requirements I would be given on the day of the NCE. You want to put yourself in a testing environment and really make it feel like the real thing. Limit yourself to one break in the middle, test in complete silence, and even challenge yourself in different temperatures. The last week was also a time when I started focusing on overall weaknesses. At the end of each exam, it shows you how you are performing in each section. I would then go and look at the units where I was performing the weakest and study that material more. I would make sure I understood each concept and memorized each formula.

Why a Structured Study Plan Beats Free Rein

This approach allowed me to turn an overwhelming amount of information into a manageable weekly routine. I feel like having a structured plan helps me be more organized and motivated than just wondering what to study next and having free rein. Instead of constantly wondering whether I was studying enough or focusing on the right material, I had a plan to follow. The goal was not to know every single detail I had encountered throughout anesthesia school, but to develop a strong understanding of the high-yield concepts and become comfortable applying that knowledge to exam-style questions.

Advice for Future SRNAs Preparing for Boards

My hope is that my experience will give future SRNAs a practical starting point as they develop their own board preparation strategy. Everyone learns differently, so this plan may not look the same for everyone. Some people require more study time than others. Some students are more visual versus auditory learners, as well. However, I believe that having a consistent routine, actively reviewing material, and regularly testing your knowledge can make the process feel much more manageable and ultimately help you walk into the NCE feeling prepared and confident.

The Plan at a Glance

• Sleep: 8 hours a night, every night.

• Study: roughly 8 hours a day, 60 minutes on and 10 minutes off, with one or two walks.

• Resources: APEX as the primary, Valley when a topic needs a second explanation, and the APEX workbooks filled out from the first day of didactics.

• Weeks 1 to 3: one APEX unit a day, Monday through Thursday. Friday is flashcards plus practice tests on the week's four units, then re-study the weakest.

• Week 4: timed mock exams under test-day conditions, then drill the weakest sections and memorize every formula.

About the author: Destenee Webb, DNP, CRNA, trained at Union University, a front-loaded DNP nurse anesthesia program, and graduated in July 2026. She is completing the credentialing process with LifeLinc Anesthesia and will begin practicing as a CRNA at St. Francis in Memphis, Tennessee.